Graham-Kapowsin the favorite to win the 4A state title. Eagles embracing that fact
Several seniors on Graham-Kapowsin’s football team haven’t cut their hair since late sophomore year. On Wednesday, the opening day of high school football practice across Washington, there were some shaggy looking high schoolers on the practice field.
There’s a sort of pact in place between the players: They’re not allowed to cut their hair until they lose a game, or win a state championship.
If all goes to plan, those locks should be long enough to make some convincing wigs by the end of fall.
Graham-Kapowsin’s players have heard the talk about the Eagles being the favorite to win the Class 4A state championship this fall. Just ask left tackle Vega Ioane, who recently committed to UW.
“All that chatter everyone has right now about us being No. 1, I agree with them,” Ioane said. “They’re right. We on top right now.”
That’s a far cry from the typical canned responses high school football players and coaches normally give. Something along the lines of, say, “We’re not really focused on the outside noise. We’re just trying to be the best version of ourselves.” Or perhaps the tried and true, “We’re not looking that far ahead. We’re just trying to win one game a week.”
Ioane’s refreshing honesty indicates just how confident this team is. They know they’re the favorites, and they’re embracing that fact. And why shouldn’t they? In Eric Kurle’s 26 years as a head coach, which included stops at Clover Park and Bethel, he believes this is the deepest team he’s ever had.
Senior dual-threat Joshua Wood enters his second year as the starting quarterback. The Eagles have nasty, physical line play, led by Ioane and twin brothers Curtis and Hunter Hill, both Idaho State commits. Julian “Juice” Mason, another Idaho State commit, is a weapon at receiver. Jalen Davenport, who has turned personal tragedy into motivation, is a bruising running back and all-league selection from the spring season.
Add in Eastside Catholic transfer and defensive end/tight end Andrew Savaiinaea, who holds several Pac-12 offers, and this is as complete a roster as any in the state. G-K posted a 6-0 record during the spring season, winning every game comfortably in the Class 4A South Puget Sound League.
“I think on paper, we look really good,” said Kurle, who has never won a state championship in his coaching career. “But we have a lot of work to do. We had a great half-season last year. Our kids played well. But we’ve got to be hungry, understand there’s a lot of work we still have to do. A lot of people were very, very basic with what they did in that short season. Now you’re going to have to get to the next level and be able to move past that.”
In some ways, the imminent fall season feels like a continuation of the spring season for the Eagles. They lost a few seniors, but the bulk of the team returns and is hoping to continue the momentum from the undefeated spring season.
“We kind of treated it like spring practices, or scrimmages, to get ready for this year,” Kurle said. “We had to get our guys ready.”
Wood is feeling confident heading into his senior year. Before his first start last year, he messaged current UW quarterback Dylan Morris, who was a four-year starter at Graham-Kapowsin.
“He (told me) to ‘Stay calm, stay positive and be a leader and play like you’ve been playing,’” Wood said.
Wood said that from time to time, he’ll go back and watch Morris’ high school highlights on HUDL. While the two are different quarterbacks — Wood has the ability to extend plays with his legs — he tries to emulate certain parts of Morris’ game. In particular, his ability to read and dissect coverages.
“His reading, it was different,” Wood said. “When I’m looking at it and he makes that read, I’m just like, ‘How did he make that and where did it come from?’”
The growth into a more well-rounded quarterback has been clear to Kurle, too.
“Every week, you can see Josh get better,” Kurle said. “He hasn’t played a lot of quarterback. He was a basketball player, mostly. … His throwing motion just gets better, his strength gets better. It’s just going to keep going.”
Wood and Mason grew up together, playing in Graham-Kapowsin’s feeder program as kids. That probably has something to do with the rapport they have with each other. Most of this senior class, in fact, has been together for a long time. They’ve been talked about as a special class since they came to the school as freshmen.
“We’ve been together for so long, so we’re just taking the same approach we take every year,” Mason said. “Team chemistry is really big for us. Growing up, since we were little kids, we always went out to eat before the seasons and all that. So we’re just going in with the same mentality and thinking this is our year. This is our last ride, so it’s time for us to get that last cherry on top. We felt like last year, it should’ve been. We were locked in last year.”
Ioane said he’s known this is a special group for some time now.
“As soon as we got together freshman year,” he said. “Most of us played on c-team together. Some of us got to varsity right away. The chemistry was always great. Sophomore year, all of us were on varsity. That team we put together already, we feel like it’s perfect.”
There will be no free path to the state championship. Once the state tournament rolls around, everyone is good. But G-K’s players aren’t shying away from the target on their backs.
“We embrace it,” Wood said. “We want to play whoever comes up. That’s just the team we are.”
Wood jokes that they’re trying to get Kurle, 53, to retire. Kurle has had no shortage of success. He has a 232-74 coaching record. He’s won 13 league titles and has 25 trips the playoffs. Graham-Kapowsin has been to the postseason 15 straight years. But a state championship has eluded him.
“I’m excited, we’ve made the playoffs every single year here,” Kurle said. “We’ve made the quarterfinals, made the finals when I was at Bethel. Everybody wants to win a state title. That’s the ultimate goal, to keep playing with your guys. But things have to go right. Am I not fulfilled as a coach if I don’t win a state title? No. But do I want to win it? Heck yeah.”
GRAHAM-KAPOWSIN EAGLES
Coach: Eric Kurle, 26th year
Spring 2021 record: 6-0, first place in 4A SPSL
Offensive coordinator, base scheme: Jeff Logan, multiple pro
Defensive coordinator, base scheme: Muckie Foreman, 4-2-5
Top players: OL/DL Vega Ioane, 6-5, 315, sr; WR Julian Mason, 5-11, 175, sr; QB Joshua Wood, 6-3, 185, sr; DL/OL Curtis Hill, 6-2, 260, sr; DL/OL Hunter Hill, 6-2, 240, sr; TE/DE Andrew Savaiinaea, 6-4, 265, sr.
Outlook: Graham-Kapowsin is the favorite to repeat as the 4A SPSL champion and is a legitimate contender for the 4A state championship. This is the deepest and arguably most talented team Eric Kurle has ever had, with no glaring weaknesses on the roster. Linebacker is the only spot where the depth could be tested, but running back Jalen Davenport will make the move to that spot and split running back duties with other backs. Savaiinaea could be the transfer that puts G-K over the top, not only bolstering the defensive line, but adding another weapon on offense for Wood in the passing game.
