‘Hungry’ No. 5 Graham-Kapowsin defense shines in pivotal SPSL 4A win over No. 6 Puyallup
When the final buzzer sounded at Sparks Stadium Friday night in No. 5 Graham-Kapowsin’s 27-13 road win over No. 6 Puyallup in a matchup between the heavyweights of the Class 4A SPSL, a resounding message had been sent: The Eagles’ defense is formidable.
The defensive line stuffed the Vikings’ rushing attack, the linebackers tackled in space and locked down the middle of the field and perhaps most impressively, the secondary was lights out, never giving Puyallup’s receivers any breathing room.
When it was all said and done, Puyallup didn’t score an offensive touchdown in the game. In fact, Puyallup’s lone touchdown on the night was a pick six, a defensive score from Marquel Thomas in the first quarter.
“(The defense) was lights out,” said Graham-Kapowsin coach Eric Kurle. “We’ve known they’re a special group. We have defensive linemen and our linebackers and DB’s cover as well as anybody. We really dominated up front with our defensive line just getting after it.”
Graham-Kapowsin senior defensive back and receiver Malaki Roberson said they had studied Puyallup’s offense intently in film sessions in the week leading up to the game.
“The main point we talked about at the half was just to maintain the inside and take away their (run-pass options) and slants,” Roberson said. “Our defense is very disciplined. This whole week, we covered how we were going to go up against them and it just worked out.”
Defensive back Tino Hansen’s perspective? Graham-Kapowsin’s defense plays with an edge.
“We’re hungry,” he said. “We want to win and we’re aggressive. That’s how we play. I think our defense is special. This is the best defense we’ve had in a lot of years.”
Puyallup jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, taking advantage of Thomas’ interception return for a 27-yard defensive score. But the Eagles weathered the storm, putting seven points back on the board in the second quarter with an 8-yard pass from senior quarterback Nate Thomas to Eython Daugherty.
In the third quarter, Thomas found Jonas Waugh for a 4-yard touchdown. G-K held a 14-13 at the end of the third, then proceeded to outscore the Vikings 13-0 in the fourth, with Waugh scampering for a 9-yard score and then, with under two minutes to go, Shabro Johnson running for a 3-yard touchdown to ice the game.
Graham-Kapowsin also started to get Roberson involved in the offense in the second half, after he was held without a catch in the first. In the second half, he caught five passes for 81 yards, and was also involved more creatively in the rushing game, finding space on reverses out of the backfield, finishing with four carries for 26 yards.
“Our coaches did a great job of play calling,” Roberson said. “They try to get me the ball as much as they can.”
Graham-Kapowsin quarterback Nate Thomas completed 15-of-25 passes for 199 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Running back Shabro Johnson finished with 16 carries for 64 yards and a touchdown. In the receiving game, the Eagles were led by Roberson and also Daugherty, who finished with five catches for 55 yards and a touchdown.
For Puyallup, the offense never found any breathing room. Quarterback Luke Holcomb completed 10-of-17 passes for 97 yards and an interception. In total, Puyallup was held to just 125 net offensive yards on the night.
“It’s a big win,” Kurle said. “They’re a great football team. They’ve knocked us off the last two years. They got us in close games. We needed to win one.”
There are plenty of great offenses in Class 4A. But defense? Defense travels.
“We’re ready,” Hansen said. “We want to fight and win every game.”
This story was originally published September 27, 2019 at 11:21 PM.