Cruz's strip sack helps East win East-West All-State Classic

SPOKANE — Hunter Cruz is a game-changer, always has been.

On the biggest stage, in the final football game of his high school career, his strip sack in the final minutes helped secure the East’s 20-14 victory in the East-West All-State Classic Friday night at Bullpup Stadium in Spokane.

The Columbia Basin Big Nine Defensive player of the Year, and one of the best edge rushers in the state, blew past the left tackle so fast running back Brent Acciums of Woodinville could only watch him go by. Cruz closed on West quarterback Justin Seiber. The 5-11, 190-pound defensive end from Moses Lake buried his head in Seiber’s chest as he rolled right, forcing a fumble with 2:47 remaining and the West driving for the go-ahead touchdown on the East 15-yard line.

“Speed rushers coming off the edge are like 7-footers, you can’t have too many of them,” East head coach and defensive line coach Terry Cloer said. “We have an offensive tackle that didn’t give up a sack all season and Hunter blew right by him this week in practice. So it wasn’t a surprise to see him do it tonight.”

The ball catapulted backwards and the West was able to maintain possession on the 38. But instead of third down on the 15, it was third-and-33 on the 38. Seiber made two Hail Mary throws to the end zone without an Aaron Rodgers-like result and the chant of “East side, East side, East side,” went up as they took possession for a couple of kneel downs with 1:20 left.

Cruz said earlier in the week, “I feel like this is really where I can leave my mark as an athlete from Moses Lake and from Washington state,” he said. “I’m one of the best wrestlers in the state. Hopefully, I can prove myself Friday as one of the best football players. That’d be a big honor, man.”

He can scratch that one off the bucket list. Cruz’s second sack of the game, was in fact the game changer.

“The (offensive) lineman told me, ‘We’re going at it now,' and I’m thinking let’s get it,” said Cruz, who finished with two sacks and three tackles for a loss. “The key to coming off the edge is jumping the snap count. For every two or three where I’m offsides, compared to getting 15-20 perfect rushes, it’s worth it.

“Once I came through I was just trying to do my part. I closed, his eyes got wide, I hit him and the ball came loose.”

All his life he’s been told he was too small or too slow. But on Friday night, playing with football players headed to college careers, Hunter Cruz was too good.

“Hunter plays with heart and that’s something you can’t teach,” said 6-1, 300-pound East defensive tackle Angel Terry, who’s headed to Central Washington University next year. “When I saw him blow through for that sack, it was like a scene out of that movie ‘Rudy.’ Nothin’ was going to stop him.”

Cruz got his money’s worth in his final high school football game. He was the gunner on the punt team. He ran down under kickoffs. He blocked on kick returns for the first time since his age was in single digits.

“I thought we represented our side (of the Cascades) well,” he said. "It was fun competing. But hanging out with the guys all week, bonding with them, they’re all cool, was the best part.

West 0 7  0 7 - 14

East  0 3 10 7 - 20

E - Cody McDonald 13 field goal

W - Keegan Stich 13 run (Jack Matheson kick)

E - Micha Smith 5 run (McDonald kick)

E - McDonald 55 field goal

E - Kellen Gregory 13 pass from Robert Mason III (McDonald kick)

W - Jake Moore 14 pass from Justin Seiber (Matheson kick)