Its unprecedented playoff journey is shaping up as a “Who’s Who” tour of football programs in state history. But that doesn’t mean R.A. Long sees itself as mere tournament tourists.

“It seems like it has been two weeks since we last played,” said RAL coach Erik Bertram. “The kids seem pretty anxious to get back on the field. I don’t sense a ‘Yahoo, we made it to the summit’ mentality. I don’t sense a letdown. I don’t sense a ‘Look what we did!’ attitude. We seem focused.”

The Jacks picked up the first playoff win in school history last Friday by beating Tumwater 16-14 in a district crossover game. Tumwater is coached by Sid Otton, the winningest coach in Washington football history.

The victory put R.A. Long (8-2) in the state playoffs for the first time ever, and earned the Jacks a shot at another all-time heavyweight.

R.A. Long takes on second-ranked Archbishop Murphy at 1 p.m. Saturday at Goddard Stadium on the campus of Mariner High School in a state first-round playoff game.

The Wildcats (9-1) have more state wins since 2002 than any other team in the Class 2A state playoff field. Their 16-4 state record over that span includes semifinal appearances in five of the six seasons they qualified for the postseason, three title game appearances and two state championships.

Pound-for-pound, the private Catholic school from Everett is arguably the most dominant football program of the decade.

“There’s been no real easing into (the playoffs), has there?” said Bertram.

This is uncharted territory for the RAL football program as well as this particular team, and in a way, that helps players to stay focused and practical, and avoid getting psyched out.

The players’ lack of playoff experience keeps them from being intimidated.

“I don’t think they are looking a whole lot past their nose,” Bertram said. “It’s, ‘Who we got next? What do they run? Are they big? Are they good? When do we play?’

“When you’ve never been in the playoffs, you’re not really up on recent history,” he added. “You aren’t necessarily aware of the fact that Archbishop Murphy has pretty much lived in the (Tacoma) Dome the last eight or nine years. We haven’t really had any pressure on us for a while. I don’t think we were picked in a lot of preseason polls.”

It would be “like David vs. Goliath,” Bertram said, except that in this case, “David wouldn’t know who Goliath was” heading into their confrontation.

Archbishop Murphy runs a Wing-T offense, versions of which the Jacks have faced in their previous two games. The Wildcats may be the most explosive team RAL has faced, however.

“I don’t know if Tumwater had a guy who, if you missed a tackle, he takes it 80 on you,” the RAL boss said. “Archbishop definitely has guys who can scorch you if you give them a seam. Mark Morris obviously has a plethora in the backfield and some guys to throw to. Mark Morris and Astoria had the best guys, up front, that we’ve seen. But (Archbishop Murphy) might have the most game-breaking type guys. Plus they are strong up front and get after you on defense.”

The Wildcats’ offense is led by junior quarterback Austin VanderWel and senior fullback Alex Martinez. Both were first-team all-league selections, and Martinez was also a first-team defensive back and the Cascade 2A/1A Conference’s co-Player of the Year for special teams.

Senior Jake Clark was second-team all-league at wide receiver, while juniors Julius Tevaga and Tani Tupou were first-team on the offensive and defensive lines.

Tupou is a UW recruit.

Senior Jake Hines was first-team all-league at linebacker.

“We have to tackle. We have to be physical up front,” Bertram said. “We can’t get away with four turnovers and win the game.”

The Wildcats are junior-dominated, and Bertram hopes that the Jacks — and their 18 seniors — can keep the game close into the fourth quarter.

“We just need to go about our business. We’re not any higher or lower than before we played Woodland, or before we played Tumwater. It boils down to 11-on-11 out there. Our guys are feeling good about their chances when they step on the field.”

On the Air

The Lumberjacks' first-round state playoff game against Archbishop Murphy will air on 1270-AM, with a pregrame show beginning at 12:40 p.m. Saturday.

Related links:

Archbishop Murphy blanks Mount Baker, 28-0

2009-2010 Prep Sports Photo Gallery

AP Prep Football Poll