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In a back-and-forth cross-town rival game Friday, September 16, 2022, the Timberline High School Blazer football team defeated River Ridge High School 21-18 at South Sound Stadium. Junior Timberline quarterback Jacob Nadeau scored a scramble touchdown late in the fourth quarter to put the Blazers ahead.

Timberline (2-1, 1-0 3A SSC) scored first and then late at the end of the second quarter, heading into the half ahead 14-6. Jacob Nadeau went 15-23 for 216 yards with many of those passes going to Jereel Larkins (155 yards receiving).

River Ridge (0-2-1, 0-1 3A SSC) took a 18-14 lead with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, but was unable to stop the Blazers and Nadeau on a late drive. Ridge was led by senior running back Jonathon Mapu who had 165 rushing yards.

Nadeau looked to pass on the fourth-yard line and 21-yard line, then scrambled and shifted, leaping toward the goal line with a superman dive just breaking the plane for the winning touchdown. Ridge responded, driving into Blazer territory but was intercepted by Javonte Walker, which essentially ended the game.

For Nadeau, going at the fourth and 21 was just looking to make a big play. “I was looking for the cross route, I was going through my progressions and saw an opening and opportunity so I took it,” Nadeau recalled after the game. “It was a big win for us and something we can build on moving forward.”

Timberline head coach James Jones was proud of the resilience and effort of his team. “Our kids are players and Jacob and Vonte made plays they needed to make and were just the ball players they needed to be,” Jones stated.  “We have to get better, but we are capable of improving and we are off to play Central Kitsap and will be ready for it.”

Steve Schultz, head coach for River Ridge, thought the game was a great back and forth battle. “They would get up we would get up, we had stops, they had stops but hats off to them for finishing the game,” Schultz remarked. “We are a young group and we are learning character, but moving forward the biggest thing we need to do is to believe we can finish games and that will come with more experience on the field and every game we play we will gain more experience.”

River Ridge hosts Yelm (3-0, 1-0 3A SSC) Friday and Timberline heads to Central Kitsap.

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