Armstrong leads well-armed Franklin Pierce into playoffs

At the start of the season, Franklin-Pierce coach Howard Lutton said his team would be solid with a talented group of seniors returning. Now possessing a 12-0 record and a date with Skyline at the Tacoma Dome next Saturday, Lutton's early-season assessment appears right on.

Senior quarterback and safety Erich Armstrong is the catalyst on the speedy Cardinal roster, but much of Armstrong's offensive success comes from a Franklin-Pierce attack that features many weapons.

"Erich is like a poker player with a solid hand," Lutton said. "He can bluff, get aggressive -- he dictates the action from having so many options."

Armstrong likely reminded Ferndale fans of another two-way, do-all quarterback currently playing at Washington with his dominating performance in the Cards' 35-28 win in Bellingham during the 3A quarterfinals.

The 6-1, 190-pounder completed 9 of 19 passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 123 yards, including a 70-yard TD run. On defense, he recorded two interceptions.

"Our plan has been the farther we go into the playoffs, the more we want Erich to do," Lutton said. "We really have been taking advantage of that. He may lead the state in interceptions with 16."

Franklin-Pierce averaged 43 points a game in the regular season with a defense that contributed to that total by scoring in every game but one this season.

Armstrong has tossed 34 touchdowns, but Lutton said colleges will likely look at him as a safety.

He's also part of a core of players who began strapping on the pads together in fifth grade for the Pierce County Summit Cyclones.

"It's been fun being successful with my best friends," Armstrong said. "It doesn't get much better than this."

Up next is Skyline and coach Steve Gervais, someone Lutton and many in Pierce County have known for years.

"Skyline is fantastic, and it starts with Steve (Gervais)," Lutton said. "We matched up with him back when he was at Eatonville. He's well-known around here and I consider him one of the all-time great coaches."

One thing Lutton isn't happy about was hearing that the two 3A semifinals, featuring O'Dea against Bellevue on Friday and F-P against Skyline on Saturday, would both be played at 9 a.m. at the Tacoma Dome.

"I hope I heard wrong," Lutton said. "I was told the determining factor for assigning time slots was a coin-flip. That's an unusual time to put four local teams. It could affect the overall attendance, and it's an hour ride early in the morning for O'Dea, Skyline and Bellevue. It doesn't seem very intelligent to make such an important decision with a flip of a coin."

BOTHELL-FERRIS MATCHUP: When Graham-Kapowsin senior tailback Marcel Smith twisted his ankle early in the fourth quarter in the 4A state playoffs against South Kitsap, the leading rusher in the SPSL initially wanted to return to the game.

But the ankle didn't respond to rest and treatment, and in fact got worse during the week, preventing Smith from suiting up Saturday in Spokane against Ferris. The Saxons (12-0) won 49-14, ending the Eagles (8-4) season.

"He couldn't make his cuts," G-K coach Eric Kurle said. "Psychologically, it's tough for the kids when your top weapon goes down. They played hard, but we just didn't have the speed to match up with them."

Kurle said the trio of quarterback Jeff Minnerly with receivers Jared Karstetter and Shawn Stockton makes the Saxons tough to stop.

After ten games, Minnerly had 18 touchdown passes and one interception, while Karstetter, who'll play at Washington State, and Stockton, who'll play basketball at Montana, have more than 900 receiving yards and 13 TD catches between them.

"I think Bothell will match up well with Ferris," Kurle predicted. "Both teams have plenty of speed. I really like the way the Bothell defense flies to the ball."

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: If anybody knows about a home field advantage, it's Dave Ward at Oak Harbor. Even before the new Wildcat Football Stadium opened with its comfy 5,000-seat capacity, a trip to Oak Harbor meant playing in front of a packed crowd.

But even Ward was taken by surprise at the volume and intensity of the Big Blue Train that is the Bothell faithful when Oak Harbor traveled to Pop Keeney Stadium to meet the Cougars.

"You have no idea how tough it is until you get there," Ward said. "They really pump up the volume. Even our kids aren't used to that and it left some of them pretty wide-eyed."

And it wasn't like the Oak Harbor fans were sparse, with an estimated 2,000 making the trip from Whidbey Island. Ward said despite the tremendous support from the home fans, they were still outnumbered three-to-one.

"You have to tip your hat to the Bothell fans," Ward said. "They show amazing support, to the point of being awe-inspiring."

QUICK HITS: When Tumwater defeated Sequim 22-20 on Nov. 10 during the 2A state playoffs, it marked the 300th career victory for Sid Otton, the all-time winningest coach in state history. Moving up that same list is Skyline coach Steve Gervais, now No. 6 all-time with 242 career wins, as well as Monte Kohler of O'Dea with 222 victories to move up to eleventh. ... Brothers Johri and Zach Fogerson of O'Dea had an impressive stat line Friday as the Irish defeated Meadowdale 42-7. On his first two carries, senior Johri had touchdown runs of 74 and 75 yards. On Zach's first carry, he broke free for 72 yards, giving them three carries for 221 yards and two scores. ... In three postseason games, Edmonds-Woodway junior RB/LB Tony Heard has 63 carries for 500 yards and five touchdowns, averaging nearly eight yards a carry.