The Eastside Lions will play Camas in the Washington state Boys HS final after the Lions won this weekend.
Eastside were already set to play in the final, as they entered the final regular-season game at 7-0. But Camas, idle this weekend, were hoping Liberty would lose this game. Had Liberty won, the Patriots would have been 4-3-1, just ahead of Camas at 4-4.
Playing at Highland Middle School, the Eastside Lions varsity team defeated Liberty 41-5 this weekend. The game began with an explosive start by Eastside’s captain, Etu Lolohea, who set the tone five minutes in as he capped off a multi-phase movement by powering through Liberty's defense to plant the ball into the corner.
Despite this early setback, Liberty responded, pressing into Eastside's 22 with multiple attacking drives. Their efforts, however, were stifled by Eastside's resilient defense, which stood firm.
Building on their defensive success, Eastside punished a misjudged clearance when No. 8, Sulaiman Rahman nabbed the ball and raced in to score. The pressure continued, culminating in a brilliantly-executed try by flanker Tristan Esterhuizen. Jerry Fleming converted and it was 17-0.
Liberty, undeterred by the growing deficit, finally saw their efforts rewarded when an Eastside offside penalty allowed them to charge over from close range. But the Lions answered with tries from Kellen Eskridge and a quick-tap try orchestrated by scrumhalf Noah Clarke, bringing the halftime to 31-5.
