Week 2: What we learned from high school football in South Sound
Week two of the high school football season is in the books. It was a somewhat quiet week, with a lot of teams getting tuneup games in. Some leagues have already begun league play, but most will begin in week three. Here’s what we learned from the second week of the high school football season in the South Sound.
Buy stock in Yelm, now
That is, if you hadn’t already last week after the Tornados’ impressive non-league win over Lincoln. Sometimes coaches worry about players coming out flat after an emotional win. There was no letdown for Yelm, which followed the win against Lincoln with another impressive win, beating 4A Mount Si 41-20 in Snoqualmie on Friday night.
“This was a dog fight, man. This was a good game,” Yelm coach Jason Ronquillo said. “I think a lot of this game was mental, too. Our kids don’t know Mount Si players. They don’t even know where we’re going. To come here, and play in front of this rowdy crowd, a lot of noise, the music’s playing, we bring in slightly under 30 players – it was challenging between the ears for them and they responded well.”
Mount Si got on the board first, scoring a blocked punt. Yelm responded with a nice drive to close within one, 7-6, on the first of three Brayden Platt rushing touchdowns. Then, after forcing a punt on Mount Si’s ensuing possession, Kyler Ronquillo gathered in a long punt and wove his way down the field for 71 yards and the go-ahead score with 40 seconds left in the first quarter.
“Having that big return was a huge answer for us, and that was great,” coach Ronquillo said. “Special teams played well besides that punt. Field position was big for us.”
Yelm never trailed again after that point. Platt rushed for 104 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries in the win.
Before the season, we felt Yelm had a good shot of winning the 3A South Sound Conference. Now, we’re wondering how far this team could go in the state tournament. Of course, injuries could derail any team, and this season will be trickier than any that’s come before, with teams also trying to avoid covid disruptions. But at full strength? This team can hang with anybody in the state.
ENUMCLAW WILL BE TESTED HEADING INTO LEAGUE PLAY
Enumclaw scheduled aggressively in the non-league portion of its schedule, opening against Tumwater — the No. 1 ranked team in 2A — in week one, and against perennial 3A playoff team Lakes in week two.
Enumclaw struggled to keep pace with the T-Birds in the week one loss to Tumwater, but came back to post a 28-27 win against visiting Lakes at Pete’s Pool on Thursday night. It was a thrilling, back-and-forth game with lead changes throughout.
On his first carry of the game in the second quarter, Enumclaw’s Dylan Watterson fumbled the football. It was recovered by Lakes.
His second carry went a bit better. Watterson took a handoff from Enumclaw’s 20-yard line and went untouched, 80 yards. To. The. House. At one point during his spirited sprint down the left sideline, he gestured his arm toward the end zone. He knew no one from the Lakes’ defense was going to catch him in space.
“You’re not catching that kid,” said Enumclaw quarterback Malcom Harper. “He knew no one was going to catch him. He’s just so versatile. He can catch the ball, run the ball. He’s one of the fastest kids out here. Once he gets the ball and gets where he’s going, you’re not stopping him.”
Enumclaw opens 2A SPSL play at home against Washington on Thursday.
GABARRI JOHNSON EXPLODES FOR LINCOLN
Lincoln junior quarterback Gabarri Johnson, considered a four-star prospect by 247sports.com, showed why he’s such a highly coveted recruit in Lincoln’s 54-42 win over Skyline on Friday night.
The dual-threat QB totaled 570 yards of offense and seven touchdowns in the win, completing 18-of-23 passes for 372 yards and four touchdowns, and rushing 19 times for 198 yards and three touchdowns.
With the game tied 42-42 late, Johnson rushed for two touchdowns to lead the Abes to the win.
It’s a nice bounce back win for Lincoln after a difficult loss to Yelm in week one. The Abes have a talented roster, and this is a positive momentum boost for Lincoln. It won’t get any easier in week three. Lincoln travels to Bellevue to face a loaded Bellevue squad in week three to cap off the non-league portion of the season for the Abes.
EXCITING SLATE OF GAMES AHEAD
Week three is highlighted by the valley battle, the SPSL 4A rivalry matchup between Sumner and Puyallup, which will be played at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup this year. Both teams come into the game undefeated. This game will likely be important in determining how the top three in the standings of the 4A SPSL shakes out, with Graham-Kapowsin, Sumner and Puyallup all vying for those spots.
Elsewhere, the Fish Bowl is happening. The annual rivalry between Peninsula and Gig Harbor will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday night with bragging rights at 3A South Sound Conference positioning on the line.
Emerald Ridge and Olympia, which are vying to place in the top five of the SPSL 4A this year, face off on Saturday at Ingersoll Stadium in Olympia. Olympia dropped a close game to Bellarmine Prep this year, and will need a win over Emerald Ridge if the Bears want to contend for the fourth-place spot in the 4A SPSL. Emerald Ridge, meanwhile, just came off a 43-22 win over Edmonds-Woodway.
In the 2A SPSL, keep an eye on the Steilacoom vs. Franklin Pierce game. Steilacoom, which advanced to the 2A state championship game in 2019 and had another successful season in 2020, lost a star-studded senior class to graduation. How quickly can the Sentinels rebuild? This week’s game will give us a good indication.
