Not to be overlooked in Skyview’s come-from-behind win over Bothell on Saturday was another milestone for head coach Steve Kizer.
With Skyview’s 17-13 win in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs at Kiggins Bowl, Kizer earned his 155th win at Skyview and is now tied for the fourth most wins all time among Southwest Washington football head coaches.
Kizer, who announced in October this season would be his last after 21 years leading the Storm, joined the late John O’Rourke (Columbia River) and Gary Boggs (Fort Vancouver) at 155 career wins, according to records compiled by Greater St. Helens League football historian Bryan Levesque. Only Jon Eagle (Camas, Evergreen), John Lambert (La Center) and Ed Laulainen (Kelso) have more wins in their Southwest Washington careers.
Win No. 155 required Skyview to dig deep after facing a 13-3 deficit to Bothell in the fourth quarter. Levi Webb’s 6-yard touchdown got the Storm within three points.
On the next drive, another Webb goal-line carry was jarred loose by a Bothell defender, but Skyview center Max Christiansen recovered the loose ball in the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown.
Skyview’s defense handled the rest by turning Bothell over on downs and allowing the Storm to kneel out the clock.
“That was a great job by our center Max Christiansen to get on that fumble. Man, that was good,” Kizer said. “And then, the defense stepped up when we needed to. It wasn’t a thing of beauty the rest of the game. We kept shooting ourselves in the foot.”
Skyview seniors didn’t want to see their season end on their home field. They also didn’t want the game to be Kizer’s last as head coach. Instead, the Storm advanced to the 4A state quarterfinals for a second consecutive year.
“You’ve got to work hard for that dude because he puts so much in us,” Webb said of Kizer.
“I’ve known Kize since I was born,” Skyview senior Kaden Hamlin added. “He hired my dad (associate head coach Matt Hamlin) when my mom was pregnant with me. … I’ve known Kize my whole life, and I’ll play for him, I’ll die for him, I’ll do anything for Kize, man.”
Quarterfinal schedule
Games times for Saturday’s state quarterfinal games involving local teams were announced:
4A: No. 8 Arlington (10-1) vs. No. 1 Camas (11-0), 1 p.m. at Doc Harris Stadium
4A: No. 7 Skyview (8-3) vs. No. 2 Sumner (10-1), 7 p.m. at Sunset Chev Stadium, Sumner
1A: No. 6 Montesano (8-3) vs. No. 3 La Center (9-1), 1 p.m. at Beaver Stadium, Woodland HS
1A: No. 7 Life Christian (9-1) vs. No. 2 Seton Catholic (10-0), 7 p.m. at Doc Harris Stadium
One more note
For the second time in four seasons, Camas is back in the Class 4A state quarterfinals.
A 41-6 win over Curtis in Friday’s round-of-16 game puts the Papermakers among the final eight teams in the 4A field, as they host Arlington (10-1) on Saturday. In 2021, Camas also reached the state quarterfinals before a season-ending defeat at Kamiakin.
The two years sandwiched in-between? Earlier-than-anticipated playoff defeats.
A Week 10 loss to North Creek in 2022 marked the first WIAA state playoff tournament without Camas since going 5-5 in 2018. Last season, No. 14-seed Mount Si stunned third-seed Camas at Doc Harris Stadium after racing out to a 28-0 second-quarter lead on its way to a 31-14 first-round state playoff win.
One year later, how much was the sting of the 2023 first-round loss on Camas players’ minds to not let history repeat?
“Not at all,” senior receiver and defensive back Jack Macdonald said. “It’s always next thing, next thing, next thing.”
Friday, Camas held Curtis to 85 total yards, and registered three interceptions, seven sacks and a safety. The defense also didn’t allow the Vikings into the endzone; the six points scored came on a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown by Xavier Ahrens in the second quarter.
