Seton Catholic beat Montesano 35-14 in a Class 1A state semifinal on Saturday as the Cougars advanced to the championship game for the first time in program history

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

This Seton Catholic High School football program keeps making history.

A year ago, it was a first playoff win and, later, a first appearance in the state semifinals.

This year, the Seton Catholic Cougars are going to the state championship game.

“It’s definitely a dream come true,” senior Jacob Williams said. “Three years ago, my freshman year, we were 3-7. I never thought we’d even be in this position to be this good.”

Williams was in position to make play after play Saturday night, helping Seton Catholic first hold off Montesano, and then pull away from the Bulldogs. The Cougars never trailed, but Montesano kept it close until the final quarter. 

In the end, it was just too much Seton Catholic in a 35-14 victory in a Class 1A state semifinal at McKenzie Stadium in Vancouver.

Next up is a trip to Husky Stadium for the Class 1A state championship game. Seton Catholic, the No. 2 seed in these playoffs, will have a rematch against No. 1 Royal — the team that beat the Cougars in the semifinals last year — in the title game at 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6.

To book the trip to Seattle, Seton first had to get past Montesano at McKenzie.

Joe Callerame and Williams scored on first-half touchdown runs to go up 14-0 at halftime.

Montesano, which rallied in the second half last week to beat La Center, had visions of another comeback. The Bulldogs scored to make it 14-7, and then got the ball back, hoping to tie the game.

Williams had other ideas. He intercepted a pass and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown.

“I just jumped it. It was the first interception of my career. It was so surreal,” Williams said. “There was nobody in front of me. I was like, ‘Hey, the phone’s ringing. House call!’”

Williams surely did take it to the house, temporarily putting a stop to Montesano’s momentum.

To the Bulldogs’ credit, they weren’t done in this one. They responded with a long touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter to make it 21-14.

Then it was time for Seton Catholic quarterback Kolten Gesser to unleash a perfectly placed bomb to Ryker Ruelas. 

“He’s a legit receiver. Big-time playmakers make plays,” Gesser said. “I just let him go up and get it.”

He might have been selling himself short on that description, though. The pass was a beauty. It wasn’t just Ruelas. Don’t believe me? Ask Ruelas.

“He throws a perfect ball, every time,” Ruelas said of the 44-yard touchdown with 7:30 left to play in the game.

Still, there was enough time for Montesano to make one last gasp at a comeback.

Or not.

Williams, who had the first interception of his career earlier in the night, doubled his career interception total with another pick. A few minutes later, he capped the ensuing Seton Catholic drive with a touchdown run and a 35-14 advantage.

The linemen were loving all that scoring for the Cougars.

“I feel the coaches trust us, and I feel like the people behind me trust us,” said center Austin St. Amour. “It shows on the scoreboard what we can do.”

St. Amour said there is no single leader on the line or among the backs or receivers. Nor any single leader on defense. The Cougars all share in the leadership duties.

“Every single starter that we have on this team is a leader,” he said. “We’re always picking each other up.”

To accomplish this feat — going to the state championship game — means more to St. Amour because of that unity.

“This is the best feeling I’ve ever had,” he said.

That great line play has led to plenty of scoring this season.  Seton Catholic scored 42 points in the quarterfinals a week ago.

“These guys make it easy for me,” Gesser said. “My O-line gives me time, and I just put the ball in playmakers’ hands. I have one rush this season, and it’s for one yard. I just give them the ball and let them do what they do.”

The defense handled its business most of the game, too.

Aeven Napoleon set the tone with two tackles-for-loss in the first half. 

“Seeing my teammates make plays helped me get fired up. I was just ready to go. We always get fired up off each other,” Napoleon said. “We feed off our energy.”

Even when Montesano scored its touchdowns, the Cougars remained calm.

“We had to keep our cool and not lose our composure,” Napoleon said. “It’s bend, don’t break.”

So far in 2024, nothing has been broken with Seton Catholic football. The Cougars improved to 12-0 with Saturday’s win, and now they are headed to the finals.

“This is actually a momentous occasion,” St. Amour said.

“It’s amazing. We fell short last year. We lost in the semis. Now we’re here,” Ruelas said. “Win it all. Let’s do it.”

“This is a great way for these seniors to finish up their careers,” said Seton Catholic coach Dan Chase. “To go for a state title, it’s really special for them. And well deserved. They are a great group of young men.”

“We want to give it our all,” Williams said. “It’s my last high school football game ever, and I just want to give it 100 percent and leave it all on the field.”