Mat Taylor was positive the magic would continue in Saturday night’s 4A state championship.
Facing a deficit for the fifth consecutive post-season contest, Skyline’s coach already had a potential game-tying play drawn up in his mind.
“I had full confidence that we were going to score,” he said. “We had a play lined up for a two-point (conversion) that we thought was going to work.”
But, with the 2 minutes, 3 seconds on the clock, and 54 yards to go, the Spartans’ come-from-behind mojo finally ran out.
Under heavy Ferris pressure, sophomore quarterback Max Browne let loose on a second-down pass that fell into the hands the Saxons’ Cody Sorenson. The interception sealed a 24-16 Ferris win, and ended Skyline’s hopes of a fourth straight state title.
“It’s sucks man, not only for this team, but the streak was on the line,” Browne said, fighting back tears. “It sucks.”
The Spartans, who beat the Saxons the last two years in the playoffs, put forth valiant effort at a comeback.
Alex Belling’s 37-yard field goal with 2:48 left in the third quarter gave Ferris a 24-0 lead and Skyline a huge hole to dig out of.
But, the Spartans never caved.
Browne, who completed 22 of 38 passes for 302 yards, drove Skyline 80 yards in seven plays for its first score — a 5-yard TD to Nic Sblendorio — with just 19 seconds left in the quarter. Browne then caught a two-point conversion from wide receiver Kasen Williams to pull the score to 24-8.
Williams responded on the defensive end, nabbing an interception Ferris’ next series.
Browne then marched Skyline 52 yards in five plays, hitting Sblendorio again — this time for a 4-yard TD. The two also connected on a two-point conversion, bringing the score to 24-16 with 8:05 left.
Skyline’s defense forced Ferris to punt and the offense answered by driving to the Saxon 17-yard line, but three incompletions and a sack on fourth down squandered scoring hopes.
“This team is always going to come out in the second half and have that fire,” Williams said. “I knew we were going to have it, but sometimes it’s just not enough.”
The Spartans’ problems started in the first half as they couldn’t capitalize on early opportunities. They out-gained Ferris 157-142 in total first-half yardage, but they turned the ball over on downs twice, had an interception and fumbled inside the Saxon 10-yard line.
“The story at halftime was we just didn’t make plays,” Browne said. “They were there, it’s not like they manhandled us up front or had crazy athletes in the secondary. We just didn’t come out firing, it’s our fault.”
Ferris, which had a 14-0 halftime lead, punched in two second-quarter TDs, both on 17-yard strikes from quarterback Ben Goodwin. His first went to Jordan Tonani and second to Riley Stockton.
The Saxons then ate up over half of the third quarter on their opening second-half drive, before Tonai broke into the end zone on a 2-yard score.
“Let’s just say we had some motivation this year in the weight room,” said junior running back Kole Heidinger, who led the Saxons with 19 carries for 92 yards. “We knew we wanted to meet these guys back in the state championship and to come back here and win is just unreal.”
While the elation was obvious for Ferris, the disappointment was just as apparent for Skyline.
Williams, who started as a freshman, was targeting his fourth straight title — something few, if any players have ever accomplished.
“There’s a lot to take from this season, ” he said. “The younger guys, it’s good that they got to go through this so they know what it feels like. They’re not going to want to have this happen again. Next year you’re going to see Skyline again.”
Browne, who will return as a junior, agreed with soon-to-be University of Washington wide receiver.
“Everyone’s got to look at themselves in the mirror and realize what they’ve got to give next year,” he said. “We’ll be fine. We’ve got a lot of the line coming back. People are going to have to step up.”
Skyline ended its season with a 12-2 overall record. Ferris ran the table, finishing with a perfect 14-0 record.
