2009 3A/4A State Football Semi-Finals Preview

3A
Liberty vs. Lakes 
1:00pm at the Tacoma Dome, 950 KJR
This is an interesting match up between the second and third ranked teams in the state. Liberty is a decent team that has gotten lucky in the last two weeks, narrowly escaping games vs. O'Dea and Lindbergh. Liberty has a good amount of talent but the majority of them are juniors which leaves them at a disadvantage.

Liberty is facing a completely stacked Lakes team. So far Lakes has not faced a challenge this season, and it's not a surprise considering they have nine seniors with division 1 offers. The Lancers are powerful and are loaded with play makers. Liberty's spread offense could be tricky in the beginning but I see Lakes pulling away and winning fairly easily.

Bellevue vs. Union
7:00pm at the Tacoma Dome, Carlclick.com/950 KJR
This is the 3A game to look forward to, a rematch of last season's state championship game. Both teams have faced challenges from out of state opponents to prepare them for a deep playoff run. Union seems to have not lost a step all season, dominating their league.

Bellevue may not be as good as past seasons but they still are a hard hitting team that can make plays. Last year, Bellevue won in a blowout. This year I see Union making it much closer but Bellevue pulling it out in the end.

4A
Skyview vs. Ferris
1:00pm at Joe Albi Stadium, Carlclick.com
This match up is between two under the radar teams. Ferris, coming out of Spokane is a team that is consistently in the state playoffs. Skyview is a team that is new to the late rounds of the playoffs. Both teams have decent size and are hard hitting. This will be a great game of smash mouth football.

The difference maker is the home field advantage for Ferris. Skyview has to make the trip from Vancouver to play a tough Ferris squad. I will take Ferris in a close one.

Bothell vs. Skyline
7:00pm at the Tacoma Dome, KITZ1400.com
It is time for the game that everyone is waiting for. A rematch of the Kingco championship game that Bothell won earlier this season. Bothell features a massive line with a great quarterback and running back to follow them. Everyone knows the deal with Skyline, the number one quarterback in the nation, surrounded by talented blockers and playmakers.

After seeing the outcome of the first match up, there is no doubt that this will be a close one. Bothell may be good enough to beat Skyline once but I do not think they are good enough to beat them twice. In a thriller, I take Jake Heaps and Skyline