Mount Tahoma running back Felix Diaz (3) carries the ball past Lincoln defenders into the end zone for a touchdown on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in Tacoma, Wash. (Liesbeth Powers/[email protected])Tyler WickeSun, November 30, 2025 at 1:54 AM UTC·2 min readWhen fans offered Mount Tahoma handshakes and high-fives, others handed Felix Diaz a Sharpie. He was South Tacoma’s latest local celebrity — the star of the show in the program’s biggest game in 45 years.
The T-Birds’ two-way RB/LB signed posters for kids before rejoining his team inside what must’ve been a spirited locker room unseen at George Nordi Field. No. 2 Mount Tahoma shut down (and nearly shut out) No. 3 Eastside Catholic, 21-6, in Saturday’s 3A state semifinals to reach the state championship game for the first time since 1980. Diaz was everywhere.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“We’ve been waiting for this all season, since summer,” Diaz said. “It just feels crazy. It’s unbelievable, I’m not gonna lie.”
Does the City of Destiny have a team of destiny? Tacoma’s best team is just one win away from proving it, cruising through a strong schedule en route to Husky Stadium. They’ll meet No. 1 O’Dea in the title game in Seattle on Dec. 5.
“Our big thing is staying in the moment,” Mount Tahoma head coach Keith Terry told The News Tribune. “We didn’t talk about the past a lot, but when we did touch on that, we (knew) the expectation at Mount Tahoma is when you get to the semis, you get to the finals. To be able to get there is really special for us.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“We just want to pick up history and rewrite it for ourselves. We want to rewrite our story.”
This story will be updated.
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