Bellarmine Prep rallies for upset in Washington football playoff quarterfinals

The Bellarmine Prep (Tacoma) Lions were down 21-0 in the first half in their quarterfinal matchup with the No. 4 Bothell Cougars. Now they're going to the semifinals.

Bellarmine (11-1) rallied with 28 unanswered points to upset Bothell (9-3) in the final minute, 28-21. Michael Rector caught a lob pass from Sefo Liufau with 20.6 seconds remaining for the win. Bellarmine travels to Spokane to play the No. 3 Ferris Saxons (12-0) in the semifinals.

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STATE POWERS KEEP ROLLING
Both top-ranked, two-time defending state champs rolled into the semifinals. Bellevue (11-1) blasted KingCo foe Liberty 35-0 and will face Lakes in the Class 3A state semifinals. Class 4A state champs Skyline (Sammamish) (11-1) rallied for the third straight game to beat Issaquah 42-21. The Spartans will face No. 2 Curtis (12-0) in the semifinals.

SUNDBERG APPROACHES RECORD
Capital (Olympia) running back Tyler Sundberg is making a run at the state's single-season rushing record. Sundberg rushed for 113 yards in Capital's 13-12 quarterfinal win over O'Dea. He has 2,450 yards heading into a semfinals matchup at Kennewick vs. Kamiakin. The record is 2,676 set by Ferndale's Mathias Ward in 1997. Sundberg is the second running back to make a run at the record. Gonzaga Prep's Bishop Sankey rushed for more than 2,500 yards, but his Bullpups lost in a Class 4A state play-in game.

TOP 5 PERFORMERS
* Kasen Williams, Skyline football: The Washington recruit caught 10 passes for 183 yards and three touchdowns and scored a fourth on a 38-yard fumble return in a quarterfinal win over Issaquah. Video of Williams.

* Adam Talley, East Valley (Spokane) football: The sophomore running back rushed for 242 yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries. He also kicked six extra points.

* Alex Teade, Colfax football: The senior quarterback passed for 279 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a third as the Bulldogs advanced to the state semifinals.

UPCOMING EVENTS
The state football semifinals are Friday and Saturday. The Tacoma Dome hosts many of the games. The rest are in eastern Washington. Also, it's just a week until the basketball season tips off. Games begin on Nov. 29.

NATE'S NOTES
The Tacoma Dome is the place to be the next two weekends. Most of the state semifinals and all of the championship games are played there. What better opportunity is there to see the state's best football players and programs?

Nathan Joyce has covered high school sports in Washington for 13 years. He works at the Kitsap Sun in Bremerton.