The Juanita High School football team advanced to the second round of the state playoffs by crushing Columbia River, 57-7, on Saturday in Vancouver, Wash.
The Rebels were led by running back Salvon Ahmed, who racked up 230 yards and six touchdowns.
“I’ve seen a lot of football in my years of coaching and a lot of great performances,” said Juanita High School head football coach Lele Te’o. “Salvon’s night on Saturday was amazing to witness and be a part of.”
Ahmed began the game with a 54-yard touchdown run and never slowed down.
Columbia River scored its only points of the game during the first quarter, but the Rebels took a 23-7 lead into halftime.
The Rebels put the game away with 34 third-quarter points. Ahmed and his blockers managed to score on three separate plays of more than 40 yards each.
“We scored five TD’s in eight plays during the third quarter,” Te’o said.
Ahmed would finish the game with his longest scoring run of the contest, 57 yards.
Te’o said that the offensive line did a good job making blocks after their initial assignments on the line of scrimmage.
“Our offensive line did a really good job of getting to the next level and trusting each other,” Te’o said. “Salvon has always put a lot of faith in those guys to get it done and they continue to block hard for him. They get so excited to see him score and work really hard because they know that if they get to where they need to be, that Salvon will make something happen. I couldn’t be more proud of all of those guys. It’s a great group of kids.”
For Ahmed, he has scored a total of 10 touchdowns in the past two games alone.
Rebels quarterback Tavin Montgomery passed for 172 yards during the game.
Another big factor in the win was that the Rebels had no turnovers. Te’o said that the Rebels finished the regular season No. 1 in 3A KingCo in turnover ratio.
“It was a great environment and our guys were able to make plays when we needed them,” Te’o said about his defense, which had five turnovers during the game and shutout its opponents during the second half. “(We had) huge contributions from guys who haven’t played much during the regular season. It’s fun to watch them play fast to the last whistle.”
Juanita now moves on to the state quarterfinals against Bishop Blanchet at 5 p.m. on Saturday at Memorial Stadium at the Seattle Center.
“The focus is always how we do things,” Te’o said about his team’s preparation. “Bishop Blanchet has a great team and looks very tough. We will continue to focus on us and how we practice and prepare. I think the keys for us is just to keep making plays and to be accountable for our jobs and assignments on the field. We are definitely excited for a great opportunity.”
The Braves defeated Sumner on Saturday, 28-21, and have a record of 10-1. Blanchet’s only loss of the season came to Eastside Catholic High School, 53-6, on Oct. 9.
