HS Football: Mount Tahoma Advances to Semifinals for First Time Since 1980

11/22/25

(Tacoma, WA) State quarterfinal football already has plenty of tensions and emotions tied into it but for the #10 Lincoln Abes and #2 Mount Tahoma Thunderbirds, that was multiplied by 10. Crosstown rivals met at George Nordi Field in Tacoma on Saturday night as Lincoln and Mount Tahoma battled it out for the second time this season. This time, a spot in the semifinals was up for grabs as the Abes looked to get there for the first time since 2019 while the T-Birds were looking to get to the final four for the first time since winning the 4A title in 1980.

Back on October 4th, the two teams met at the Lincoln Bowl on a Saturday afternoon. The takeaway from that one was how dominant and fast the T-Bird defense is while their offense slowly can wear down the opposing defense. While Mount Tahoma took that one 28-7 on their way to a perfect regular season, Sione Kaho and Jadeon Scranton and the rest of the Abes offense continued to grind as they improved more and more and were looking to show that they could solve the defensive puzzle of Mount Tahoma.

Mount Tahoma 42, Lincoln (Tacoma) 14

Mount Tahoma received the opening kick and they did what they have done all season and that is feed their phenomenal running back trio. At first it was Keshaw Hines running right through the Lincoln defense. He then gave way to Nezie White who picked right up where Hines left off as they moved the ball deep into Abes territory. Finally, Felix Diaz got some shine as he got one carry but that is all he needed. Diaz exploded through a hole and flew into the endzone for a 19-yard score. A successful opening drive put Mount Tahoma in front 7-0.

Lincoln then got their first drive underway and it started with some high percentage throws for Sione Kaho. Run-pass options were read perfectly by the junior quarterback with nice catch and runs by Carl Jackson and Ilai Malafu to move the Abes right down the field. Then they began to feed their star running back Jadeon Scranton who has taken over the past three weeks as the shining star of the offense. Scranton continued to march the Abes down the field and finished off the drive with a two-yard run after a couple of plays in the wildcat formation. Matching the T-Bird’s drive, Lincoln erased most of the time left in the quarter, tying it up 7-7.

There was no panic in either side as both teams knew this one would not be easy. Mount Tahoma’s offense took the field once again and they continued to pound the rock and keep it on the ground behind their impressive offensive line. They would throw the ball a bit as Mikkah Cordero found Logan Walker for four yards and Elijah Durr for six. The running backs continued to shine and this time it would be Keshawn Hines finding paydirt for a four-yard score in the second quarter, putting Mount Tahoma in front 14-7.

Lincoln came up empty on their next drive due in part to a sack by Teavan Jones which forced a punt. Penalties would end up stalling out the T-Bird next drive and Lincoln’s defense made sure to make clean tackles to not allow Mount Tahoma to erase the flags. A great punt by Junior Contreras-Barragan backed the Abes inside their own 10. They would face a fourth and one at their own 14-yard line and a fake punt by Ramon Jones was read perfectly by Mount Tahoma as they got Jones down for a loss of one and a turnover on downs. Two plays later, Mikkah Cordero found Kane Roy for a 13-yard score to send the game to halftime with Mount Tahoma in front 21-7.

It would be Lincoln football to begin the second half but they got nothing on the opening drive of the half. Mount Tahoma then marched the ball down inside the five where after a weird play where a whistle blew while another official signaled touchdown, they would redo the play on third and goal at the two. Lincoln’s defense came up with a massive goal line stand to keep the T-Birds out of the endzone with the deficit staying at 14.

Starting with the ball deep in their own territory, Lincoln began a nice march down the field that started with another fake punt that worked this time as Ramon Jones picked up the seven yards he needed to move the chains. A penalty also helped the Abes but Jadeon Scranton began to get going. A short pass to Erick Tijiboy would look like a nice gain, but Felix Diaz ripped the ball free for a takeaway to give Mount Tahoma the ball and put a quick stop to the Abes momentum. Nezie White then found the endzone for the first time on a seven-yard score to make it 28-7 T-Birds.

From that point on, Mount Tahoma’s defense began to dominate. Constant pressure in the backfield on Scranton and Kaho kept the Abes on their heels and they could never work back into a groove. A pick six by Elijah Durr extended the lead a bit more for Mount Tahoma. Lincoln continued to fight with a huge and impressive 41-yard catch by Elijah Carney that set up a six-yard touchdown pass from Sione Kaho to Ilai Malafu. Mount Tahoma got that score back on a five-yard touchdown run by Kamarjae Davis. A loose ball on the kickoff was recovered by the T-Birds and that put the game away. Victory formation came for Mount Tahoma and for the first time since 1980, the T-Birds punched their ticket to the state semifinals with a 42-14 win over Lincoln.

Stats and MVP

The Sumner Holiday Inn Express MVP of the game went to Felix Diaz for Mount Tahoma. Diaz had seven carries for 64 yards and a touchdown on offense but one huge play on defense was the tide turner. Right as Lincoln had built some momentum, Diaz stripped the ball away and got a solid return as well to shutdown the positive momentum. That play felt like it sealed the game away as it led to a touchdown and also sealed the MVP award for Diaz.

Elsewhere for the T-Bird offense, Nezie White had a big game with 21 carries for 148 yards and a touchdown while Keshawn Hines had eight carries for 28 yards and a score before leaving right before halftime with an injury. Kemarjae Davis carried the ball twice for 19 yards and a touchdown as the closer in the backfield. Mikkah Cordero took care of the ball in the passing game, going 4/6 for 29 yards and a touchdown through the air. Kane Roy was the recipient of the 13-yard touchdown while Elijah Durr had two catches for six yards and a pick six and Logan Walker had a four-yard catch. Teavan Jones recorded two sacks on defense. Junior Contreras-Barragan went 6/6 on extra points.

For the Lincoln Abes, Sione Kaho had a busy day throwing the football, going 16/22 passing for 198 yards and a touchdown. Ilai Malafu led the receiving game with four catches for 61 yards and a score while Elijah Carney had three catches for 59 yards, all in the second half. Carl Jackson caught two passes for 18 yards and Erick Tijiboy had three catches for 11 yards. Noah Dennis caught a 28-yard pass on his only reception of the night. Jadeon Scranton was busy as always with 18 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown and three catches for 21 yards. Anthony Mancao had a sack on defense and Brayant Salazar hit both of his extra point attempts.

The win moves Mount Tahoma to 12-0 and into the semifinals for the first time in 45 years. The T-Birds will host #3 Eastside Catholic on Saturday at 1pm for a spot in the state title game the following week. Lincoln’s season comes to an end with a record of 8-4 and the Abes graduate 20 seniors from this year’s team.

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