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TUMWATER — If you come at the king, you best not miss.
Ever since the 2010s, no program has been perched atop the throne like Okanogan. Four titles in five appearances and pocketing back-to-back Class 2B trophies. The model of consistency has been the Bulldogs.
And Toledo, with the all-coveted No. 1 seed next to its name, was more than ready for the chance to knock the crown off Okanogan’s dome.
“There’s levels to this,” senior running back Carter Swofford said. “We’re all here making history.”
The Riverhawks came at the king and they did not miss on Saturday afternoon.
Spurred by another multi-touchdown day from quarterback Eli Weeks, three interceptions by the secondary and a relentless attitude no matter the down or distance all allowed Toledo to triumph over No. 5 Okanogan 24-8 in the Class 2B semifinals at Tumwater District Stadium.
For the first time since 1996 when Toledo (12-0) was in Class 1A, it will play for a state championship next Saturday on Montlake at 11 a.m. against No. 3 Tri-Cities Prep at Husky Stadium.
The two sides know each other very well having met the last two state tournaments, splitting the matchups. A last-second goal-line stand by the Jaguars ended the Riverhawks season in 2024.
This one is for all the marbles.
“Putting our best guys in the best spots is what we had to do,” Toledo head coach Mike Christensen said. “To get this far, you have to stay healthy and we had guys who knew they’re good. We’re on the cusp of doing something special.”
Consider the game plan for the Riverhawks similarly to a math equation.
Powerful run game + swarming front-seven + ball-hawking secondary + clutch fourth down conversions = flying high to Seattle.
“Three takeaways on any team is going to help a lot,” wide receiver/safety Adam Kruger said. “We went out there and did our thing.”
Colson Kuchenbuch, the younger brother of Okanogan grad and current Boise State tight end Carter Kuchenbuch, was stymied by Toledo to the tune of 182 passing yards, most coming in the fourth quarter down 16.
Kruger came down with two interceptions and Rohan Feigenbaum had the other. Toledo came away with four turnovers in the win.
“It was huge,” Christensen said. “The fact that we can have faith in our guys to cover one-on-one every once in a while, really puts us in a good situation. A great job by our DBs.”
In the span of two minutes, it went from a scoreless game to the Riverhawks up by two scores.
Weeks capped a 10-play, 95-yard drive with a 40-yard scamper on fourth-and-one with 2 minutes, 8 seconds left in the second quarter. Then Kruger’s first interception gave the Riverhawks possession back, but that wasn’t his most impressive catch.
On fourth-and-nine from the Toledo 48-yard line, Kruger came down with an improbable 40-yard catch that reset the chains. He leaped over a Bulldog defender and turned up field for a couple more yards.
“We had four verts and I was like ‘I’m gonna look for Adam,’” Weeks said. “I knew he was gonna make a play. I looked at (Swofford) mid-ball and I knew he was gonna catch it.”
“We all just ran. I saw the ball in the air, came back and somehow came down with it,” Kruger added. “It was a lot of fun.”
Swofford punched it in from 3-yards out with eight seconds to extend the lead to 12-0.
“I’m getting five yards a carry, but that is all because they (the OL) are opening the holes,” Swofford said. “They made me look really good.”
Oh but the surprises didn’t stop there.
Toledo went onside kick to open the second half and freshman Bode Buswell jumped on it to steal a possession away from Okanogan (9-3).
“It was a great kick by our kicker, let’s just put it that way,” Christensen said.
Weeks proceeded to make it 18-0 with a 10-yard TD and four minutes later, connected with Kruger from 22-yards out to seemingly put the game out of reach. Swofford finished with 166 yards on 27 touches while Weeks finished with 186 total yards.
Kruger hauled in three catches for 90 of the 96 passing yards by the Riverhawks.
“We always knew this was our year as soon as we were freshmen,” Weeks said. “It is a crazy feeling. We expected this.”
Yet the Bulldogs didn’t make anything easy.
Wesley Allen took over at QB for a drive and needed one 53-yard pass and two runs to find the end zone and a successful two-point try made it a two-score game. Okanogan had two more drives to cut into the margin in the fourth quarter.
Kruger’s second pick ended the first chance and a turnover on downs near the Riverhawks red zone dampened the Bulldogs’ chances.
And when Toledo’s Nico Acosta, who had two sacks in the fourth stanza, picked up a yard on fourth down – his first carry of the season – it sent the Riverhawks into euphoria.
For the first time since 2022, there will be a new champion in Class 2B.
“It is something I’ve dreamed about all four years and I finally get to go do it,” Kruger said. “Pretty cool.”
Points, at first, were seemingly at a premium.
Both offenses had a turnover on their opening drive and turnover on downs on drive numero dos. Toledo fumbled the ball on its third drive and Okanogan wasted a goal line chance with back-to-back incompletions.
Still, Weeks and the rest of the Riverhawks felt in control despite a pair of goose eggs on the scoreboard.
“They came out to hit and we matched it on the physicality side,” he said. “After those first couple of snaps, we knew we were moving the ball. We have so many keys on offense it is hard to stop.”
Brayden Meyer hit triple digit receiving yards on four catches while Gunn and Allen combined for over 80 rushing yards. The Bulldogs return most of their roster, spear-headed by the younger Kuchenbuch and Gunn. Meanwhile, revenge is on the Riverhawks mind when they take on TCP next Saturday.
Four quarters away from payback and glory.
“You want to control when your last game is if you’re a senior and our guys did that,” Christensen said. “You might as well try to win it. I think our guys would love to get that redemption shot.”
