Week 9: High school football games of the week in the South Sound
The final week of the high school football regular season is here, with some good matchups in the South Sound in week nine. Here are a few to keep an eye on.
No. 4 Bethel (6-2 overall, 6-0 PCL 3A) vs. No. 3 Lincoln (6-2, 6-0)
7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1 at Lincoln Bowl
About the Braves: What a season it’s been for Bethel. After close losses to Kennedy Catholic and O’Dea — two of the top teams in the state in 4A and 3A, respectively — Bethel has gone through the PCL 3A schedule unblemished, highlighted by a 35-30 win over Lakes on Oct. 11. There are athletes all over the field for the Braves, led by the Latu brothers in Oregon commit Peter and younger brother Will, a junior.
Quarterback Kekoa Visperas has been a natural leader in his first season at Bethel, completing 112-of-186 passes for 1,657 yards, 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Will Latu leads the running game with 82 carries for 373 yards and 10 touchdowns and Bethel has a talented group of receivers, led by Cameron Parker, who has 32 receptions for 683 yards and nine touchdowns on the season and Puka Sokimi, who has 35 catches for 470 yards and six touchdowns.
In an age of hurry-up, no-huddle offenses, Bethel’s methodical pace is a bit of a throwback. But it’s hard to argue with the results when Bethel strings together soul-crushing eight-minute touchdown drives that take quarterbacks out of their rhythm, like the Braves did against Lakes earlier in early October.
About the Abes: Lincoln is looking to once again get on top of the 3A PCL, one year after Lakes won the league title. This year, it’s Bethel trying to deny Lincoln’s title bid, after Lincoln blasted Lakes last week, 42-21 in Lakewood.
It was an emphatic and well-coached win for Lincoln, as senior quarterback Caden Filer only threw four passes in the win and Lincoln used a heavy formation and running game for much of the game.
It would be surprising to see a similar attack against Bethel, as the Abes will likely need to take to the air more often to get past Bethel’s defense. And there’s no shortage of options at Filer’s disposal, with five receivers over 100 yards this season, led by Julien Simon, who has 53 receptions for 590 yards and six touchdowns. Jasiah Snow-Marshall has caught 26 passes for 462 yards and four touchdowns, while Jaylen Clark has 35 catches for 458 yards and seven touchdowns.
TNT pick: Lincoln, 28-21
Sumner (5-3 overall, 5-2 SPSL 4A) vs. No. 4 Graham-Kapowsin (8-0, 7-0)
7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 31 at Art Crate Field
About the Spartans: After back-to-back disappointing losses to Camas, 52-0, and a 21-14 loss to Emerald Ridge on Oct. 18, Sumner bounced back last week with a 31-21 win over Bellarmine Prep. Sumner will have to be close to perfect against an elite G-K defense to have a shot, and that means limiting turnovers that have proven costly at times for this season for the Spartans. Safety Blake Tannehill and linebacker Mitchell Wolfe lead the Sumner defense.
About the Eagles: The defense is the story this season for the Eagles, which have shut out their last three opponents and have limited opponents to a paltry 6.3 points per game this season. The defensive line is strong and the secondary, led by Seth Olmos, Va’a Hansen and Tino Hansen, is among the best in the state.
On offense, senior quarterback Nate Thomas has had a productive season, getting the ball in the hands of his playmakers in receiver Malaki Roberson and tight end Eython Daugherty. Roberson had a big game last week in the team’s 49-0 win over Rogers, catching eight passes for 168 yards and a touchdown, while adding two touchdowns on the ground on both of his carries.
TNT pick: Graham-Kapowsin, 35-10
Orting (6-1 overall, 4-0 SPSL 2A Valley) vs. No. 3 Steilacoom (6-2 overall, 4-0 SPSL 2A Mountain)
Friday, Nov. 1 at Steilacoom High School
About the Cardinals: Orting took the SPSL 2A Valley title last week with a 28-27 win over Franklin Pierce. A deceptive run game is the strategy for Orting, which piled up 258 yards on the ground against Franklin Pierce, averaging 5.9 yards per carry, utilizing a trio of running backs. Ethan Hobart led the way with 167 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, while Dylan Spader added 77 yards on nine carries and Daniel Hobart had 22 yards on 12 carries.
About the Sentinels: Another week, another blowout for third-ranked Steilacoom, this time a 55-20 win over River Ridge. Junior quarterback Chance McDonald completed 15-of-19 passes for 443 yards and seven touchdowns to three different receivers in the win. Orting will have its hands full trying to slow down Steilacoom’s air raid, led by five-star receiver recruit Emeka Egbuka.
TNT pick: Steilacoom, 52-21.