Burien’s Kennedy Catholic High School’s football team will play in the first round of Washington State High School Football District Playoffs this Saturday at Highline Memorial Stadium.

Kennedy Catholic (5-2 in NPSL Cascade, 7-2 overall) is the 2nd seed out of the NPSL Cascade division and will host a first round playoff game versus Mariner High School (WESCO Conference 3rd see, 6-3 overall) on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 5:00pm at Highline Stadium.

The Lancers have home field advantage for this first round of playoffs. The winner will advance to the first round of the WIAA State tournament bracket as the District 3 #4th seed (WIAA bracket can be found here: http://www.wiaa.com/Brackets/T1257.pdf).

Kennedy’s first year coach is Sheldon Cross and the new Athletic Director is Sam Reed.

Leading the way are eight Seniors on Kennedy’s roster, two of whom are leading in passing and the other leading in receiving yards in their league. Both were nominated and won the KING-5 Blitz Performer of the week voting poll in week 7 and week 8. Kennedy Catholic has a very small but talented squad this year.

Last year Kennedy’s former Coach ended their season with their losing in the second round to Bellevue High School.

Cross is the fourth Head Football Coach at Kennedy Catholic High School. He came home to the Puget Sound area and joined the Kennedy Catholic Family from NCAA Division I Idaho State University, where he was the Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach. Cross has served as a Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator, and had great success at Idaho State, Illinois State and at Division II – New Mexico Highlands. Prior to his work at New Mexico Highlands, he served as a graduate assistant at Washington State University.

Here’s a Q&A with Coach Cross (read more about him here):

Q: Did you expect to make the playoffs in your first year as head coach?
A: Totally. We are excited that we played well enough to make the playoffs this year but were confident we would be in it.

Q: What are the strengths of your team this year?
A: Our biggest strength is the ability to make big plays. We have a group that plays with a lot of confidence. They are fun and entertaining to watch. Stand-outs include: Senior Quarterback Ben Gaoteote, Wide Receiver Jarod Thurber, Defensive Back Primo Ramirez, and Wide Receiver Trevor Hoffman. Ben and Jarod have been recognized as “player of the week” standouts in the local media. Ben is currently one of the state passing leaders with 37 TD passes. Jarod is one of the state leaders in receiving with over 1000 yards receiving and 20 TD’s himself.

Q: What are some of your coaching strategies?
A: We like to implement the air raid offence which gives us a spread oriented scheme where we can utilize the passing and running game and be balanced at all times. How do they differ from Coach Bourgette’s?

Q: What have been some of your proudest moments/highlights in your first year as coach?
A: Proudest moments include:

1. Seeing our players and program in adverse situations and overcoming those difficult times.
2. Being in a tight, 4-quarter game and yet maintaining the mental capacity to stay in it all four quarters.
3. We successfully transitioned into a new 4A league and have been highly competitive.

“I am very excited to be at a wonderful school with incredible tradition,” Cross added. “The fan and school support is amazing. Our Booster Club, Athletic Director, and Administration are huge supporters of our athletic program which makes my job easier. I am blessed to be the football coach at Kennedy Catholic.”