KingCo football showdown goes Bellevue's way

Storylines from the Washington prep sports scene this week:

1. Bellevue wins KingCo showdown: Bellevue quarterback Kendrick Van Ackeren scored on a 91-yard touchdown run as the top-ranked Wolverines (5-1) beat No. 5 Juanita 21-14 in a KingCo 3A matchup. Van Ackeren also threw a 35-yard touchdown pass and had a 55-yard scoring run called back because of an inadvertent whistle.

2. Wroten stays home: Tony Wroten Jr., a 6-foot-5 point guard from Garfield (Seattle) rated as one of the best in the nation, stayed close to home, committing to Washington. Wroten chose the Huskies over Louisville, Villanova, Connecticut and Seattle. "I've always been a Husky fan," Wroten told the Seattle Times. "I love my city. At the end of the day, that's why I wanted to go to UW."

3. No. 4 Ferris wins cross-class clash: Ferris (Spokane), ranked No. 4 in the Class 4A state poll, beat the Mount Spokane Wildcats, ranked No. 4 in the Class 3A rankings, 35-14 in a Greater Spokane League football game. Ferris quarterback Ben Goodwin threw a touchdown pass and rushed for two more.

4. Long losing streaks end: Raymond ended the longest losing streak in the state, snapping a 20-game skid with a 63-6 win over Ocasta. Emerald Ridge (South Hill) snapped the state's second-longest losing streak by beating Puyallup 20-17. That leaves Klahowya of Silverdale with the state's longest losing streak. The Eagles have lost 19 straight after a 60-0 loss to Bremerton.

5. Richland claims Crossover title: Richland won the Crossover Classic in Spokane, the state's biggest volleyball tournament. Richland topped the 64-team field by beating Mount Spokane 2-1. And in a 16-team tournament in Olympia, Capital (Olympia) beat cross-town rival Olympia in the championship match 2-1 behind the play of tourney MVP Kristyn Ross.

TOP 5 PERFORMERS
* Max Browne, Skyline (Sammamish): The sophomore quarterback threw for 359 yards and four touchdowns on 17 of 22 passing in a 55-34 win over Newport. The majority of those passes went to...

* Jordan Simone, Skyline: The receiver had eight catches for 213 yards and two touchdowns.

* T.j. Esekielu, Beamer (Federal Way): The running back had 377 yards on 29 carries, but the Titans lost to Federal Way 40-35.

* Aaron Rodriguez, Foster (Tukwila): Rodriguez threw for 322 yards and five touchdowns on 18 of 27 passing in a 48-20 win over Evergreen.

* Zack Berg, Edmonds-Woodway: Berg rushed for 295 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries and scored four touchdowns in a 34-28 win over Kamiak.

UPCOMING EVENTS
There's no big showdown between ranked teams coming up this week. There are a few key games when it comes to individual leagues. No. 5 Juanita (Kirkland) plays Mount Si (Snoqualmie). Both teams are tied at 3-1 in the KingCo 3A. In the Metro League, No. 10 O'Dea (Seattle) visits Bainbridge (Bainbridge Island). Both teams are 5-1, though Bainbridge has a league loss. The Spartans have never beaten O'Dea.

NATE'S NOTES
Don't look now but it's nearly playoff time for football. Week 7 is coming up and playoff spots will be on the line with nearly every kickoff over the next three weeks. It's a great time of year.

Nathan Joyce has covered high school sports in Washington for 13 years. He works at the Kitsap Sun in Bremerton.