Spanaway Lake runs away from Lakes in second half, claims first league title in 20 seasons

Spanaway High School Lake saved a little something for its final act of this COVID-19 pandemic delayed, truncated season.

The Sentinels accomplished on Wednesday night what no Spanaway Lake football team had in 20 years. They won a league title outright by beating Lakes, 35-7, before the first live crowd allowed all season at Harry E. Lang Stadium in Lakewood.

Spanaway Lake did it behind sophomore wide receiver Jasiah Wagoner, who spent most of his snaps on lined up as a running back.

“That was the surprise,” Spanaway Lake coach Cameron Robak said. “We were hanging on to that. Obviously, he’s a gifted athlete.”

Out of that running back position, Wagoner torched Lakes for 231 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. He also did catch two passes for another 18 yards.

But it was Wagoner’s ability to slip and run that carried the Sentinels (6-0) to a completion of an undefeated, Class 3A Pierce County League-title victory.

“We just felt like I should be getting the ball a little more,” said Wagoner, who had just three catches a week ago. “Shout out to my O-line and my quarterback for opening all the holes and making all the right reads.”

Lakes (3-3) did do something that no other team this season managed against Spanaway Lake — it took a lead.

Just the second points the Sentinels have allowed all year came with two minutes, one second left in the first quarter. Leo Pulalasi bulled his way into the end zone to cap a seven-play, 50-yard drive for the Lancers, who grabbed the 7-0 advantage.

Back in Week 1, when Spanaway Lake allowed a second-quarter touchdown to Lincoln, the Sentinels already had the lead. In between the only two touchdowns the team allowed all year, Spanaway Lake posted 18 consecutive scoreless quarters.

The deficit didn’t last long, though.

On their next drive, the Sentinels marched 67 yards in 10 plays to tie the game at 7-7 on Wagoner’s first score of the game, from 5 yards out.

The game stayed that way until the final minute of the first half.

With 53 seconds to go in the second quarter, Wagoner paid off a 69-yard drive with a 7-yard scoring run. Though Spanaway Lake got called for celebration penalty that led to a missed PAT, the Sentinels took the lead, 13-7.

The Lancers moved the ball from their own 45 to the Spanaway Lake 27 in three plays, but Caleb Kwalalon was stripped of the ball on a first down and the Sentinels recovered with 23 seconds to go in the half.

It was one of two costly turnovers the Sentinels caused, and Spanaway Lake also held Lakes on fourth down plays inside the Spanaway Lake 15.

“Huge,” Robak said of his defense. “It’s just that momentum. I told our defense all year, we should be the No. 1 defense in the state. We have the guys to do that. Obviously, our score differential throughout the season (259-14 after Wednesday), our goal was to come in here and do what our offense did and not let them score.”

Wagoner went to work again immediately after the half. On Spanaway Lake’s first play of the third quarter, the slippery sophomore found a seam on the left side, split two Lakes defenders and sprinted away for 60 yards and his third touchdown to give the Sentinels a 20-7 lead just 15 seconds into the second half.

Spanaway Lake then added two exclamation points in the fourth quarter.

First, the Sentinels went 91 yards in three plays, with Jonathan Graver scoring on a 7-yard run just after Wagoner had gone 76 yards down the left sideline. Then, after a partially blocked punt set the Sentinels up at the Lakes 11, quarterback Dempsey James broke tackles to cover those yards and post the final score of the night with 5:14 left.

Minutes later, after the teams congratulated each other from across the field, the Sentinels erupted into celebration with their fans. And if that mood is any indication, the returning players can’t wait for September.

“It doesn’t stop here,” James said. “We keep building. We keep going. And we just … on the road. On the road, again.”

This story was originally published March 24, 2021 at 11:39 PM.