Bellevue Runs Through Lakes in 35-14 Playoff Victory

Bellevue head coach Butch Goncharoff took the chains off Tyler Hasty.

The Wolverines' quarterback ran loose against a top-notch Lancers defense Friday night, scoring four touchdowns in a 35-14 state 3A quarterfinal victory at Harry Lang Stadium in Lakewood. Hasty rushed for 135 yards on 12 carries, unleashing a dazzling first-half performance.

"The (offensive) line was great," Hasty said. "I was unblocked on a lot of plays. They were doing great all 48 minutes."

The three-time defending state champion Wolverines (12-0 overall) scored 21 points against the No. 2-ranked Lancers (11-1 overall) in the first half. They scored on every red zone opportunity. Hasty reached the end zone of all three rushing TDs, including a pivotal 6-yard touchdown capping a six-play drive.

Bellevue led 21-7 at halftime behind Hasty.

"We had the chains on Hasty and we took them off," Goncharoff said. "It helped us and we needed it."

Lakes senior Cedric Dozier was his team's first-half spark. He intercepted Hasty's pass and Levonte Littlejohn scored on a 14-yard run. But the Wolverines contained the Lancers' explosive offense, holding their speedy position players to just 103 total yards in the first half. Lakes punted the ball five times in the game.

Hasty engineered a 49-yard drive and scored his fourth touchdown on a 5-yard run at 7:18 in the third quarter, 28-7. Lakes closed the gap with a nine-play drive that ended with a Littlejohn touchdown, making it 28-14. Littlejohn rushed for 80 yards and scored two touchdowns.

After a Wolverines punt, the Lancers had a chance to bring the contest to within one touchdown. But senior quarterback David Wood threw an interception to Bellevue defender Nathan Derider on a fourth-down conversion. The 14-play drive stalled with 7:02 left in the fourth quarter.

Bellevue sealed the game when Andy Boulware scored on a 1-yard plunge. He carried the ball on eight consecutive run plays for 76 yards.

Lakes head coach Dave Miller said his team couldn't have been more prepared, but this was the best Bellevue team he'd ever seen.

"We just made way too many mistakes on offense," Miller said.