Week 2: What we learned from this week’s high school football games in the South Sound
The second week of high school football in the South Sound provided more key matchups between projected state contenders — and more thrilling results.
Here’s what we learned in Week 2:
Puyallup snaps G-K’s win streak, now in driver’s seat in 4A SPSL
The biggest news of the weekend came from Art Crate Field in Spanaway, where Puyallup ended Graham-Kapowsin’s 21-game win streak, beating the Eagles on their home field, 30-13.
It was Graham-Kapowsin’s first loss since 2019 and its first loss in the Class 4A South Puget Sound League since 2018. The team that handed Graham-Kapowsin that loss in 2018? You guessed it — Puyallup.
“Our kids are gutsy,” Puyallup coach Brian Grout said after the game. “We’ve convinced our kids they are Puyallup kids. There’s a lot of things that come with being a Puyallup kid. We talked earlier in the week. We knew we were facing some adversity as a group. But our belief in each other was going to carry us through this game.”
Jacob Velasco was the hero in Puyallup’s comeback win over Emerald Ridge last week, coming in as the backup quarterback and throwing the game-winning touchdown pass to Donte Grant on his only pass attempt of the game.
This week, he made his first start, and continued to come up clutch, completing 9-of-13 passes for 208 yards and touchdown passes of 79 and 64 yards. He also ran for a touchdown.
Graham-Kapowsin went undefeated during the shortened spring season in 2021. Then during the regular 2021 fall season, the Eagles were untouchable, blowing out everyone in their path, outscoring their opponents 687-110 over 15 games.
Graham-Kapowsin won the 4A state championship in blowout fashion over Lake Stevens, then proceeded to beat Georgia 7A state champion Collins Hill, during a nationally-televised GEICO State Champions Bowl Series game in Las Vegas.
This year’s team still has plenty of talent on the roster, but lost a lot to graduation, including all five starters from its dominant line and quarterback Joshua Wood, TNT’s 2021 All-Area player of the year.
“It is a new feeling,” first-year Eagles head coach Jeff Logan said. “Last year’s group is gone. I told them, I’d much rather have this happen in Week 2 than in Week 10, 11 or 12. It shows us what we need to work on. I think the last time we lost was 2019. You’ve gotta give credit to Puyallup, as well.”
The win puts Puyallup (2-0) in the driver’s seat to win the league this fall, winning two of the toughest games on its schedule already.
In tough 4A SPSL, Sumner picks up another close win
Three teams in the 4A SPSL will enter Week 3 of the regular season with a 2-0 record.
Puyallup stunned three-time league champion and reigning 4A state champion Graham-Kapowsin on Friday a week after rallying past Emerald Ridge.
Bethel has a pair of early one-touchdown wins, shutting out South Kitsap and Bellarmine Prep in consecutive weeks.
Then there’s Sumner, a perennial contender at the top of this league and at the state level, which is in good position early in 4A SPSL play.
But, the Spartans have had to post back-to-back second-half comebacks to get here.
They hosted Bellarmine Prep in their season-opener last week, and had to rally from a 16-7 deficit at the break to win, 22-16.
Friday night, they traveled to play Curtis at Viking Stadium in University Place, and again trailed at halftime, 14-7, before eventually picking up another one-possession victory with a 35-28 win over the Vikings.
They Spartans have scored two touchdowns in the first half this season.
They’ve scored six in the second half.
In Friday’s win, Sumner scored four in the final two quarters, on a 2-yard keeper from quarterback Kayde Bodine and a 41-yard run by Matthew Spurbeck in the third, and a 25-yard connection between Bodine and Jay Mentink and 93-yard kickoff return by Mentink in the fourth.
Sumner’s one first-half touchdown was an 11-yard keeper by Bodine midway through the second quarter.
“The first half was kind of rough, but we really got together in the locker room and said we were going to come out and win the game,” Mentink said. “So, I’m glad we took care of business.”
The next three weeks could be telling for the Spartans, as they look to top the 4A SPSL standings for the first time since 2016, when they won an undefeated title their first season in the league.
The Spartans host Emerald Ridge in Week 3, travel to play Puyallup in Week 4, then visit Graham-Kapowsin in Week 5.
Yelm did what?
Yelm clearly has been enjoying its time against the big 4A teams from southwest Washington. In Week 1, the Tornados raced past Camas, 44-14. In Week 2, Yelm took a road trip to McKenzie Stadium in Vancouver to face Union.
It was over by halftime, and maybe even by the end of the first quarter.
Yelm four-star recruit junior recruit Brayden Platt has gotten off to a monstrous start this season. On Friday, he racked up four touchdowns in the first 13 minutes of the game — three touchdowns in the first quarter and another on the first play of the second quarter.
“He had a pretty special night,” Yelm coach Jason Ronquillo said.
That’s probably an understatement, and it would’ve been an even bigger night had Yelm not led 46-0 at halftime.
Aden Schaller’s 6-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter put the Tornados ahead by 40, and Kyler Ronquillo’s 14-yard receiving score with six seconds left in the first half pushed the score to 46-0.
“They followed the game plan. Forty-eight yards total ... the defense did spectacular,” Ronquillo said.
Yelm won the game. We felt before the season that Yelm had a good chance to be a state championship contender in 3A. After the first two weeks, we feel even better about the Tornados’ chances. It’s early, but it feels like this team is on a collision course to meet reigning champion Bellevue in the 3A state title game this fall.
Tumwater edges North Kitsap in possible 2A state playoffs preview
Both Tumwater and North Kitsap played deep into the 2A state playoffs last season before both of their seasons ended with losses to eventual champion Lynden.
North Kitsap lost to the Lions in the state semifinals.
Then Tumwater lost to Lynden in the title game.
Friday night at Tumwater District Stadium, the two programs — projected to be contenders in the 2A state bracket again this fall — met in an early-season nonleague matchup that perhaps provided a preview of how tough that bracket might be.
Neither defense allowed the opposing offense much, but the T-Birds eventually secured an 8-6 win at home to improve to 2-0.
Tumwater never trailed after taking a 2-0 lead on a safety in the first quarter, moments after pinning North Kitsap at its own 1-yard line on a punt.
The T-Birds scored their only touchdown of the game with 4.9 seconds remaining in the second quarter on a 39-yard pass from Alex Overbay to Derek Thompson to take an 8-0 lead into the break.
North Kitsap answered with a 16-yard scoring pass from Beau Pahrmann to Jaxson Gore, but couldn’t convert the two-point try to tie the game, and never got closer.
Eatonville looks the part of a 1A state title contender
The Cruisers are off to a 2-0 start in the nonleague portion of their season, collecting a 47-27 win over Olympic in Week 1 and on Friday night, a 35-14 road win over Orting, a tough opponent from the 2A SPSL.
Eatonville senior and Army commit Job Kralik looks like a natural through two games as the team’s starting quarterback. He completed 6-of-7 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns. He rushed 10 times for 90 yards and three touchdowns and also caught a 45-yard pass.
While he had his fair share of explosive plays, he deflected credit to Eatonville’s defense and line play. Eatonville coach Gavin Kralik, Job’s dad, also credited Eatonville’s big offensive line, led by left tackle and Boise State commit Kyle Cox.
“The strength of our team is our offense and defensive lines,” he said. “They’re fantastic workers and just kind of blue-collar kids that represent our community really well.”
High school football games are won up front — just ask last year’s Graham-Kapowsin team — and Eatonville looks like a good bet to return to the 1A state championship game this season.
This story was originally published September 12, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Week 2: What we learned from this week’s high school football games in the South Sound."
