Eastlake stuns Mount Si on game-winning field goal, 3 takeaways
SNOQUALMIE, WASHINGTON - In a game where the Eastlake High School football team looked beaten several times, the Wolves beat the odds.
Senior kicker Alex Dreher drilled a 37-yard field goal as time expired to give Eastlake an improbable 30-28 victory over Mount Si in a key KingCo 4A Conference game Friday night at Mount Si High School.
* WEEK 7 WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD
"I think the whole thing is pretty amazing,” Wolves coach Scott Hare said. “You know, down 14 with about three minutes left. We just wanted to stay the course. At that time, as a head coach, I’m not necessarily thinking win, but I’m thinking (about) mindset and how do we get our mindset right?"
Wolves’ quarterback Landon Renfroe was picked off four times, but he had the final say in the outcome. Renfroe hit Bryson Hodges for a 17-yard touchdown with 28 seconds remaining to pull Eastlake within 28-27.
Then, running back Jack Edmunds was stuffed by the Mount Si defense on a game-tying two-point conversion run.
The Wolves (6-1 overall, 4-0 KingCo 4A) got the ball back when Marcus Angiuli recovered Dreher’s onside kick in the air at the Mount Si 44-yard line.
Dreher and the Wolves were celebrating victory two plays later, avoiding a game-ending interception when the Wildcats (5-2, 3-2) were flagged for a defensive penalty with 23 seconds to go.
“Eastlake made some really impressive plays at the end,” Mount Si coach Steve Botulinski said. “I haven’t seen the film, but obviously that [penalty] seals the game right there. But credit to (Eastlake). Their kids stayed in it and made some big plays down the stretch.”
Beau Phillips scored his third touchdown of the game to give Mount Si a 21-14 lead with 7:42 to go in the third quarter. This time, Phillips scored on the defensive side of the ball, jumping in front of a Landon Renfroe pass and galloping 20 yards into the end zone for score after the Wildcats had Eastlake backed up on its own 5-yard line.
The lead grew to 28-14 for Mount Si when Brock Gates returned a Renfroe pass 70 yards for an interception-return touchdown with 5:58 remaining.
Renfroe drove the Wolves down the field late and scored on a 4-yard keeper with 3:09 to go to pull Eastlake within 28-21.
Combined with previously-unbeaten Bothell (5-2, 3-1) losing, Eastlake takes sole possession of the 4A KingCo. Its last league title came in 2021.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
EASTLAKE'S TRIO OF TALL RECEIVERS TOO MUCH
The trio of super-sized wide receivers – Grady Woodward, Bryson Hodges and Angiuli – in the end were more than Mount Si could handle defensively.
The tall threesome combined for 336 yards, 21 catches and two touchdows with the 6-foot-3 Woodward hauling in 10 passes for 165 yards with many catches in desperate times.
The 6-2 Hodges made seven grabs for 122 yards and one touchdown and the 6-2 Angiuli caught four passes for 49 yards and a score. Angiuli also leapt high for the late onside-kick recovery that won the game.
"Those receivers are pretty damn impressive,” Botulinski said.
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LANDON RENFROE HAS WORST AND BEST NIGHT ALL AT ONCE
Landon Renfroe, the Wolves’ 6-foot-3, 195-pound junior quarterback, struggled with four interceptions, but most importantly bounced back in crutch time.
Renfroe finished 24 of 42 passing for 395 yards and three touchdowns, making some dynamite throws as Eastlake rallied from down, 28-14.
“When he threw those picks, I said, ‘You’re not moping over here,’”said Hare of his signal caller. “It was, ‘Let’s go!’ and he did. With the picks, in some people’s eyes, he had a bad game. Not in my eyes. It was what did you do with the adversity.
“It was beautiful, because he grew up tonight. I thought he had his best game too. He made some amazing throws and he made the throws at the end. To some people, he had his best game ever and he had his worst game ever. Who cares. We won at the end of the game.”
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LITTLE GUYS PLAY BIG FOR MOUNT SI
You don’t have to be big to play big. Just ask mighty mites Jake Johnson and Beau Phillips of Mount Si.
The 5-foot-9, 181-pound Phillips was impactful as the Wildcats built a 28-14 lead and he finished with three touchdowns, including one on defense. He ran 25 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns to go with his third-quarter interception for a score.
Johnson, at 5-10, 151 pounds, made a pair of interceptions.
Phillips scored his third touchdown of the game to give Mount Si a 21-14 lead with 7:42 to go in the third quarter. This time, Phillips scored on the defensive side of the ball, jumping in front of a Renfroe pass and galloping 20 yards into the end zone for a Pick-6 after the Wildcats had Eastlake backed up on its own 5-yard line.
“Those guys just have tremendous heart,” Botulinksi said. “Both of them showed that and their technique was excellent.”
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