No. 5 Graham-Kapowsin 63, Olympia 28: Eagles offense barrels Bears in storm

The outcome was as lopsided as it was soggy.

The Graham-Kapowsin High School football team arrived early, trying to avoid traffic from the looming weather, and certainly overstayed its welcome at Ingersoll Stadium.

Behind running back Micah Smith and a thunderous offense, the fifth-ranked Eagles trampled Olympia, 63-28, on Friday night in a Class 4A South Puget Sound League matchup in the rain.

“We just came out hungry, beating them in the trenches and everything,” Smith said.

And everything, yes.

Smith led the Eagles with 23 carries for 174 yards and four touchdowns. His first touchdown run — a 5-yard dive into the middle of the end zone on Graham-Kapowsin’s opening possession — tied the game at 7-7.

The Eagles (6-1, 5-1 4A SPSL) rolled off seven straight touchdowns before Olympia (5-2, 5-2) answered. Smith’s final touchdown — a 6-yard scamper — ignited the running clock midway through the third quarter.

“Give all the credit to Graham-Kapowsin,” Olympia coach Bill Beattie said. “They came out and played like a playoff-contending team and did a great job.

“Our kids battled, we just didn’t have our game tonight.”

Apart from a quick score on the game’s opening drive, Olympia’s offense was flatter than normal. The Bears looked stumped without running back Scott Gunther, who hasn’t played since he exited with a hip injury in last week’s loss to Sumner .

Entering Friday, Gunther (162 carries, 1,261 yards, 23 rushing TDs) was the South Sound’s leading rusher. Smith was No. 2.

Gunther’s absence was a game-time decision, though Beattie suggested earlier in the week that his workhorse running back might be missing.

Instead of a showdown between the area’s top rushers, Smith and the Eagles stole the show, racking up 378 rushing yards — Graham-Kapowsin had 531 yards of total offense.

“I wanted to see him in action,” Smith said of Gunther. “I’ve seen him on film. He’s pretty great. His feet are crazy.”

Without Gunther, Graham-Kapowsin significantly limited the Bears on offense. Connor Clark — who gave Olympia its only lead with a 5-yard score on the game’s opening drive — led the ground game with 15 carries for 64 yards.

Following Clark’s opening touchdown, the Bears punted three times and committed three turnovers — two that led to Eagles’ touchdowns — and trailed 35-7 at halftime.

Olympia quarterback Ketner Young was limited to 3 of 9 passing for 48 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions.

“Our kids played well on both sides of the ball,” Graham-Kapowsin coach Eric Kurle said. “We got some turnovers early, got some big plays, and it kind of snowballed.”

Smith ripped off a 35-yard touchdown run, scampering into the end zone untouched, to open the third quarter and silence any thoughts of a comeback.

Olympia fumbled again on the ensuing drive, and punted after a three-and-out before it scored again. The Bears’ final three touchdowns were scored after the running clock started.

“We’ll regroup,” Beattie said. “Our kids were already on the sidelines saying we’ve got to flush this one. … We’ll be back.”

Meanwhile, Graham-Kapowsin is comfortably in second place in the 4A SPSL standings behind third-ranked Sumner, which is still undefeated.

“We’re excited,” Kurle said. “We’re healthy. We’re ready to go.”

This story was originally published October 14, 2016 at 10:40 PM with the headline "No. 5 Graham-Kapowsin 63, Olympia 28: Eagles offense barrels Bears in storm."