State roundup: Freeman football advances to State 2B semifinal; Scotties girls soccer earns program’s first state title

Freeman put up a bunch of points on Saturday, but its defense really came to play. 

The fifth-seeded Scotties’ defense shut out fourth-seeded Onalaska en route to a 28-0 win in a State 2B quarterfinal at Tiger Stadium in Centralia. 

Freeman (10-1) forced three turnovers on downs, in addition to retrieving a fumble on defense. The Loggers (11-2) averaged more than 52 points per game this season. 

“We have a phenomenal team”, Freeman first year coach Mike McKeown said. “And I don’t just mean the guys on the field – our young guys help us prepare week in and week out. Our defensive coordinator did a phenomenal job putting kids in the right spots.”

The Scotties advanced to a state semifinal in their first season in the 2B classification, but it’s their second semi in the past three seasons – Freeman reached the 1A semifinals in 2022, bowing to eventual state champ Royal 57-21.

“Football is such a special game,” McKeown said. “It requires so many moving pieces, and we have such a special group that got us here.” 

Freeman junior quarterback Logan Schultz connected with receiver Nash McLean for a 30-yard first quarter touchdown pass, and the rest was up to the defense.

“We hit them first, and they had nothing to respond with,” Schultz said. “We knew what they were going to run, and we stopped them on defense, and spread things out on offense.”

Schultz threw two touchdowns and ran for another. He leads the classification in passing yards.

–Lane Mathews contributed to this report.

Gonzaga Prep to face No. 1 Camas in 4A semifinal: The Papermakers (12-0) defeated eighth-seeded Arlington (10-2) 35-21 at Doc Harris Stadium in Camas to advance in the 4A bracket.

They will host the fifth-seeded Bullpups (12-0) in a semifinal on Saturday at 1 p.m. at McKenzie Stadium in Camas. G-Prep outlasted fourth-seeded Kennedy Catholic 34-28 at Highline Stadium in Burien on Friday to advance. 

Anacortes 55, West Valley 13: The visiting, seventh-seeded Eagles (11-1) saw their perfect season ended with a lopsided loss to the second-seeded Seahawks (11-1). Anacortes hosts sixth-seeded W.F. West (11-1) in a semifinal on Saturday. 

Almira/Coulee-Hartline 14, Neah Bay 12: The fourth-seeded Warriors (10-2) edged the fifth-seeded Red Devils (10-2) in a quarterfinal at Lions Field. ACH takes on No. 1 Liberty Christian (Richland) (11-0) in a semifinal on Saturday. The Patriots beat ACH 50-36 on Sept. 20 in a nonleague game.

Girls soccer

Freeman 3, Mount Vernon Christian 0: Junior striker Rylee Russell is a goal-scoring machine, and she added to her state-leading total on Saturday. Russell scored twice and the Scotties (21-0) shut out the Hurricanes (17-4-1) in the State 2B/1B championship game at Federal Way Memorial Stadium.

It is the first state championship Freeman soccer has won, and the first title for the school since 2018 when baseball won.

Russell ends the season with 64 goals, most in the state across all classifications and tied for second in the country according to MaxPreps. 

Goalie Kelsey Hollen made 13 saves and did not give up a single goal in four state games.

Freeman scored 152 goals this year and allowed just 12. The Scotties were the only team in the state across all classifications to enjoy a “perfect” season – all 21 wins came in regulation with no ties. 

“I’m so proud of them for battling.” Freeman coach Dave Ellis said. “This was the goal they set at the beginning of the year as a family.”

After a scoreless first half, Russell got the Scotties on the board 4 minutes after intermission. 

“Rylee is a good scorer,” Ellis said. “She really allowed us to open things up and exploit some things.”

“We made good passes in the second half. We made sure we found the right people.” Russell said. “We wanted to make history. We wanted to be the first.”

Freshman forward Nora Gass scored midway through the second half, and Russell sealed the game with just under 10 minutes to play. Senior Morgan LaMotte assisted on both of Russell’s goals. 

“It means so much to see all of our players step on that field with so much grit.” senior Aubrey Gregory said. “I couldn’t ask for a better team to play with.”

–Lane Mathews contributed to this report.

Bellevue 2, Mt. Spokane 0: The second-seeded Wolverines (13-4-3) defeated the visiting eight-seeded Wildcats (15-5) in the State 3A third-place game at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup.

West Valley 5, Bellingham 0: The second-seeded Eagles (21-1-1) shut out the visiting fourth-seeded Bayhawks (20-4) in the State 2A third-place game at Mount Tahoma HS.