Mount Si powers past Peninsula in preliminary round

Wildcats rush for 300-plus yards, eliminate Seahawks

Brian McLean

of the Gateway

By the time the Peninsula Seahawks brought Mount Si running back Sean Snead to the turf for the final time Saturday night, he’d already done considerable damage.

The 10th-ranked Seahawks never found an answer for the 6-foot-2, 210-pound senior, who rushed for 196 yards on 31 carries and scored all five of the Wildcats’ touchdowns in their 33-9 win over Peninsula during the Class 3A state preliminary round at Roy Anderson Field.

Snead nearly single-handedly beat the Seahawks (7-3), scoring on runs of 4, 34, 6, 4 and 13. He had 115 yards at halftime and continued to pound away at Peninsula’s front seven.

“He was just really good at keeping his legs moving,” Peninsula senior Tony Lewis said. “He wouldn’t go down on first contact.”

Mount Si (6-4) came in with a deceiving record — one game over the .500 mark — after finishing third in the 3A Kingco. The Wildcats’ two league losses came against No. 1 Bellevue and Liberty of Issaquah, and all three teams will play this weekend in the first round of the state tournament.

Mount Si, which will play at No. 5 Eastside Catholic on Friday, also lost to Eastlake and Issaquah — both of which reached the 4A preliminary round. Issaquah made it through to the Round of 16.

Peninsula moved the ball well against Mount Si, but the Seahawks had trouble putting points on the board.

Trailing 7-0 after the Wildcats scored on their opening drive, Peninsula appeared ready to answer. The Seahawks drove 60 yards — including a 28-yard slant pass from junior JR Grosshans to senior Jacob Pasion — to reach the Mount Si 20.

But on fourth-and-inches, Peninsula senior Brandon James was stopped short, despite an admirable second effort.

Mount Si responded with another lengthy drive. The Wildcats converted a third-and-12 play when quarterback Tyson Riley connected with Rossco Castagno for 27 yards, and Snead finished it on the first play of the second quarter with his 34-yard scoring burst.

“They got those big plays on third down,” Lewis said. “It came down to those third-and-shorts and fourth-and-shorts. We just needed to execute on those, and we didn’t.”

Peninsula senior Wyatt Wilkerson converted a 26-yard field goal with 8:54 remaining in the first half, but the Seahawks trailed going into the locker room, 19-3.

After another Wildcats score early in the fourth quarter, Peninsula embarked on a seven-play, 56-yard drive that put the Seahawks at the 6. Grosshans and Pasion connected for another big play on the drive, a 38-yard catch-and-run on third down that sparked a change in momentum.

Following a timeout, Mount Si’s defense rose to the challenge again, stopping James with just inches to spare on fourth and 1.

Grosshans finished 13-for-24 passing with 169 yards and a touchdown, an 8-yard strike to Pasion with 3:13 left in the game.

Pasion had 86 yards on six receptions, and Peninsula sophomore JD Devega led the rushing effort with 56 yards, including bursts of 29 and 14.

The Seahawks surprised the South Puget Sound League in their first year as a member by finishing second behind No. 3 Lakes.

Even in defeat, Peninsula senior Zach Moore was optimistic for next year’s team.

“I think we realized that, when we come together as a team, we can accomplish anything.”

Reach Editor Brian McLean at 253-853-9245 or by e-mail at brian.mclean@gateline.com.