YAKIMA — Saturday’s Class 2A state playoff matchup between No. 3 East Valley and No. 14 Burlington-Edison was a daytime affair, but the stars were definitely out at Earl Barden Sr. Field.

Seniors Jaxon Berg and Greyson Stevens connected for four first-half touchdowns and senior Cody Gasseling scored twice on the ground and once through the air as the Red Devils devoured the Tigers, 56-22, for the program’s first state playoff win since 2004.

“They’re a really tough team, and we knew they were going to bring it today,” said Berg, who finished 16-of-22 passing for 309 yards and five touchdowns. “We knew we were going to have to bring it as well, and even though we went into halftime with a big lead, we made sure we kept our foot on the gas.”

Berg’s favorite target, Stevens, hauled in nine catches for 192 yards and also pulled down a second-half interception. Gasseling rushed for 158 yards on 24 carries and caught six passes for 75 yards in the absence of all-league running back Braden Albrecht, who suited up but was unable to play due to injury.

Senior Mason Stanchfield ran for a 15-yard score late in the fourth quarter and junior kicker Angel Lopez went 8-for-8 on extra points. On the defensive side, senior all-leaguers Zeliah Wade, Jayden Buckalew and Dominic Verduzco led what head coach Eric Berg called a “lights out” effort that produced four consecutive stops to start the second half.

“Our defense has been on fire all season, and today was no different,” he said. “They’re a smart bunch of kids and they always come in well-prepared. We gave (Burlington-Edison) short fields twice in the first half, but we held them to three points both times. And then we just kept getting better in the second half.”

EV wasted no time setting the tone with a 71-yard drive on the game’s first possession, capped by a 49-yard strike from Jaxon Berg to Stevens. B-E responded with a field goal on its first drive, but just four minutes later, Berg and Gasseling connected on a 22-yard scoring play to push the lead to 14-3.

The Tigers converted another field goal to end the first quarter, but the Red Devils kept pressing, marching 80 yards in two minutes to take a 21-6 lead on a 13-yard TD pass from Berg to Stevens.

“We’re feeling pretty confident right now,” the younger Berg said after EV improved to 11-0 overall. “Our coaches prepare us well, and we usually know what to expect from our opponents. And when something happens that we don’t expect, we do a good job of improvising.”

Moments after the defense forced a three-and-out from the Tigers, Berg committed an uncharacteristic miscue, throwing a 16-yard pick-six to make it 21-13 with 6:28 left in the half. But he quickly atoned for his mistake, finding Stevens on a screen pass that resulted in a 55-yard score and a 28-13 lead.

After another B-E three-and-out, EV fumbled the ensuing punt, giving the Tigers good field position at midfield. But Verduzco snagged an interception on the Tigers’ first play from scrimmage, setting up Berg and Stevens for yet another first-half TD.

“Coach does a good job of teaching us the ‘setback comeback’ mentality,” Berg said. “When we make a mistake, we don’t focus on what we did wrong; we look to respond. And I think we all did a great job of that today.”

Next up, the Red Devils will host No. 6 Lynden, which beat West Valley (Spokane) 28-14 on Saturday. The date and time will be announced soon.

Berg and his teammates look forward to playing one last game at home, and he’s sure the senior-led Red Devils will be ready.

“It’s crazy to think that will be the last home game for the seniors,” he said. “We love playing in front of our fans, and they always give us an extra edge. Hopefully they can help us keep it going against Lynden.”