Tumwater shuts out W.F. West in statement victory

Over the first seven weeks of the season, Tumwater and W.F. West proved to be among the 2A elites. 

Both teams had been winning convincingly all season long, even against 3A and 4A schools, which set up Friday’s tilt between the unbeatens as one of the top matchups in the state.

There was no instant classic Friday night in Chehalis, however. Instead, the Thunderbirds proved themselves to be in a tier above with a 52-0 blowout victory.

The win all but officially gives the T-Birds their second consecutive EvCo title, and it adds another impressive win to its resume for the seeding committee to consider in a couple of weeks.

“The motto has just been to answer the bell,” Tumwater coach William Garrow said. “I’m just really happy for them to get this win.”

Tumwater made several game-changing plays early, quicking quieting a buzzing crowd and taking control of the game.

After W.F. West received the opening kickoff and got close to the red zone, the T-Birds snuffed out a QB sweep on fourth down to take over. Three plays later, Sunny Nguyen took a jet sweep 28 yards to the end zone. 

On each of the next three Tumwater scoring drives, the T-Birds needed just one play to hit paydirt, including an 88-yard rush from Jaylin Nixon in the final minutes of the first half. Those three touchdown drives combined to take up just 30 seconds.

The quick-strike ability didn’t carry over into the second half, but the efficiency did. The T-Birds finished with 388 rushing yards on just 36 attempts, a clip of 10.8 yards per carry.

“I really like the way our offensive line played,” Garrow said. “They really don’t get a ton of credit. But those kids up front, they block like crazy. They were dominant up front creating space for the running backs.”

Nixon led the way with 192 yards and three touchdowns, while Cash Short and Parker Berry also got into the end zone. Jaxon Budd was able to hit a few play-action plays over the top, including a 22-yard touchdown pass to Jake Dillon.

Defensively, the T-Birds were just as impressive, as they held a W.F. West offense that was averaging 42.4 points per game to just 122 total yards.

The defensive line wreaked havoc all game long, constantly forcing Gage Brumfield to either flush out of the pocket or get rid of the ball quickly.

“We decided, as a staff, that we were gonna make somebody else beat us,” Garrow said. “(Brumfield) is a talented player, but we’re gonna try and hit him on every play and make sure that we handle that first.”

Mehki Richardson, Beckett Wall, and Vann Hannukaine had two tackles for loss each, and Richardson and Hannukaine also had two sacks each. Cash Short also got a TFL, part of his eight-tackle night.

On the other sideline, W.F. West coach Dan Hill was disheartened with the result, but he emphasized the importance of turning the page.

“One game doesn’t define our team,” Hill said. “We ran into a machine tonight.”

Hill noted that the Tumwater pressure had an impact on the offense, and he also said that the Bearcats didn’t do a lot to help themselves.

“A lot of mental mistakes tonight,” Hill said. “Just had a couple missed opportunities, but that’s what happens when you play a really good defense.”

Brumfield finished with 80 yards passing, his lowest output of the season, while Beau Guyette finished with 73 total yards.

W.F. West (7-1, 2-1 2A EvCo) will finish its regular season at home next Friday against Black Hills before turning its attention to the postseason.

“Where we want to be and where we want to go isn’t changing,” Hill said. “We keep plugging along. We learn from this and continue to get better.”

The T-Birds (8-0, 3-0 2A EvCo) will also wrap up its regular season at home, as they’ll welcome Centralia for their senior night.

“The kids are the ones who make this happen,” Garrow said. “They get to go out and get this victory and finish up senior night next week. Then, we’re heading towards the playoffs and trying to strive towards that next step.”