He also knows how it feels to pull off the big upset.

Barrington was a starting guard on the Federal Way basketball team that knocked off second-ranked Franklin in the opening round of the Class 4A state basketball tournament last season. The Eagles eventually finished second.

George Williams and Rian Miller were also part of that squad, and now they are underdogs again as their unranked Football team takes on No. 1 Skyline in Sammamish Friday night in a first-round playoff game.

Football coach John Meagher used that basketball upset as added inspiration as the Eagles began their playoff trek last week against Gig Harbor, then rated No. 6 in the state. The result: a 24-19 Federal Way victory the school's first playoff win since 1976, when the Eagles were state runners-up.

"It's in our minds as a team," Barrington said of the basketball upset.

Meagher made sure of that.

"We've talked about this being the second season and everybody really starting zero-and-zero," Meagher said. "It's whoever's hot now. No one exemplified that better than our basketball team last year. They got hot at the right time."

Barrington rushed for 165 yards and threw a 46-yard touchdown pass against Gig Harbor.

Mount Si Football team all wet

Late Wednesday afternoon, when Mount Si normally would be practicing, many Wildcats players instead were helping coach Charlie Kinnune move everything out of his basement because of flooding in the North Bend area. The flooding canceled school and forced the Wildcats to have a voluntary practice in the morning in the gymnasium because the school had moved most of its athletic equipment to the high ground of the Football field. After practice, the team helped a player's family protect their house from flooding, and then they helped coach, too.

"It's a great opportunity to teach life lessons," Kinnune said. "When there are negative external pressures, bad teams let that tear them apart. Good teams get stronger."

Kinnune said he expects the team will practice today on the field before Mount Si plays Eastside Catholic Friday night.

The Wildcats are 6-4, with each of their four losses coming against playoff teams. Kinnune said turnovers the Wildcats have a minus-five turnover ration have killed their chances in most of those losses.

"We feel like the month of November is our month to hang onto the ball," he said.

Liberty trying to get up to speed

Liberty coach Steve Valach spent the week preparing the Patriots for the fastest team they have seen this season, Kennedy. The Lancers' backfield tandem of Tre Watson and Nolan Washington have 46 touchdowns.

"Those guys can go 90 in a heartbeat," Valach said. "Defending them is about preventing the big play."

Last week's 52-17 win over North Kitsap was the first playoff game for the Patriots since 2005.

"We have some young guys, young guys that are now 10 games into varsity experience," Valach said. "These times where we've had adversity and we've had to respond to it have helped."

Words to live by at Eastside Catholic

Eastside Catholic's new Football field is named for Charlie Acosta, a longtime coach at the school who is known for his statement: "I've had a bad day at Eastside Catholic but never two in a row."

Acosta, a Football assistant for the fifth-ranked Crusaders, moved from Seattle Prep to Eastside Catholic when the school opened in 1980. His career includes stints as head baseball and Football coach for the Crusaders.

Notes

? Woodinville could be without quarterback Tim Ip and running back Jordan Todesco against Auburn Friday night. Both were injured inl last week's win over Heritage. Christian Sylvester replaced Ip at quarterback and Joe Ip, Tim's younger brother, took more carries at running back.

? One of the best victories this season was Rogers of Spokane beating North Central 49-7 last month to end a 40-game losing streak that dated to 2004. The all-time losing streak is 46, from 1988-93, by Tyee High School in Sea-Tac.

Times staff reporters Tom Wyrwich and Craig Smith contributed to this report.