McGee is magical in Skyview rout of Federal Way

The Skyview football team wanted to put on a show Friday.

What type of show? With Jalynnee McGee running the ball, it looked like a magic act.

“Some of the stuff he does is Houdini-like,” said Skyview receiver Mason Wheeler.

McGee rushed for 219 yards and six touchdowns as Skyview beat Federal Way 49-0 in the 4A state preliminary round at Kiggins Bowl.

The win moved Skyview into the state playoffs for the ninth time in the past 11 years. Against whom and where Skyview next plays depends on what rank the Storm are given by the playoff seeding committee on Sunday.

That’s why Skyview (8-2) wanted to make an impression Friday. With a thorough beatdown of a Federal Way team that entered Friday 7-2 and hung with No. 2-ranked Kennedy Catholic last week, the Storm believe they sent a message.

“That was definitely a big part of the motivation throughout the week,” Wheeler said. “We want to have another home game here.”

McGee knew before Friday’s game that his workload would be heavy. In the first half, he carried the ball on 17 of Skyview’s 25 plays from scrimmage.

Those 17 carries netted 203 yards and four touchdowns, including a juke-filled 70-yard dash that put Skyview ahead 28-0 less than a minute before halftime.

“The linemen helped me out a lot,” McGee said. “We had excellent blocks all game. Receivers blocked downfield. It was really easy today.”

Skyview’s offensive front embraced they straight-forward physical gameplan the Storm brought into Friday’s clash against Federal Way, which itself had some size on its line.

“We schemed all week about what their front was going to be then we did what we had to do, play physical,” senior lineman Josiah Cochran said. “I think playing physical throughout any season will work best. That’s what our mentality is. Play physical, be dominant.”

Skyview didn’t rely much on the passing game, but receivers were open when needed. Thanks to McGee’s success, receivers often found themselves in one-on-one coverage.

Yaro Duvalko completed 9 of 12 passes for 180 yards. Wheeler had seven of those catches for 100 yards.

Key moments

• McGee’s best run was his fourth touchdown, a 70-yard scamper that say him dodge multiple defenders, break two tackles and eventually win the race down the sideline to the end zone. It gave Skyview a 28-0 lead less than a minute before halftime and, for all intents and purposes, put the game out of reach.
• With Skyview leading 14-0, Federal Way looked to strike back. The Eagles had third and goal from the 1. But a false-start penalty, an incomplete pass and a sack by Micah Baylous forced a turnover on downs to end Federal Way’s best scoring threat.

Quotable

“Now it’s on to next week. We’re going to prepare for whoever we’ve got to play. As far as we’re concerned, we’re 0-0,” Skyview receiver Mason Wheeler.

SKYVIEW 49, FEDERAL WAY 0

Federal Way 0 0 0 0–0

Skyview 14 14 14 7–49

First quarter

S — Jalynnee McGee 7 run (Sliman Farran kick)

S — McGee 14 run (Farran kick)

Second quarter

S — McGee 1 run (Farran kick)

S — McGee 70 run (Farran kick)

Third quarter

S — McGee 3 run (Farran kick)

S — McGee 13 run (Farran kick)

Fourth quarter

S – Gabriel Martin 3 run (Farran kick)

Individual statistics

RUSHING — Federal Way: Jaylen Bogan 20-123, Desmond Maiava 1-11, Corey Quinn 2-2, RJ Tausili 9-6, Ronald Davis 1-1, Tavita Takai 1-6, Damani Nelson 1-2. Skyview: Jalynnee McGee 20-219, Ahmani Williams 1-22, Gabriel Martin 13-99.

PASSING — Federal Way: RJ Tausili 5-16-1-55. Skyview: Yaro Duvalko 9-12-0-180.

RECEIVING — Federal Way: Jaylen Bogan 2-12, Laeso Taoipu 1-17, Ronald Davis 1-18, Jatavious Magee 1-8. Skyview: Mason Wheeler 7-100, Xavier Owens 1-55, Gavin Baskette 1-25.