5 takeaways from the 4A SPSL clash between Graham-Kapowsin and Puyallup
This game seems to be a clash of the top teams in the Class 4A South Puget Sound League each season.
With everything that has changed during this shortened football season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this has stayed the same — Graham-Kapowsin and Puyallup are still two of the best high school programs in the South Sound.
Thursday night’s meeting at Sparks Stadium of these two 4A SPSL powerhouses was as intense as usual, and remained tight until the second half, when the Eagles pulled away late for a 35-17 win.
Here are five takeaways from the game:
1. Who won the battle up front?
In a battle between two of the strongest offensive and defensive lines in 4A, who came out on top?
It was a stalemate in the first half.
Graham-Kapowsin rushed for only 79 yards, and the Vikings dropped the Eagles in the backfield five times, with Sermon Wilson picking up two tackles for losses before the half expired.
The Eagles were just as punishing. Puyallup rushed for only 8 yards in the first half, though the Vikings broke through in the air, and took a 10-7 lead into the break.
But, it was Graham-Kapowsin that finally established the run in the second half, scoring three of their four second-half touchdowns before Puyallup finally answered late in the fourth quarter.
The Eagles, known for their steady rushing attack, finished with 211 yards on the ground, averaging 5.6 yards per carry paced by Jalen Davenport, who finished with 20 carries for a game-high 118 yards and two touchdowns. Jonas Waugh added another two scores on the ground on five carries.
“The biggest thing is we’ve just got to keep going and pushing and pushing,” Graham-Kapowsin coach Eric Kurle said. “We’ve got really tough kids. They felt like they got beat in the first half up front, so they wanted to respond in the second half and win it.”
Puyallup never quite broke through on the ground. The Eagles contained Ziere Ford — who had 427 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in three games entering Friday — to 38 yards and the Vikings’ lone second-half touchdown on 13 carries. Puyallup was held to 44 total yards on the ground.
“I think we knew at some point we were going to have to establish the run and we just weren’t able to do that, so I think that was a big factor in the game,” Puyallup coach Gary Jeffers said.
2. Graham-Kapowsin has some big-time playmakers on offense
Eagles quarterback Joshua Wood was making only his third varsity start, but looked plenty comfortable against this perennial 4A SPSL contender.
After Puyallup took an early two-score lead, Wood calmly marched the Eagles down the field to cut the lead to 10-7 midway through the second quarter, and in the second half, he paced Graham-Kapowsin to scores on four of its five drives.
Wood finished 14-of-24 passing for 257 yards and a 48-yard touchdown pass to Julian Mason that gave the Eagles a two-score lead they never lost late in the third quarter.
“I feel really, really good,” Wood said. “I feel really confident.”
Mason, who has been Wood’s top target this season, finished with a stunning 203 yards and the one touchdown on 10 catches, including some highlight-reel grabs.
3. Puyallup has impressive offensive weapons, too
The Vikings looked unstoppable on offense early. Quarterback Luke Holcomb completed 3-of-4 passes on Puyallup’s opening drive for 76 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Dwyer, who had 60 receiving yards on the drive.
Holcomb opened the next drive with a 43-yard completion to Angel Sanchez that led to the Hayden Lovett 24-yard field goal that gave Puyallup an early 10-0 lead.
But Sanchez, a key for the Vikings on both sides of the ball, left midway through the second quarter with a hamstring injury, and Puyallup’s offense never completely recovered, stalling on seven consecutive drives before Ford’s 2-yard touchdown run that made it 28-17 Eagles with less than five minutes to play.
With Sanchez out, Graham-Kapowsin was able to focus more on Dwyer — Holcomb’s top target entering the game who had 297 yards and four touchdowns on 18 catches the first three weeks — in the second half.
Dwyer still finished with 118 yards and the one touchdown catch on 118 yards. He added another 43 yards on kick and punt returns.
Holcomb was 24-of-39 passing for 288 yards and the touchdown.
4. Most of this loaded Eagles team will be back next season
Wood is a junior. So is Mason. So is most of the Eagles’ sturdy offensive line. Davenport is a sophomore.
Which means if this Eagles team looks this polished in a shortened season without much time to fully ramp up before beginning 4A SPSL play, just imagine what they’ll look like next fall.
“It’s real exciting,” Kurle said. “That O-line, the tailback, the quarterback, the receivers — they’re all back next year. I just want to get them in the weight room, get working and get ready. Get these (last) two games and then get ready for the fall.”
Graham-Kapowsin has reached the playoffs the past 15 seasons, and the state playoffs the past six seasons. The program’s best finish in was a semifinals appearance in 2014, but the Eagles have never been to a title game.
There won’t be state playoffs this season, but the Eagles could be gearing up for a solid run at the 4A title next fall.
“We feel like next year if there’s playoffs, we feel like definitely we’re ready,” Mason said. “We feel like we have it. We have the team.”
5. Graham-Kapowsin still in position to repeat as 4A SPSL champion
There are two weeks left in this shortened six-game season, but the Eagles (3-0) are still in position to repeat as the undefeated 4A SPSL champion.
They shut out Bellarmine Prep, 27-0, in Week 1, and after their meeting with Gig Harbor in Week 2 was canceled, they responded by routing Bethel, 41-7, a week ago.
Two of the league’s upper tier teams remain on the schedule in Peninsula — which joined the 4A SPSL temporarily this season along with Gig Harbor — and Sumner.
Puyallup (3-1) plays at winless Curtis next week before meeting district rival Emerald Ridge in its season finale.
This story was originally published March 11, 2021 at 11:31 PM.
