HS Football: Lincoln Moves On To State Playoffs With Home Victory Over Mount Vernon

11/8/25

Lincoln (Tacoma) Abes 48, Mount Vernon Bulldogs 14

(Tacoma, WA) The Round of 32 means one thing. It’s win or go home, as it’s all loser-out games from here until the finish line at Husky Stadium the first weekend of December. The Lincoln Abes and Mount Vernon Bulldogs had identical records, 6-3 overall and 5-1 in league play. Both teams were hoping to keep their seasons going, move on to the State Playoffs, and keep the dream alive of playing at Montlake in four weeks.

Lincoln began the game with the ball, and the offense was starting to get in a rhythm when the first big play of the game occurred. The Abes tossed a pass over the middle, it went through the receiver’s hands and right into Bayker Driver’s hands for the Mount Vernon interception. The Bulldogs were forced to punt, and the Lincoln offense went back to work. Jadeon Scranton Jr. found paydirt first, with a 37-yard touchdown run where he zig-zagged through traffic, breaking multiple tackles for the game’s first score. Lincoln led 7-0 with three minutes remaining in the first quarter, and the Abes forced a Mount Vernon punt on the next drive.

Lincoln scored less than a minute into the second quarter, as quarterback Sione Kaho flipped a screen pass over to Ilai Malafu, who danced past a few Bulldog defenders and flew down the sideline for a 38-yard touchdown as Lincoln led 14-0. After a pair of punts, Mount Vernon had the ball back and was driving. Bulldogs quarterback, Kaiden Anderson, dumped a pass off over the middle to Henley Lopez, who was wide open and scampered in for a 51-yard touchdown as Mount Vernon trailed 14-7 with just over three minutes remaining in the first half. Lincoln drove down the field, and Scranton Jr. punched in his second touchdown of the first half. This time, from three yards out to give Lincoln a 21-7 lead with less than 30 seconds left in the first half. Mount Vernon went with a trick play on their next drive. With only 17 seconds left, the Bulldogs tried a hook-and-ladder play that would’ve been a first down at the Lincoln 29-yard line, but they were called for a penalty, and the half ended with the Abes maintaining a 14-point lead.

Mount Vernon had the ball to begin the second half, but turned it over on downs. Lincoln moved the ball down the field and drove to the 13-yard line, where they faced third and one. The Abes went with their reliable running back of Jadeon Scranton Jr., who broke numerous tackles for a well-earned 13-yard touchdown to give Lincoln a 27-7 lead. Mount Vernon would go for it on fourth down again, but the Lincoln defensive line forced a sack. Noah Dennis and Venisala Maiava brought down Anderson for the turnover on downs. After a 28-yard catch and run from Erick Tijiboy, the Abes were set up inside the red zone again. JT Williams ran in an 8-yard touchdown to give Lincoln a 34-7 lead with four minutes left in the third quarter.

Mount Vernon had to punt on their next possession, and Lincoln moved the ball down the field once more. Sione Kaho tossed a pass into the end zone for Elijah Carney that hung in the air, seemingly for days, and Carney made a wonderful adjustment to locate the ball and make the grab, despite having a defender right in his grill. Lincoln led 41-7 just a minute into the fourth quarter. Mount Vernon’s offense drove down the field after having to start from their own 16-yard line. Kaiden Anderson lofted a pass for Kaden Sokol, who ran an excellent route to spring himself free and made the catch in the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown. Lincoln got the ball with 7:45 left in the fourth quarter, and the backups nearly ran a seven-minute drive. Carter Alderette quarterbacked a nice drive, running the ball effectively, as did Jakhari Lovelace. Lovelace had nearly 30 yards on the ground by himself on the drive, as Lincoln faced fourth and goal. The Abes brought in Scranton Jr. for one last attempt, and out of the Wildcat formation, the senior back added his fourth touchdown of the ballgame. Lincoln went up 48-14 with less than a minute left, and the clock ran out with the Abes victorious.

Our Sumner Holiday Inn Express Game MVP went to Lincoln’s Jadeon Scranton Jr. He had four touchdowns on the ground, giving him nine rushing touchdowns in the last two weeks as he once again helped lead the Abes to victory. His effective running opened up the pass game for Lincoln, and he chipped in with a pair of receptions as well. His offensive line did a wonderful job once again, and it consists of AJ Burns, Egesi Mendoza, Anthony Mancao, Taumoae Tusi, and Julien Symbol-Archie.

Lincoln is now 7-3 on the season and awaits their opponent in the 3A State Football Tournament next week.

Mount Vernon’s season ends at 6-4, but the Bulldogs did a superb job going from two wins last year to nearly an undefeated regular season. Their three regular-season losses came by a total of just 11 points, and they will return a lot of talent for 2026.

Click here for the full game replay (Subscription Required).