TACOMA — On the stat sheet, it was only a 12-yard gain by Franklin Pierce’s Bryson Allen for a first down. On the field, it told a bigger story.
Allen, the star fullback, was only going to get five yards on the play had it not been for his offensive line pushing him and W.F. West for another seven yards to move the chains.
It proved three things.
This was not the same W.F. West team. This wasn’t the same Franklin Pierce side. And it wasn’t even close to the same outcome as the 2024 state quarterfinals.
In a complete reversal of last year’s result on the same field at Franklin Pierce High School, the No. 7 seed Cardinals piled up 313 rushing yards out of their Power-T offense to dispatch the 10th-seeded Bearcats 36-21 in the Class 2A Round of 16 on Friday night.
“They might have been a bit more mature; this was new to most of our guys,” W.F. West senior Miles Martin said. “We all didn't execute. It comes down to preparation.”
Between the power of Allen in between the tackles and the burning speed of Ja’mire Ford on the outside, it ended up a tall task for the Bearcats (8-3) to slow down. Those two went over the century mark apiece and accounted for four of the Cardinals’ five scores on the night.
Whatever dish of revenge Franklin Pierce – who will battle No. 2 seeded Tumwater next week in the quarterfinals – wanted to serve out, it did on a silver platter.
“In a game like this when possessions are essential, just have to execute,” Bearcats head coach Dan Hill said.
It was nearly a year ago to the day when W.F. West came away with a three-score win over Franklin Pierce to reach the state semis. Gone were nine starters on both sides of the ball and with only 10 seniors back, there was plenty of uncertainty in Chehalis.
Those questions were only raised after a Week 1 loss to North Kitsap. What followed was a seven-game win streak and another berth into the final 16 2A teams.
“The core of our seniors, they took it as an exciting step; we now get to be the dudes and lead,” Martin said. “At the end of the day, we played a great football team.”
“I think, from beginning to end, the growth that this team had was the best in the entire state,” Hill added.
Franklin Pierce needed over three quarters to get on the scoreboard last year. It took just three minutes to strike first on Friday night.
Allen plunged for a 5-yard touchdown to give the Cardinals an early lead and a 28-yard pass from quarterback Jeremiah Orcutt to Anthony Lomiga on 3rd-and-10 doubled the margin in the second stanza. Two plays before the TD, W.F. West’s Wyatt Hoffman thought he recovered a fumble to give the ball back to W.F. West.
No whistle was blown, but the officials ruled Franklin Pierce kept possession.
“I was told the play could be over without the whistle being blown,” Hill said of what the officials told him. “We had a hard time stopping them. It was a bummer, but not the end-all be-all.”
Connor Coleman dwindled the Bearcats deficit twice. He capped a 17-play drive with 43 seconds to go until half with a 1-yard sweeper to the pylon. In the third, the senior won a one-on-one matchup and hauled in a 39-yard TD pass to make it 22-14.
It wasn’t enough.
Franklin Pierce turned a Hoffman interception into points and scored back-to-back fourth quarter scores to go up 36-14 with under four minutes left in regulation. The Cardinals didn’t punt once and only faced fourth down twice.
“There were a few plays and if something happens differently, momentum shifts,” Martin said. “We didn’t get momentum shifts and they did.”
One of the adjustments Hill noticed on film was Franklin Pierce had its running backs tighter in formation, leading to them finding the gaps quicker.
“They're big and strong up front and you have to be able to match that physicality,” Hill said. “The plan was good. The boys gave great effort.”
Hoffman ended his sophomore year with 180 passing yards while Coleman went over 100 yards of total offense in his final football game as a Bearcat. Martin, Coleman, Graysen Serl, Walker Sampson, Asher Adams, Kade Mohoric, Peyton Santiago, Riley Carter, Grady Oien and Hayden Scott all embraced each other and the coaching staff after the final post-game huddle.
What returns for W.F. West in 2026 is a boatload of talent, anchored by Hoffman, and plenty of depth throughout the roster.
“We wanted to keep the Bearcat tradition alive and I thought, by the end of the season, we kept that going,” Martin said. “It is very promising. They’re going to be scary good.”
