High school football season preview: 4A/3A North Puget Sound League
High school sports have returned. Most traditional fall sports got underway in February. The News Tribune is previewing high school football leagues around the South Sound as games approach. The Class 4A North Puget Sound League is the final local league to open its season. Games begin Friday.
4A/3A NPSL OVERVIEW
The South Sound’s biggest league — at 14 teams — remained intact during the WIAA’s most recent reclassification cycle, but instead of being exclusively 4A, the NPSL is now comprised of seven 4A teams and seven 3A teams.
Here’s how the classifications are broken down, beginning this year:
4A — Decatur, Federal Way, Kennedy Catholic, Kentridge, Kentwood, Mount Rainier, Tahoma.
3A — Auburn, Auburn Mountainview, Auburn Riverside, Kent Meridian, Kentlake, Thomas Jefferson, Todd Beamer.
Each program is scheduled for six games between March 12-April 17. The 4A schools will primarily play 4A schools, and the 3A schools will primarily play 3A schools, with some overlap. There will be both a 4A and 3A division winner.
WHO’S THE FAVORITE?
4A — Kennedy Catholic, which swept the 4A NPSL Mountain Division last season and won every league game by at least two touchdowns. The Lancers scored 309 points during league play last season, while allowing 93. Five-star quarterback Sam Huard, a Washington signee, is back and has a trio of Pac-12 receivers to throw to in Junior Alexander (Arizona State), Jabez Tinae (UW) and Reed Shumpert (Washington State). Huard has completed 746-of-1,218 passes for 11,475 yards and 132 touchdowns with a completion percentage of 61.2 in 32 games, and is on pace to track down the career passing mark set by Shadle Park’s Brett Rypien (13,044 yards in 39 games between 2011-14) in the first few weeks. Huard could make a run at Rypien’s career completions record (1,006) and Prosser’s Kellen Moore’s career touchdowns record (173 in 44 games between 2003-06), too.
3A — Auburn Riverside, which finished second in the 4A NPSL Valley last season behind Federal Way and advanced to the district playoffs. The Ravens’ loss to the Eagles in Week 4 in 2019 was their only regular-season loss. They routed each of their other eight opponents before a season-ending loss to Bothell, which advanced to the 4A championship game. Greg Herd is in his first season coaching Auburn Riverside after a successful tenure as Steilacoom’s offensive coordinator, where he helped pace the Sentinels to a 2A title game appearance last season. The Ravens return five starters on each side of the ball, anchored by first-team all-league performers OL/DL Kone Aumua and RB/LB Arona Tauiliili.
COULD ANYONE BE A SURPRISE CONTENDER?
In 4A, both Federal Way and Kentwood have the talent to surprise the Lancers. The Eagles played Kennedy the closest a year ago in a 42-28 loss. And Kentwood stunned the Lancers, 38-36, in a late season matchup back in 2018. In 3A, Auburn Mountainview might have the best chance to upend the Ravens, and the Lions will find out quickly — that matchup is Friday night.
20 PLAYERS TO WATCH
OL/DL Malik Agbo, Todd Beamer, jr.
LB Shane Aleaga, Kennedy Catholic, sr.
RB/LB Berkley Alfrey, Auburn Mountainview, sr.
WR Junior Alexander, Kennedy Catholic, sr.
OL/DL Kone Aumua, Auburn Riverside, jr.
QB Nate Beck, Kentlake, jr.
WR/DB Teagin Child, Auburn Mountainview, sr.
DB/ATH Jalin Church, Kentwood, sr.
DB Kieran Collins, Kennedy Catholic, jr.
WR/DB Ronald Davis, Federal Way, sr.
LB/TE Deandre Gill, Kentwood, jr.
QB Sam Huard, Kennedy Catholic, sr.
OL/DL Jayden Jones, Beamer, sr.
WR/DB Jatavious Magee, Federal Way, sr.
DB/ATH Corey Quinn, Federal Way, sr.
WR Jabez Tinae, Kennedy Catholic, sr.
QB Jackson Proctor, Kentwood, sr.
RB/LB Arona Tauiliili, Auburn Riverside, sr.
RB/LB Jake Trost, Tahoma, sr.
LB Jaraye Williams, Kennedy Catholic, sr.
PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH
4A — Kennedy Catholic, Kentwood, Federal Way, Tahoma, Mount Rainier, Decatur, Kentridge.
3A — Auburn Riverside, Auburn Mountainview, Todd Beamer, Kentlake, Auburn, Thomas Jefferson, Kent Meridian.
This story was originally published March 12, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
