In the early 1970s, Washington adopted a playoff system to determine its high school football champions, and Tumwater took advantage by winning 38 playoff games in the next four decades.

Seventy-four miles south, R.A. Long went about its football business as if the postseason did not exist. It was almost as if someone forgot to tell the Lumberjacks about the whole “playoff” thing.

Until Friday.

William Yordy threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Hopkins for the go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter, and R.A. Long held on to beat Tumwater 16-14 when the T-Birds’ last-second, Hail Mary pass sailed out of bounds.

The Southwest 2A District crossover victory was the first playoff win in school history for the Jacks (8-2), who were making only their fourth postseason appearance ever.

“It feels wonderful,” said RAL senior J Nusbaum.

“Incredible,” said Hopkins.

“I can’t believe this has never been done before,” added Yordy, “but I’m glad we did it.”

They did it with three big plays on offense and too many to count on defense. They did it by absorbing punch after punch from the T-Birds’ methodical Wing-T offense but refusing to be knocked out.

They survived four turnovers by forcing six. They survived a handful of mind-numbing special teams blunders because Kaleb Carr drilled a 34-yard field goal off slick grass and through a swirling wind. They overcame some overthrows by their fourth-year quarterback because he delivered a perfect pass on the most important attempt of his career.

“It wasn’t pretty,” said Bertram. “But it was pretty sweet.”

R.A. Long advanced to the state playoffs — for the first time ever, of course — and will visit second-ranked Archbishop Murphy (9-1) next Friday or Saturday in a Class 2A first-round game.

“Another Wing-T,” Bertram said with a wry grin. “It just keeps on coming.”

Against Tumwater’s version of that maddeningly effective offense, the Jacks surrendered 263 yards rushing on 51 carries. But they recovered three fumbles and forced a fourth. They made enough tackles in the backfield — seven for loss — that the T-Birds were forced to put the ball in the air.

Of the nine passes attempted by two Tumwater quarterbacks, two were incomplete, four were caught by T-Birds, two were intercepted by Tanner Chamberlain and one was picked by Nusbaum.

Tumwater was forced to punt only once, but 35 years of bad playoff karma finally lifted, and RAL caught a break. The T-Birds lined up to punt from their own 46, leading 14-10 with just under four minutes to play. Consecutive tackles-for-loss by Julio Bautista, Jerry Graham and Julio Barerra had put Tumwater in a fourth-and-17.

The ensuing long-snap was low, forcing punter Josh Wright to field it on a hop. Wright’s knee skimmed the grass, which by rule downed the ball at that spot — the T-Birds’ 33.

After a 5-yard penalty for an illegal substitution, the Jacks faced first-and-15 from the 38.

Hopkins lined up at tight end, and Bertram called a play he had been keeping in his holster the entire game.

“Earlier, we saw that they weren’t playing a safety over our tight end, but I missed it,” Yordy said.

“Their DBs were biting hard,” said Hopkins. “We were watching it all game. We were waiting for that hole to come.”

Hopkins leaned back and told Yordy, “I’m going to take (my route) real wide.”

Then he released outside and sprinted down the middle of the field. The pocket was air-tight — “My linemen gave me time all night,” Yordy said — and the senior QB spiralled a pass so soft, he might as well have been bouncing a water balloon off a cactus.

“Just a perfect ball,” said Hopkins, who caught the pass at full sprint and rumbled into the end zone.

“I just lofted it and let him run underneath it, and he did the rest,” Yordy explained.

“Yordy has had some rough times over the last four years,” Bertram added. “Probably rougher than any quarterback who ever played high school football. That throw said a lot about his character. It was nice that he made the play that won the game for us.”

The Jacks weren’t out of the woods. Tumwater took the ensuing kickoff with 3:21 left in the game, marched past midfield and coughed up a fumble inside the RAL 40. Graham recovered for the Jacks, but they were unable to convert a first down and run out the clock.

Hopkins’ punt with 12 seconds left went only 5 yards, giving the T-Birds possession at the RAL 45.

Daniel Hinkle completed a 10-yard pass, then spiked the ball to stop the clock with two ticks left.

His desperation pass down the left sideline fell out of bounds as Yordy and a Tumwater receiver tumbled into the end zone in unison.

Each of the Jacks’ three scores gave them the lead. Yordy capped the game’s opening drive by turning a simple up-the-middle keeper into a 32-yard touchdown run, cutting outside after slicing past the Tumwater defensive line and then sprinting down the home sideline.

Tumwater tied it 7-7 moments into the second quarter on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Warner to Zach Wimberly, and it stayed tied until the fourth quarter. An interception by Nusbaum set up an 11-play drive into Tumwater territory. Yordy’s 20-yard pass to Thomas McCall out of a punt formation on fourth-and-13 kept the march alive.

Carr made his field goal to cap the drive and make it 10-7 with 9:14 to go in the game.

But T-Bird Chandler Rodriguez returned the kickoff 66 yards to the RAL 25, and Tumwater scored five plays later on a 1-yard plunge by Ronnie Hastie.

The Jacks’ big defensive stand and Yordy’s pass to Hopkins followed.

“Every time we gave up big plays, our defense clutched up,” said Yordy, who had 180 yards of total offense. “We played all four quarters. It was our best game, as far as giving 100 percent effort, of the season.”

“We made history,” Nusbaum added. “We’ve gotta keep going and make some more.”

Lumberjacks 16, T’Birds 14

Tumwater     0      7      0      7 — 14

R.A. Long       7      0      0      9 — 16

RAL — William Yordy 32 run (Kaleb Carr kick)

Tum — Zach Wimberly 9 pass from Kyle Warner (Josh Wright kick)

RAL — Carr 34 FG

Tum — Ronnie Hastie 1 run (Wright kick)

RAL — Dylan Hopkins 38 pass from Yordy (kick blocked)