Cruisers Dispatch East Jefferson, Move On To Quarterfinals

After not having a state football playoff this past season due to the pandemic, the Cruisers were chomping at the bit so to speak to be able to play in the state playoffs this season. They unleashed the frustration they had by going out and shutting out the East Jefferson Rivals 58-0 this past Saturday.

The Eatonville Cruiser defense swarms an East Jefferson ball carrier in their 58-0 victory on Saturday. The defense held the Rivals to a negative 4 yards of offense on the day with three takeaways. Photo: Grace Bamford.

While the Eatonville offense put up 58 points in the game, the Cruiser defense is what stood out in Saturday's game.

The Cruisers held East Jefferson to negative 4 total yards, while not allowing them a first down all game. The Rivals only managed to cross mid-field once in the game on their final offensive play.

The defense forced 3 turnovers on the day with Walker Bruun recovering a fumble and returning it 20 yards for a touchdown. Tyson Day would pick off a Cash Holmes pass at the 47-yard line and raced 51 yards to the 1-yard line to set up the next Cruiser score. Zach Barnett would also recover a fumble for the Cruisers.

“I am very proud of our defense. We have 10 seniors that start on our defense and they are playing at a very high level. To win at a high level it starts with defense so we are really pleased with their improvement from week to week,” said Head Coach Gavin Kralik about his defense.

Running back Dylan Norman would have another big game for Eatonville. He would carry the ball 11 times for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Kralik also complimented Norman on his great play. “He has really improved each week. He is a kid that is willing to do whatever he can to help the team. He excels on special teams as well. He has a really bright future.”

Quarterback Kevin Wulff would throw 3 touchdowns on the day. He would complete 11 of his 13 pass attempts for 159 yards.

Jakob Lucht would be on the receiving end of 6 of Wulff’s passes where he would score on a 34-yard reception and a 9-yard reception and finish the game with 90 yards receiving.

Other players scoring for the Cruisers on the day was Walker Bruun with a fumble recovery he returned 20 yards for a score, Kaden Olsen had a 3-yard touchdown run, Payton Hanly would have a 1-yard rushing touchdown, Reilly McIlraith would score on a 32-yard screen pass, and Sebastian Molina would nail a 29-yard field goal.

The Cruisers had a very large crowd for this playoff game. A large contingent of Cruiser fans made the short trip to root their team on.

“It was really neat to see such a large turnout and great student section. Our kids really felt the energy of our crowd. We are so excited to be able to host playoff games near our town and allow our Eatonville community and student body to be part of the postseason, especially after what we all experienced the past year and a half,” Kralik said.

As the Cruisers move on to the quarterfinals, they will host the #7 seeded Riverside Rams on Saturday, November 20th at 1 pm at Art Crate Field at Bethel HS in Spanaway.

I asked Kralik about the Riverside Rams and what we can expect to see from them.

“Riverside is pretty similar to us in that they are big and physical up front on both sides of the ball. It will be really exciting to see two really quality lines going at it on Saturday. I think our kids are really excited about this matchup. They want to establish the run and stop the run which is very similar to how our team is built.”

The Cruisers hope those same fans and more show up to root them on this Saturday.