Friday at 7 PM at Highline Stadium, the Number 8 ranked, 9-1 Highline Pirates take on the number 9 ranked, 9-1 Washougal Panthers in round one of the Class 2A State Championship. This is the first time Highline has hosted a State Playoff game.
Highline is going against Washougal, who finished 1st in their District. They have good size across the offensive and defensive lines, and their up-front guys show good footwork; they are disciplined and well-coached. They have an excellent quarterback, Junior Holden Be, who threw for 28 touchdowns and ran it in for another six during the season. He is a steady leader on the field and will make the Highline defense work hard to get pressure on him. This will be a key to the game.
Head Coach Deontae Cooper said he expects this to be a tough game. “They are also 9-1, that means something. They are well-coached. I expect them to play hard. They come here believing they can win. It is up to us to meet that challenge. We will have our guys ready,” Cooper said confidently.
As usual, the Pirates boost in their speed. They will need it all against the Panthers. This will especially be true out of the linebacker corp. Highline has been a blitzing team, slicing through gaps, applying pressure, and creating chaos in the opponent’s backfield. If they can do that Friday night, they have a great opportunity to come away with a win and advance to the next round.
Cooper invites everyone to pack the stadium. Have a great time and cheer on the best football Highline has seen in decades.
As always, we end with the Pirate chant, “Let your yes be yes, and your no be no. Now go home and tell someone you love them.”
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