Eastside Catholic Advances In State Playoffs With 42-7 Victory Over Southridge

November 16, 2025

main 748x486_EC_vs_Southridge2415 — Photo/Tyler Artis

By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium

Yesterday afternoon, the Eastside Catholic Crusaders dominated the Southridge Suns, 42-7, securing their spot in the next round of the state 3A football playoffs.

Eastside Catholic opened the game by kicking off to Southridge, and the Suns began their first drive at their own 23-yard line. On first down, Gabriel Borisch looked to spark some early momentum but was quickly stopped by the Crusaders’ defense. Tayton Jackman followed with a 3-yard gain, setting up a 3rd-and-7. However, the Suns couldn’t convert and were forced to punt.

Eastside Catholic wasted absolutely no time showing their talent on the field. On their first offensive snap, quarterback Luca Villasenor connected with Tytan McNeal on a 46-yard pass play that electrified the crowd. The Crusaders then had a short run, placing the ball at the 15-yard line, and on the very next play Villasenor went right back to McNeal for a 15-yard touchdown pass. The extra point was successful, and with 8:28 left in the first quarter, Eastside Catholic took a 7-0 lead.

Southridge attempted to respond, managing a few short gains. A pass from Coppin Hunkapillar to Jackman got them close to a first down, but on 4th-and-1 they were stopped, turning the ball over on downs near midfield.

Eastside took possession and quickly capitalized on the turnover. After a short loss on first down, Villasenor connected with McNeal again, this time for a 28-yard touchdown reception, as the Crusaders extended their lead to 14-0 with 5:47 remaining in the first quarter.

The Suns tried to regroup on the field, putting together a couple of small gains and even a first down, but a delay-of-game penalty halted their momentum, resulting in yet another punt. Eastside Catholic again moved efficiently, with Villasenor connecting with McNeal and Robert Ingram for a pair of first downs as the first quarter came to an end, with the Crusaders maintained a 140-0 lead.

Just minutes into the second quarter, Eastside Catholic increased their lead to 21-0, when Cayden Pili scored on a 45-yard touchdown run.

On the ensuing kickoff, Southridge’s day seemed to get worse when they fumbled the kick return, and Eastside’s Daniel Jones recovered it. The Crusaders took advantage of the Sun’s mistake as Wassie Lugolobi scored on a 1-yard touchdown run, extending Eastside Catholic’s lead to 28-0 with 9:08 remaining in the first half.

After another quick series for Southridge, Eastside’s Asa Thompson had a 46-yard punt return, setting up another short field for the Crusaders. Two plays later, Lugolobi again blasted through the defense for a 2-yard touchdown run, expanding the Eastside Catholic lead to 35-0.

Southridge briefly found life with a 20-yard completion from Hunkapillar to Jackman, but an interception by Eastside’s Cade Boehl ended any hope of momentum. Eastside Catholic responded with an efficient drive, including big gains by River Shute, a 25-yard throw to Thompson and another completion to Jones. Shute finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, giving Eastside a comfortable 42-0 lead with 1:47 left in the half.

Southridge ran a few more plays before the clock ran out but couldn’t break through the Crusaders’ defense. At halftime, Eastside Catholic led 42-0.

With a running clock in effect to begin the second half, Southridge kicked off, and Eastside Catholic entered with several reserve players getting time on the field.

The Crusaders’ opening drive was filled with very short gains, 4 yards from Jones and an 11-yard catch by Hudson McColly. However, a fumbled snap on 3rd-and-long forced Eastside Catholic to punt.

Southridge’s offense finally began to pick up positive yardage against Eastside Catholic’s defense. Jackman and Borisch contributed some yardage on the field, while Ramses Chavez moved the chains on multiple key plays for the Suns. A series of small but steady gains brought the Suns deep down the field, but an incomplete pass on 2nd-and-8 stopped the momentum as the third quarter ended with no additional scoring. The Crusaders still held onto their lead, 42-0.

Southridge started the fourth quarter on 3rd-and-8, and Chavez chipped in 5 yards to set up a 4th-and-4. With nothing to lose, the Suns kept giving it their all. Hunkapillar connected with Chavez for a 25-yard touchdown pass, as Southridge scored their first points of the game. The extra point was good, making it 42-7 with 11:12 remaining in the final quarter.

Eastside responded with Isaac Thompson, who exploded for back-to-back runs of 22 and 38 yards, powering through the Suns defense. The Crusaders moved the ball inside the Suns’ 10-yard line, but penalties and incompletions stalled the drive, leading to a turnover on downs.

Southridge tried to put together one final push. Borisch darted down the field for 13 yards, and shortly after, Jackman too had a 17-yard run. As the clock ticked down to under a minute, Borisch added two more strong carries, but time expired before the Suns could reach the end zone. The final whistle blew, and Eastside Catholic secured their 42-7 victory over Southridge.

After the game, Wassie Lugolobi said he was very proud of how his teammates competed and is grateful to do it all again next week.

“A main goal of ours was eliminating penalties and I feel like we did a great job on that,” said Lugolobi. “All three phases executed at a high level, granting us an opportunity for another week.”

Player Stats

Southridge Suns – Offense:

• Tayton Jackman – 13 rushes, 59 yards; 3 receptions, 28 yards

• Gabriel Borisch – 12 rushes, 37 yards

• Ramses Chavez – 3 rushes, 14 yards; 1 reception, 25 yards, 1 TD

• Coppin Hunkapillar – 1 rush, 1 yard; 6/7 passing, 59 yards

• Jacob Korotkov – 1 rush, 2 yards; 0/1 passing, 0 yards

• Toa Haertling – 1 rush, 3 yards

• Trey Harris – 1 reception, 6 yards

Eastside Catholic Crusaders – Offense:

• Luca Villasenor – 9/11 passing, 162 yards, 2 TDs

• Tytan McNeal – 4 receptions, 110 yards, 2 TDs