East Triumphs In A Thriller Two-Point Conversion Decides All-Star Game

East-West All-Star Football Classic

They promised excitement and that’s what they delivered.

Kamiakin’s Scott Mitchell hit Sunnyside’s Jimmy Smith with a two-point conversion with 26 seconds to play Friday night at Albi Stadium to lift the East to a 19-18 victory over the West in the 33rd East-West All-Star Classic. An estimated 5,000 fans watched.

Mitchell set up the dramatics by racing 2 yards around right end to cap a 50-yard drive. That was set up when Tumwater’s Lance Gustafson recovered an on-side kick at midfield with 3:45 to play.

With the East trailing 18-3 entering the fourth quarter, Mitchell hit Smith with a 37-yard TD pass and a two-point conversion to cap an 81-yard drive that began with 6:07 left in the game.

“We had the momentum and they couldn’t stop us on offense,” Mitchell, the East’s Most Valuable Player, said. “We were finally jelling there in the fourth quarter.”

Mitchell connected on five of seven passes for 51 yards in that period, hitting 13 of 18 for 109 yards for the game.

“Mitchell did it with his creativity, it wasn’t play calling,” East coach Mike McLaughlin of Mead said. “They all got more comfortable with the play calling.”

There was no doubt the East would go for the win and not the tie, McLaughlin said, if only because his Panthers had ended their season with an overtime loss in the playoffs.

“I asked the rest of the kids on the sidelines and it was unanimous,” McLaughlin said. “We had a play they hadn’t seen…(Mitchell) didn’t go to the first option, but I told him if it wasn’t there to create to the left.”

Mitchell rolled right on the winning play but turned back left and found Smith wide open.

“It wasn’t fun the first part but it got funner,” McLaughlin said. “The defense picked it up and we finally got some good field position. We were pretty hemmed in in the first half and third quarter. We kept shooting ourselves in the foot.”

With a dominating defense, the West appeared set to end a four-year losing streak in the series. Then Mitchell got untracked.

The East defense held the West in check except for two first-half drives directed by Lakes quarterback Drew Miller. The BYU-bound passer had a big first half but finished 3 for 12 for 35 yards in the second.

“I hate losing,” Miller said. “It was fun, being the last game and all that, but when you lose you lose.”

The punting of Eastlake’s Doug Adkins helped the West stretch a 10-3 halftime lead.

The first score in the second half was a safety at 4:32, thanks to Lee Eckl of Sehome. Eckl dove into the end zone and batted out Adkins’ punt. It was downed on the 2. The first running play by the East picked up nothing. Then a host of West tacklers, led by Kyle Benn of O’Dea, stopped Mead’s Scott McGlocklin in the end zone, making it 12-3.

After the free kick, the West stalled but Adkins’ punt was downed on the 1. On the first play, Mitchell fumbled the snap and the West’s Grady Smalling recovered. On the next play, Anthony Tenner of Olympic scored, but Miller’s kick was blocked.

“I was disappointed we were playing so poorly, that was my responsibility,” McLaughlin said. “I’m glad it didn’t end like that.”

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