Dispatch 11-9-2022

Cruisers earn trip to state playoffs

By Skip Smith Contributing writer

While the wet and windy weather the state experienced Friday slowed and hampered many teams around the state, the Eatonville Cruisers battled through it successfully.

Led by two Ky Nation touchdowns, Eatonville defeated the Castle Rock Rockets, 24-18, in the Southwest Washington District IV football playoffs to claim its fourth consecutive trip to the state playoffs.

How it happened

Eatonville opened the game with the ball, but the Cruisers’ first drive went nowhere, and they were forced to punt.

The Rockets got the ball at their 32-yard line and strung together a drive, aided by many penalties, to the Cruisers’ 19-yard line before the Eatonville defense got a big stop on fourth down, and Castle Rock turned the ball over on downs.

The Eatonville offense again sputtered, and the Cruisers punted the ball back to the Rockets. Two plays into their drive, a Castle Rock ball carrier fumbled the ball, and Eatonville's Max Henley pounced on it just before the first quarter ended with the game scoreless.

With the ball in Castle Rock territory at the 40-yard line, Eatonville needed 10 plays before its drive stalled at the Castle Rock 18-yard line, and coach Gavin Kralik sent the field goal unit out.

In the torrential downpour and swirling wind, Job Kralik hit on a 35-yard field goal for the first score of the night to give the Cruisers a 3-0 lead with 9 minutes left in the half.

Castle Rock returned the kick to the 20-yard line and then strung together a 13play, 80-yard drive that was aided by a Lane Partridge 38-yard run. The Rockets capped the drive when Stephen Ibsen found the

By Skip Smith Contributing writer

After having a successful season, the Eatonville Cruiser cross country team sent seven runners to the 1A state meet this past Saturday at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco.

A total of 363 runners, both boys and girls, competed.

Eatonville sent five girls: Grace Coonrod, Cheyanne Price, Bridget Stumph, Susanna Stumph and Abigail Simpson. It also sent Joe Mueller and Colton Rush for the boys’ race.

For the girls, Coonrod finished in 29th place with a time of 21 minutes, 1.40 seconds. Price finished in 103rd with a time of 23:35:10. Bridget Stumph took 137th in a time of

25:12.50, and Susanna Stumph finished 151st with a time of 27:56. Simpson did not compete due to illness.

For the boys, Mueller improved on last year’s 69th place state finish with a 29th-place finish in a time of 18:25.60. Rush, competing in his first state meet, finished in 94th place with a time of 18:48.

Coach Geoff Olson said he was very proud of how his team competed this season.

“I am extremely proud of all of them,” he said. “They had a great season. All the kids ran awesome and proved they belong at the state meet.”

With five of the seven runners returning next year, the Cruisers could have another strong season on tap.

Photo by Geoff Olson

Eatonville’s cross country runners pose for a photo while on their way to compete in the state meet Saturday in Pasco.

Photo by Alyssa Wood Cruiser defenders work together to stop Castle Rock in Eatonville in the 24-18 win on Friday night. The win sends Eatonville to the state playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.

end zone on a 5-yard run. The extra point missed, and Castle Rock led 6-3 with just under 4 minutes left in the half.

A touchback on the kickoff left the Cruisers deep in their own territory at the 20-yard. Nation didn't wait long to steal back the Cruisers’ lead. On the first play of the drive, Job Kralik handed off to Walker Bruun who then pitched the ball to Nation going the other way on a reverse, and Nation followed Kralik, Aaron Tozier and Dylan Norman up the sideline before finding open space and zooming into the end zone for the score to extend Eatonville's lead to 10-6 with 3:43 left in the half.

Castle Rock answered with another 80-yard drive, this time in only eight plays during which Ibsen found the endzone again on an 18-yard scoring run. The Rockets attempted a two-point conversion to steal back that point they missed earlier. Ibsen dropped back to attempt a pass, but Eatonville's Isaiah Duncan bust through the line and flushed him and forced him to run right into a pack of Cruiser defenders, and the conversion failed.

Castle Rock took back the lead at 12-10.

With under a minute left until halftime, the Cruisers needed to move quickly, and Nation took the

kickoff 40 yards to set the Cruisers up at the Castle Rock 44-yard line with 45 seconds left in the half.

On the next play, Job Kralik hit a streaking Nation at the 20-yard line, and he outraced the defender to the endzone for the score to steal the lead back at 17-12.

The Rockets, with time running out, moved the ball to Eatonville’s 19-yard line but did not answer, and Eatonville head into the locker room at the half leading 17-12.

Second half

Castle Rock received the kickoff to start the second half, and after Kralik's kick sailed into the endzone for a touchback, the Rockets started at their 20-yard line.

Facing a fourth-and-7 from their own 23-yard line, Rockets head coach Aaron Gehring called a fake punt that caught the Cruisers off guard. The punter had just enough time to throw up a pass that was caught, and the Rockets converted the first down.

Marching to the Eatonville 4-yard line, the Rockets faced a fourth-andgoal. Gehring called an option play, and Ibsen ran right and pitched to Partridge. Cruiser linebacker Payton Hanly broke free from his block and met Partridge at the goal line. As he went in for the tackle, Hanly lowered his shoulder into the ball, popping it loose from Partridge’s

hands. The ball rolled into and out of the endzone for a touchback, and Eatonville denied the Rocket score.

Following the touchback, the Cruisers took over possession at their 20-yard line. Eatonville then put together a 14-play, 80-yard drive that ended when Kralik scored on a 2-yard keeper to put the Cruisers up 24-12 late in the third quarter.

As they had done all night, the Rockets answered by going 74 yards on 16 plays and found the endzone when Ibsen picked up a fumbled snap and hit receiver Jayce Womack at the 5-yard line where he fought his way into the endzone for the score. Kralik busted in from the right side of the line to block the extra point attempt, and the Cruisers' lead was trimmed to 24-18 with just under 5 minutes left in the game.

The Rockets attempted an onside kick to try and get the ball back, but the Cruisers recovered the ball at their 49-yard line.

Facing a third-and-long, Kralik was flushed from the pocket and he scrambled to pick up the first down at the Rockets’ 40-yard line. Then, facing another third-and-long, Kralik kept the ball and advanced to the Castle Rock 4-yard line before sliding down to keep the clock running. One more play put the Cruisers at the 1-yard, where they went into victory formation and ran

out the clock.

Four players accounted for all of Eatonville's 321 total yards. Nation and Kralik contributed all the Cruisers’ touchdowns and most their offense. Nation finished with 84 yards rushing, with 80 of those yards coming on his first touchdown of the night, and he hauled in one catch for 44 yards coming on his second touchdown.

Kralik went 4-of-7 passing for 69 yards and a score while carrying the ball 10 times for 113 yards and a touchdown. RJ Schrimpsher hauled in Kralik's other three passes for 25 yards.

Norman added to the rushing statistics with 55 yards on 14 carries.

EATONVILLE 24, CASTLE ROCK 18

Second quarter

E — Job Kralik 35-yard FG

CR — Stephen Ibsen 5-yard run (kick failed)

E — Ky Nation 80-yard run (Kralik kick)

CR — S. Ibsen 18-yard run (kick failed)

E — Nation 44-yard pass from Kralik (Kralik kick)

Third quarter

E — Kralik 2-yard run (Kralik kick)

Fourth quarter

CR — J. Womack 13-yard pass from S. Ibsen (kick blocked)

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County Council OKs discharging firearms in unincorporated Graham area

By Brett Davis Contributing writer

The Pierce County Council unanimously approved an ordinance removing the prohibition against the discharge of firearms on 285 acres — or eight parcels — of land known as the Mountain View Dairy in the unincorporated Graham-Kapowsin area.

Getting rid of the no-shoot restrictions is meant to help manage elk herds and deal with waterfowl issues that could negatively impact the Orting Valley dairy near the foothills of Mount Rainier.

Council Chair Derek Young summarized the intent of the ordinance at the council meeting last week.

“The gist of it is, paraphrasing, that

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you may only impose them (firearm restrictions) in areas where it is not possible to shoot safely,” he said. “In order to impose that restriction, you have to be able to prove that.”

Young went on to explain the practical impact of the legislation.

“So, what does that mean?” he asked rhetorically.

It means there will still be some limitations when it comes to discharging firearms in the area.

“It doesn’t mean that we’re removing all the state’s restrictions,” Young explained. “You still can’t fire across a road. You still can’t fire towards a building. You still can’t fire within a certain distance at schools. You still can’t fire under certain conditions. All of those restrictions are still in place, but it just says there isn’t a blanket restriction in that area.”

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Pat J Kirk, fondly known as “Nanny”, a beautiful mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and friend to many, went to be with the Lord on October 24, 2022. She was born on July 24, 1940 in Fort Lincoln, North Dakota, daughter of the late Clarence and Alvina (Kallenberger) Fahey. She grew up as a military dependent, and as a child arrived to Washington State, which was her home for the majority of her life.

Due to her mother’s terminal illness and the demands of her father’s Army career, Pat along with her sisters were often placed with relatives and sometimes foster family for their care. Although tragic, during these childhood years the Lord crafted Pat’s great passion for family and the gift to Love.

Married for 25 years, Pat was blessed with her four children, 16 grandchildren, and 21 great grandchildren. She wanted a family more than anything, and the Lord did not disappoint. Her family was her greatest joy and she was always willing to sacrifice much for them. She was courageous and didn’t let life’s circumstances give her an excuse or prevent her from thriving. Her love for her children, gave them the courage to chase their own dreams and she always remained their biggest cheerleader. Rooted in the love of Jesus and her Catholic faith, she handled all that life brought her, and at the same time, demonstrated the same love and generosity to all her family and friends. She never let a grandchild leave without first a hug and saying “I love you this much” with arms spread wide.

Pat lived most of her adult life in Graham, Washington. It was there that she met her life-long best friend Dot Greene and her husband Byron, while volunteering for the fire department. Pat loved to sit and debate life’s topics for hours with Dot, and the two developed an unbreakable bond, which Pat cherished the rest of her life. Shortly after moving to Graham, the family designed and built their own house. This was a true family adventure, and one of Pat’s best memories was splitting and installing the roof cedar shakes with family and friends. This house became her sanctuary, and she had great joy hosting within it family events and holiday parties over the years.

Upon a 21-year career working for Washington State Employment Security Department, Pat retired and enjoyed visiting and spending time with her family and friends. The introduction of mobile phone unlimited data plans was like winning the lottery for her, and she took every advantage of the service. After many years on her own, Pat moved in with her son and his family. She enjoyed living as a quasi-military dependent in the US Air Force, and traveling the country and witnessing the beauty of many other states.

The last five years, Pat lived in Niceville, Florida. She continued to spend her time visiting with family and friends, and enjoyed her weekly discussions at the Niceville Senior Center. She loved drinking her morning coffee while sitting next to the pool, and watching the birds and her grandchildren play.

Pat is survived by her daughter Karen Hart and her husband Brett, daughter Cheryl Hoffman and her husband Mark, daughter Micki McCulloch, and son Keith Kirk and wife Karen; grandchildren: Crystal, Daniel, Tessa, Mindy, Nathan, Josh, Joe, Ashley, Dawson, Austin, Julie, Megann, Jessica, Ethan, Aidan, and Sarah; great grandchildren: Hailey, Seth, Sophia, Cooper, Jailyn, Donovan, Madison, Harper, Bodie, Teagan, Mila, Tilton, Ava, Lilly, Boone, Colton, Lucy, Samuel, Michael, Maria, and Matthew. Pat will also be dearly missed by her beloved dog, Charlie.

Pat was preceded in passing by her parents; sister’s Judith, Janice, and Sandy; son-in-law Howie McCulloch; and grandchild Nathan Hoffman.

Nanny, you will never be forgotten. May you rest in peace knowing your family is your legacy. Your love will forever be found in each one of our hearts. We love you this much <--------0------->.

A Funeral Mass for Pat was held November 4, 2022 at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, Niceville FL. The family is planning for a Memorial Service and Internment at Eatonville WA, date to be determined. Donations in remembrance of Pat, may be made to Cub Scouts Pack 556, and either dropped off or mailed to Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, 1200 Valparaiso Blvd, Niceville, FL 32578.

Eatonville to face a once-familiar foe in state football playoffs

By Skip Smith Contributing writer

Following their 24-18 victory over the Castle Rock Rockets on Friday, the Eatonville Cruisers clinched a berth into the state playoffs. The state seeding committee met on Sunday to seed the 16 qualified teams and awarded the Cruisers the No. 4 seed.

The Cruisers will host the No. 13 seed Zillah Leopards (7-3) at 4 p.m. Friday at Art Crate Stadium at Bethel High School.

Three members of Eatonville’s coaching staff have a bit of history with the Leopards.

Bobby Lucht, Bill Nation and Tom Zurfluh were all members of Eatonville’s 1992 state championship team that faced Zillah in the final all those years ago and staged one of the biggest comebacks in state title history.

In the 1992 Kingbowl at the Kingdome in Seattle, the Cruisers were down 23-0 to Zillah, and they were depending on a rally from a sophomore quarterback who had just thrown an interception that was returned 70 yards for a touchdown.

That quarterback was Bobby Lucht. With 8 minutes, 45 seconds to play in the third quarter, Lucht scored on an

8-yard run. When the fourth quarter started, the Cruisers trailed by 16.

Lucht threw two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter. With less than four minutes to play, Eatonville forced Zillah to punt, and the Cruisers got the ball at the Zillah 43.

Lucht then passed the Cruisers inside the Zillah 10, and Joe Dorn scored the winning touchdown on a 3-yard run with 26 seconds left. Eatonville won, 26-23.

"1992 was a special time for our program and the community,” quarterback coach Lucht said. “That game reminds you that the game is 48 minutes long and to keep believing in what you do. I'm excited for our kids to have an opportunity not only to play Zillah but to get back to the state tournament."

Lucht said the 1992 Eatonville team would have never made it to the championship game if it wasn't for Zurfluh’s leg. Zurfluh kicked the gamewinning field goal in the semifinals against Meridian to send the Cruisers to the title game.

"It was an amazing game, two really good teams battling it out all in regulation, and it continued into the first overtime,” Lucht said. “In the second overtime, the crucial play of

the game was the fumble by Meridian's quarterback. We knew we had one of the best kickers in the state, and when Tommy hit that game-winner to send us to the title game, our sideline

exploded.”

The two teams will meet again for the first time in 30 years, and Lucht and the rest of the Cruisers hope the outcome will be the same.

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Scenic photo by Judy Roberts

Photo by Trinity Potter

The Eatonville Cruisers are ready to make another deep run in the state playoffs. They will play Zillah on Friday, a team Eatonville last faced 30 years ago in the state finals.