WIAA: 2A Anacortes Seahawks stun Tumwater for their 1st Title

12/2/2023

Anacortes 60, Tumwater 30

(Seattle, WA) Just four years ago, the Anacortes Seahawks couldn’t field a varsity team. Fast forward to Saturday night, Anacortes was celebrating their first state title in program history, completing a perfect season in the biggest way possible. A 60-30 win was the most total points scored in a 2A championship game and Anacortes also set a new state record for the most points scored by a single team in a 2A championship game in state history.

The Seahawks came in at 12-0 but still the #2 seed in the state tournament. Tumwater was the only team ahead of them as the #1 T-Birds also entered Saturday’s championship at 12-0 with a plethora of blowout wins under their belt. Tumwater presented a unique challenge for Anacortes with their Wing-T offense. Anacortes’ answer? Offense. And lots of it as the Seahawks piled on the points in their championship victory with a balanced attack from quarterback Rex Larson and running back Brock Beaner.

Tumwater could not have gotten off to a better start. After falling on the opening kick, Peyton Davis got the Wing-T offense off to a quick start with a big run to put Tumwater in Anacortes territory. A false start backed up the T-Birds as they ended up facing a 4th and three at the 26-yard line. The play that is synonymous with Tumwater football drew first blood as Cash Short took a buck sweep for a 26-yard touchdown. A missed extra point was the only negative for Tumwater as they took the early 6-0 lead.

It did not take too long for Anacortes to answer. They got their opening drive started fast with a 36-yard pass on a wheel route from Rex Larson to Brock Beaner. Jet sweeps by Brady Beaner and Rylin Lang kept the drive moving for the Seahawks and set up their junior tailback for their first score. A 6-yard touchdown by Brock Beaner capped off an immediate response and a made PAT by Riley Walgamott gave Anacortes their first lead of the game at 7-6 with still 7:09 left in the opening quarter.

A failed fake punt gave Tumwater the ball at the Anacortes 29 with 3:12 left in the first quarter and set the T-Bird up to retake the lead. However, the Anacortes defense showed why they are arguably the best defense in 2A with a quick four stops to force a turnover on downs and deny the golden opportunity for Tumwater. That would send us to the 2nd quarter with Anacortes holding on to the 7-6 lead.

The Seahawks following drive wrapped up the 1st quarter and carried over into the 2nd. Rex Larson found Landon Schafer for a one-handed catch for a 16 yard pickup. A hold had the Seahawks facing a 3rd and long to open the 2nd quarter but after missing a shot to Rylin Lang just a few plays earlier, Larson dropped one into Lang for a 41 yard completion despite Lang being interfered with. Just a couple of plays later, a quick pitch to Brock Beaner for a two-yard score capped off the highlight filled drive to give Anacortes a 14-6 lead with 11:06 left in the 2nd quarter.

Momentum is a funny thing and it continued to build for Anacortes. After a double pass by Tumwater went backwards to force a quick three-and-out, Anacortes took complete control of the game due to their special teams. Brady Beaner flew in to block the Tumwater punt and Brock Beaner would scoop and score to bring the Anacortes faithful to life. With 9:14 left in the half, Anacortes had opened up a 20-6 lead after a blocked PAT.

Tumwater would turn the ball over on downs in Anacortes territory and the Seahawks began their march right down the field once again. Aided by a couple of Tumwater penalties, the Seahawks moved the ball into Tumwater territory. The offensive line was tremendous for Anacortes in the opening half and gave Rex Larson plenty of time to work. Larson rolled out to his right and found Landon Schafer for a 17-yard touchdown and Larson’s first touchdown pass of the game. With just 3:11 left in the half, Anacortes had opened up a 27-6 lead.

With 2:37 left in the half, Anacortes had one last chance to add on to their lead. They did not need the full 2:37. The Seahawks easily moved the ball down the field with some more chunk passes and a couple of runs for Brock Beaner. Rex Larson continued to carve up the T-Birds as he found Rylin Lang for his second touchdown of the half from 14 yards out.The 82-yard drive had the Seahawks flying high at halftime, leading Tumwater 34-6 at the break.

A short kick would be recovered by Tumwater’s Gavin Kaikkonen to spark the T-Birds in the second half. It didn’t look good for the ensuing drive for Tumwater as they faced a 4th and 7. An incomplete pass was negated by a pass interference on Anacortes which gave Tumwater another shot on 4th down but this time facing a 4th and 1. A successful conversion led to a short touchdown run for Jaylin Nixon and a two-point conversion later and the Tumwater deficit was cut down to 34-14 early in the 3rd.

It felt like that might shift the momentum back into Tumwater’s favor. Some penalties and a sack by the T-Bird defense pushed Anacortes way back to 3rd and 42 at the Tumwater 47. Rex Larson had no need to play conservative and took a deep shot down the right sideline. He would hit Rylin Lang in stride as the junior receiver converted the 3rd and a mile as he trotted into the endzone for a 47-yard score. Anacortes had answered the T-Bird scored and blew their lead back up to 40-14.

The offense continued as both teams traded scores but the lead never left the grip of Anacortes. Peyton Davis and Brady Bryant both found the endzone for Tumwater while Brady Beaner added a rushing and receiving touchdown while Brock Beaner capped off the scoring with a 26-yard score. When the dust settled, it was a state record for the most points scored in a 2A state championship game by both a single team in Anacortes and in total points. More importantly it was the Anacortes Seahawks taking home their first state title in program history with a 60-30 win.

Link to watch full replay on the NFHS Network (Subscription required)

Final Stats

Anacortes

Rushing Yards:206
Passing Yards: 346
Total Yards: 552

Passing
Rex Larson 26-34-0 346 4TD

Receiving
Landon Schafer 6/78 1TD
Rylin Lang 5/143 2TD
Cooper Barton 5/44
Brady Beaner 4/24 1TD

Rushing
Brock Beaner 21/135 3TD
Brady Beaner 9/82 1TD
Rylin Lang 3/13

Tumwater

Rushing Yards: 184
Passing Yards: 99
Total Yards: 283

Passing
Ethan Kastner 8-19-0 99 1TD

Receiving
Brady Bryant 5/81 1TD
Wyatt Chase 1/9
Jaylin Nixon 1/9

Rushing
Peyton Davis 9/63 1TD
Jaylin Nixon 4/42
Cash Short 3/33 2TD
Logan Cole 2/32