Big Plays Catapult Curtis Past Eastlake

It was a position that had been foreign to Curtis most of this season.

The Vikings had the dangerous habit, at least to opponents, of exploding in the first half and setting its team to cruise control the rest of the game, especially at home.

So it was like a splash of water in the face to fans, perhaps not the players, when they looked up at the scoreboard midway through the fourth quarter Friday night and saw the state's No. 2-ranked team tied with Eastlake.

"We felt really pressured," said the Vikings' Rahmel Dockery. "We had never been in a position like that, but we really stepped up."

And step up in they did, in the form of a 69-yard touchdown pass from to a sprinting Dockery down the middle of the field, and Curtis forced a pivotal turnover to hold on for a 21-14 over the No. 9-ranked Wolves.

"Coach (Clay) Angle called play action," Jamison said after the game, "and I was like, 'Where was that all game?'"

The victory means Curtis (11-0) next week will face Auburn, which beat Skyview on Friday night. View the tournament bracket here.

Friday night's matchup between the SPSL and KingCo league powers at Viking Stadium was the first of many defining games that Curtis will have to win to hoist a state championship. It wasn't pretty either.

The Vikings turned the ball over five times, including twice during a span in the third quarter in which they missed a field goal and were stopped on a fourth-and-goal two yards from the end zone.

But the Wolves (8-3) had four turnovers, including the pivotal giveaway at the 2:20 mark in the fourth quarter, when Curtis brought a rush and knock the ball loose from quarterback Kemp Keegan. The Vikings' Kadyn Del Toro recovered, virtually sealing a trip to the 4A state quarterfinals.

The Vikings struck first when Tyler Jamison rolled to his right from 21 yards out and found the reliable C.J. Langlow in the corner of the end zone to give Curtis a 7-0 lead at the 4:32 mark in the first quarter.

The Vikings started the drive on Eastlake's 36 yard line following a bad punt.

The Vikings extended their lead to 14-0 in the second quarter on Jamison's 60-yard touchdown pass to Rahmel Dockery. The play came on a series in which a personal foul against the Wolves near Curtis' own 20 kept the drive alive.

Eastlake was its own worst enemy at times. The Wolves had a reverse-and-pass of about 40 yards called back because of an ineligible receiver in the first quarter. It also fumbled at the 4:30 mark of the first quarter, but Jamsion's pass went through Langlow's hands and into an Eastlake defender's arms.

Kemp found a wide open Colin Nelson down the middle of the field for a 56-yard touchdown pass, bringing the game to within a score and quieting the raucous Viking home crowd.

When Eastlake's bruising running back Kyle Lappano punched the ball in the end zone from a yard out, tying the game at 14 with 8:23 remaining, the Vikings found themselves in a close game.

Jamison went 12-for-17, with 311 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Dockery added 158 yards and two long scores.

Jamison said Friday night's victory bodes well for the Vikings' chances the rest of the way. "It gives us confidence, with our players playing both ways, that we can keep playing the whole game. We've got good conditioning. Good stamina."

And they'll need every bit of it if they want to make it to the championship game.