Mark your calendars: Early look at top local high school football games in 2026
It’s almost time for Friday night lights.
The countdown to high school football season is on, and it’s time to mark your calendars. Local heavyweights will be tested early, rivalries will be renewed, and several marquee matchups are on tap across the South Sound this fall.
Here’s an early look at must-see games throughout the 2026 regular season.
BELLEVUE WOLVERINES VS. PUYALLUP VIKINGS
7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12 at Sparks Stadium (Puyallup)
Perennial 3A-power Bellevue visits Puyallup for a premier, non-league matchup between state title contenders. Watch for Vikings QB Noah Smith and a stable of running backs, plus linebacker and Eastern Washington commit Michael Pulalasi. Can Bellevue’s tried-and-true Wing-T offense match Puyallup’s firepower?
MOUNT TAHOMA T-BIRDS VS. SUMNER SPARTANS
7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18 at Sunset Chev Stadium (Sumner)
It’s no secret these reigning state finalists love to run the ball and stop the run, and both feature new faces in the backfield this fall. With new starting QB Brennan Abbott under center, how much of Sumner’s offense will run through senior receiver and UW commit Braylon Pope? Mount Tahoma head coach Keith Terry never shies away from a challenge — his T-Birds stunned Camas on the road, 49-22, last season — but can they hang around the two-time defending 4A champions?
PENINSULA SEAHAWKS VS. GIG HARBOR TIDES
5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19 at Mount Tahoma Stadium
It’s the 48th installment of Gig Harbor’s annual ‘Fish Bowl’ tradition. First-year Tides head coach Jeff Scoma’s Wing-T run game worked wonders in last year’s 35-21 win over Peninsula, when RB Ian Shearer ran wild (201 YDS, 3 TD) for Gig Harbor’s third-straight win over their crosstown rivals. Expect another packed house at Mount Tahoma.
LINCOLN ABES VS. MOUNT TAHOMA T-BIRDS
7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9 at Mount Tahoma Stadium
Mount Tahoma won both matchups with their city rivals last fall, including a 42-14 playoff blowout in South Tacoma. All eyes are on Lincoln QB Sione Kaho ahead of his senior season: a four-star recruit who committed to Stanford in April.
PUYALLUP VIKINGS VS. SUMNER SPARTANS
7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16 at Sunset Chev Stadium (Sumner)
Puyallup stunned Sumner and the South Sound with a 36-point win over the defending 4A champions last October — but it was the Spartans who got the last laugh, knocking off the No. 1 Vikings in the Class 4A semifinals behind five touchdowns from RB Lance McGee, now at Washington State. You won’t have to remind head coaches DJ Mims and Keith Ross to mark their calendars for this headliner at one of the area’s best football atmospheres. Arrive early if you want a seat.
BONUS: G-K, PUYALLUP TREK TO LAKE STEVENS
Graham-Kapowsin won’t have to wait for their shot at redemption.
Up for a road trip? Junior quarterback AJ Tuivaiave and a high-flying Eagles offense visit Lake Stevens in Week 1, a rematch of last year’s Class 4A state semifinals.
Grab your popcorn and expect plenty of points in Round 2 after Lake Stevens won a playoff shootout last November, 44-35. The Vikings return dual-threat quarterback Blake Moser, who guided Lake Stevens into overtime of the Class 4A championship game with 55 total touchdowns (39 Pass, 16 Rush) last fall.
Could September’s rematch spark the start of something special in Graham? The Eagles return Division-I wide receiver recruits in Kase Betz and Jayce Halasz, both with another year of chemistry alongside Tuivaiave under their belts.
The grueling-by-design, non-league schedules tend to pay dividends come playoff time, too. It’s why Graham-Kapowsin’s early matchups — Lake Stevens, Richland, and Oregon power Central Catholic — come as no surprise.
Graham-Kapowsin visits Lake Stevens at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4.
“I think the state, the community, the fans will be excited to watch these,” Graham-Kapowsin head coach Jeff Logan told The News Tribune in March. “It’s a good way for us to motivate our kids.”
Puyallup’s embracing the same strategy, visiting Lake Stevens in Week 3 on Friday, Sept. 18. That’s after the Vikings travel to Rocky Mountain (Idaho) in Week 1 and host 3A-contender Bellevue in Week 2.
“Sumner (lost to) us, West Linn and Lake Stevens last year and then ran the slate and won state,” Puyallup head coach DJ Mims said in March. “There’s something to be said about playing those tough games early. Keith Terry did it at Mount Tahoma, too. You get a lot of respect in the committee rooms when state seeding comes around, too.”
This story was originally published July 3, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Mark your calendars: Early look at top local high school football games in 2026."
