By Jason Hickman
MaxPreps.com
ISSAQUAH, Wash. – Let the “best ever” talk begin.
Skyline (7-0) turned Friday night’s highly-anticipated showdown with fellow unbeaten KingCo Crest Division contender Issaquah (6-1) into another show of force, winning 38-0.
The Spartans, ranked No. 1 in Class 4A by the Seattle Times, stormed to a 24-0 halftime advantage over the No. 3 Eagles and made believers of a spirited overflow crowd of 3,500.
It took Skyline just five plays to take a lead it would never relent as quarterback Jake Heaps sprinted straight up the middle for an 11-yard touchdown.
Heaps followed with touchdown passes to Jake Knecht (34 yards) and William Chandler (87 yards) on Skyline’s next two possessions to build a 21-0 lead.
Heaps, garnering some mention as the top junior in the country, completed 19-of-23 passes for 322 yards and five total touchdowns.
The Spartans’ two most dangerous receiving targets capped the scoring in the third quarter. Sophomore sensation Kasen Williams hauled in a 24-yard touchdown pass and senior Gino Simone – a Washington State verbal – put the final points on the board with a two-yard scoring reception.
As sharp as the Skyline offense looked, the defense may have been even more impressive. Issaquah entered the contest averaging 35.3 points per game but was held to under 100 total yards of offense in becoming the Spartan D’s fifth shutout victim of the season.
Under first-year head coach Mat Taylor, Skyline has outscored seven overmatched opponents 296-8 (42.2-1.1). The Spartans have won 20-straight games and 40 of 44 dating back to the 2005 season.
Redmond is up next for the Sammamish juggernaut, which ensured Friday night that its ESPNU appearance Oct. 30 at 5 p.m. will be for the KingCo title against the Crown Division champion.
