HS Football: Mount Tahoma's Defense Dominates at Lincoln Bowl

10/4/25

(Tacoma, WA) Two league rivals known for playing thriller after thriller against one another had all eyes on them Saturday afternoon as the Mount Tahoma Thunderbirds looked to make it a perfect 5-0 start to the season by visiting the perennial 3A contenders in the Lincoln Abes. The Lincoln Bowl would be the epic site for Puget Sound League showdown that would have a ripple effect across the 3A landscape.

In 2023, Mount Tahoma defended their homefield in an epic comeback over Lincoln including recovering an onside kick to score twice in the final three minutes to earn the win over the Abes. Last season, it would be Lincoln getting some revenge on the road with an overtime victory over the T-Birds behind Sione Kaho’s four touchdown day. Now it felt like a rubber match as the teams met at the Lincoln Bowl for the first time since 2022.

Mount Tahoma 28, Lincoln (Tacoma) 7

It would be the Lincoln offense on the field first but not they put themselves in a third down situation. Sione Kaho would look for a chunk pass but the ball was tipped by Elijah Tinitali into the hands of Felix Diaz for the interception and the first turnover of the game. Mount Tahoma would not be able to capitalize as both teams had a tough time moving the ball with no offense to speak of until the third drive for Lincoln. After a delay of game to start the drive, Sione Kaho found Kasey Williams on a little slant and he was gone. A quick 75-yard touchdown brought the Lincoln fans to life as they grabbed a 7-0 lead.

After a fumble on a wildcat formation for Lincoln, Mount Tahoma would respond exactly how coach Keith Terry would have liked. The T-Birds slowly made their way down the field with a long and methodical drive down the field. Mikkah Cordero used his legs for the first time on a 19-yard scramble to move the chains on a third down. He would then find Elijah Durr wide open for a 36-yard score to tie the game up at 7-7.

Lincoln got a great kick return by Ramon Jones to give them the ball right near midfield with a chance to grab the lead right back. Jadeon Scranton would be the workhorse as the Abes got the ball down into the redzone. Penalties would end up killing the momentum and a turnover on downs gave the ball back to the T-Birds with time left before the half. Mount Tahoma executed a brilliant drive with Cordero finding Anthony Quintanilla Jr. and Logan Walker who both got out of bounds to save time. A 33-yard pass to Anthony Quintanilla Jr. gave the T-Birds the ball at the 4-yard line, but they couldn’t punch it in on their first couple of tries. With just two seconds left in the half, they decided to go for the touchdown and it paid off as Felix Diaz worked his way into the endzone to give Mount Tahoma a 14-7 lead at halftime.

The T-Birds would start the second half with the ball and they would put together a dream drive to start the third quarter. Over six minutes of game time would come off the clock for just the one possession. Nezie White, Keshawn Hines, and Mikkah Cordero all moved the ball on the ground to keep the clock rolling and march the ball down the field. It was White who capped off the drive with a four-yard score and with half the time off the clock in the third, Mount Tahoma extended their lead to 21-7.

Lincoln would fumble away the ensuing kick-off but they would get the ball back. Penalties continued to hurt the Abes and the defensive line of Mount Tahoma dominated the trenches and wore down the Lincoln offensive line. Sione Kaho could not get into any sort of rhythm and Jadeon Scranton didn’t find much running room on his few carries. It felt like there were 20 defenders on the field at all times as the Abes struggled to even pick up first downs.

Tyrone Jones gave the Abes some hope with an interception in the endzone to end a T-Bird drive but once again the Abes couldn’t cash in on offense. Mount Tahoma would then land the knockout shot on a 31-yard touchdown pass from Cordero to Durr for the second time on the day. Outside of the one 75-yard explosive play, Mount Tahoma allowed just 179 yards of offense as they earned a 28-7 win over Lincoln.

Stats and MVP

Our Sumner Holiday Inn Express MVP of the game went to Mount Tahoma’s defensive line. There were multiple that rotated in but the names we got were Andrew Asaeli, Peter Leiato, Teavan Jones, Keshawn Hines, Shan Jones, Elijah Tinitali, Mo’raih Toetu, and Junior Veikune. They dominated up front the entire game and did not allow Lincoln to get in any groove on the ground. They also gave Sione Kaho no time to throw the ball with constant pressure and truly wrecked the game and the Abes offense.

Statistically for Mount Tahoma, Mikkah Cordero was fantastic going 16/32 passing for 196 yards and two touchdowns while running the ball four times for 32 yards. Elijah Durr was the leading receiver with four catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns while Anthony Quintanilla Jr. also caught four passes for 75 yards. Kane Roy brought in three catches for 21 yards and Logan Walker caught two passes for 20 yards while Keshawn Hines had a two-yard catch. Nezie White was the leading rusher with 16 carries for 56 yards and a touchdown and Hines also had five carries for 20 yards. Felix Diaz capped off the offense with three carries for 10 yards and a score. On defense Keshawn Hines and Teavan Jones each had a sack while Elijah Durr recovered a fumble. Elijah Tinitali tipped a pass that was intercepted by Felix Diaz as well.

For the Lincoln Abes, Sione Kaho had a tough day, going 9/27 passing for 115 yards and a touchdown while running the ball four times for eight yards. Jadeon Scranton had 21 carries for 56 yards and a four-yard reception. Elijah Carney had two catches for 21 yards while JT Williams had two catches for five yards. Kasey Williams had the big 75-yard touchdown reception and Ilai Malafu had a seven-yard reception. Ka’Isiah Wilson had a nine-yard catch, Immanuel Jordan a three-yard reception and a catch for Venisala Maiava, who also had a sack on defense. Ramon Jones had a big pass break-up while Tyrone Jones had an interception.

Mount Tahoma remains perfect on the season moving to 5-0 and 2-0 in Puget Sound League play. They will host Bellarmine next Friday night at 7pm in a battle of two teams both 2-0 in league play. Lincoln falls to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in league play. The Abes look to get back on track next Friday night when they host Silas at 7pm.

Click here for the link to the full game replay (Subscription Required)