1. Liberty wins instant classic: Matching two of the state's top two football teams on the opening weekend,
Liberty (Renton), the Class 3A state runner-up, beat
Skyline (Sammamish), a Class 4A team which has won three straight state titles, 39-34. Skyline's new quarterback
Max Browne, taking over for Jake Heaps who is at BYU, had 418 yards and five touchdowns. Liberty QB
Trey Wheeler matched him with 331 yards and four touchdowns.
2. Bellevue beats Union once again: The
Bellevue Wolverines and
Union (Vancouver) Titans met in important games in recent years. Bellevue beat Union in the 2008 Class 3A title game and again in the state semifinals last year. This time, they met in a season opener, but the result was the same. Bellevue overcame four first-half turnovers to beat Union for the third straight time, 20-6.
3. California invaders capsize No. 2 Bothell: Mission Viejo (Mission Viejo, Calif.) dominated Class 4A No. 2
Bothell 49-13 in the main event of the Emerald City Kickoff Classic at Qwest Field. Mission Viejo scored 42 straight points to go 2-0 in Seattle's opening-week event. The California team also beat Issaquah 55-36 in 2005.
4. Bethel bounced under Friday night lights: The
Bethel (Spanaway) Braves lost at
Permian (Odessa, Texas) 39-21, but they made their mark at the school made famous by the book Friday Night Lights. Bethel had 548 yards of offense, more than any other team has posted against Odessa, the Tacoma News Tribune reported. Five turnovers doomed the Braves in the loss.
5. No football for two teams: Valley Christian (Spokane), which saw a player die after a game last year, is dropping football because of low numbers. Valley Christian is a small, private school in the Spokane Valley.
Tyee (SeaTac), a Class 2A school, is also not playing football this year. Only six players turned out for opening day. Tyee managed to play only four games last year.
TOP 5 PERFORMERS* Joey Mangialardi, Bellevue: The running back had 129 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries in a win over Union.
* Erin Barber,
Puyallup: Barber threw for 372 yards and seven touchdowns (on 17 of 31 passing) in a 58-14 win over
Spanaway Lake (Spanaway).
* Don Holub, Puyallup football: Barber found Holub eight times for 234 yards and four touchdowns.
* Chris Brown,
Bonney Lake: The quarterback passed for 340 yards and four touchdowns on 25 of 39 passing in a 41-0 win over
White River (Buckley).
* Evan Peterson,
Issaquah: The receiver had 10 catches for 214 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-13 win over
Heritage (Vancouver).
UPCOMING EVENTSFall sports kick off for the other sports this week. Volleyball, girls soccer, girls swimming and cross country all get going. Some leagues even compete in golf and boys tennis in the fall.
But the event that most high school sports fans will be interested in is the matchup of two top-ranked defending state football champs. Skyline, the Class 4A state champs, takes on Bellevue, the Class 3A state champs, Saturday at 7 p.m. at Seattle Memorial Stadium. Both began the season ranked No.1 in their classification by various media outlets.
Skyline has won the last two 4A titles. Bellevue has won the last 3A state titles. Skyline also won the Class 3A state title three years ago before moving up.
NATE'S NOTESHow great is that football season is back? Food tastes better, the air smells sweeter and everything is right with the world.
What's great in this state is the amount of high-profile games to begin the season. Skyline isn't afraid to challenge itself early, scheduling Class 3A No. 3 Liberty and No. 1 Bellevue. And kudos to the Spartans for doing it. Makes the start of football season all the better for the rest of us.
Nathan Joyce has covered high school sports in Washington for 13 years. He works for the Kitsap Sun in Bremerton.
