4 takeaways: Top-ranked Graham-Kapowsin dominates No. 4 Sumner to win 4A SPSL title
No. 1 Graham-Kapowsin (7-0) was the favorite on the road at Sunset Chev Stadium against No. 4 Sumner (6-1) on Saturday night. But few were likely expecting the outcome to be quite that lopsided. The Eagles, who have dominated everyone in their path this season, kept the train rolling, emerging with a 41-14 win to capture the 4A South Puget Sound League title. That’s Graham-Kapowsin’s third consecutive 4A SPSL title. The last team to win the league was Puyallup in 2018.
Here’s what we learned from Graham-Kapowsin’s dominant win.
GRAHAM-KAPOWSIN CAN BURY YOU, QUICKLY
For much of the first half, things were moving slowly. Both teams were feeling each other out. But if you give the state’s top-ranked team enough chances, it is eventually going to capitalize. Graham-Kapowsin scored three touchdowns in the final five minutes of the half. Quarterback Joshua Wood hit tight end Andrew Savaiinaea for a 25-yard score. On Sumner’s next offensive play, Spartans’ quarterback Bo Carlson threw an interception, hauled in by G-K’s Ethan Pletcher. Then, on the very next play, Wood ran for a 24-yard touchdown.
Just like that, in 21 seconds, it went from a scoreless tie to a 14-0 Graham-Kapowsin advantage. The Eagles got the ball back once more in the half and scored on a six-yard rush from Wood, giving G-K a 20-0 lead heading into the break.
“We knew what we had to do going into halftime,” Wood said. “We knew we were getting the ball back right after half. We knew we had to come down and score.”
Receiver Julian “Juice” Mason said Graham-Kapowsin works on two-minute drill situations in practice.
“I think it’s just working together, coaches, throughout the week, making sure we’re prepared,” he said. “We run two-minute offense at the start of practice, end of practice. So I feel like they just get us in that position.”
WOOD AND MASON GO WAY BACK. IT SHOWS
The seniors spend a lot of time talking about football. Not just at practice — they have four classes together at the high school.
“So we have all day to talk about what we’re going to do,” Mason said.
It also helps that they’ve been playing football together since they were six years old. That chemistry was never more apparent than on Saturday night. Wood, who completed 15-of-20 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing seven times for 71 yards and two scores, found Mason 10 times for 148 yards and a touchdown reception.
And it’s not just the stats, it’s the way those connections happened. Most of the time, the ball had already left Wood’s hand before Mason had even made his break. He knew exactly where his No. 1 receiver was going to be, every time, and Mason hauled in the catches every time.
“I thought today (Wood) was lights out,” Kurle said. “His energy he brought to the team, his leadership. He’s just got it. He’s just special. He made some throws tonight that were just lights out. And Juice made some great catches, too. Those two, that tandem, and (Savaiinaea) with what he’s doing, those routes he ran to get open, he broke those guys down. He’s a big man running against corners and safeties.”
Mason said his chemistry with Wood has deepened over time.
“It’s just there,” he said. “It’s just been building all these years. … Before, after practice, he makes sure we’re throwing, whether we’re tired or not. It’s just like we’re throwing right after practice.”
PEYTON WING’S INJURY HAD OBVIOUS IMPACT ON GAME
If there was a recipe for Sumner to pull the upset over the state’s top-ranked team, it was going to require a heavy dose of Peyton Wing, the league’s reigning MVP. And during the opening drive, that’s exactly what it looked like the game was going to get.
Sumner had gone 14 plays for 52 yards; Wing touched the ball on nine of those plays. It was just how Sumner coach Keith Ross wanted it drawn up: A time-consuming, grinding drive that looked destined to put points on the board and in the process, keep the ball out of the hands of G-K’s explosive offense for as long as possible.
Then Wing was hit in the knee where he’s had a lingering issue and had to come out of the game. Sumner settled for a field goal attempt and it was blocked. Wing spent time on the training table, at one point getting some sort of tape around his knee and coming back into the game on defense at linebacker for a series. He was unable to continue from that point forward.
It’s hard to overstate the effect of Wing’s absence on the game. Would Sumner have won with him in the fold? Maybe not, but it certainly feels like it would have been closer, at minimum.
“We started off just like we thought we would,” Ross said, referencing his team’s play before Wing’s injury.
JALEN DAVENPORT MIGHT BE EAGLES’ UNSUNG HERO
On a team full of big-name stars, it’s inevitable that some players might get overlooked during the course of the season. Jalen Davenport, while far from an unknown commodity, may fit that bill. He rushed for 69 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win, but he’s made the most clear-cut impact at linebacker. He was all over the place on Saturday making tackles, including a sack on a Sumner fourth-down attempt in the second half. At running back, he’s a load, seen carrying multiple Sumner defenders for extra yards throughout the contest. He’s even earned a nickname from his teammates as a result of his bruising play.
“We call him ‘Freight Train,’” Mason said. “He’s setting the tone for us. He’s definitely one of our rocks for this team at linebacker and running back, even punting the ball. He’s there.”
Kurle said he’s been impressed with Davenport’s play on both sides of the ball this year.
“He had some hard, hard runs on offense that kind of energized us,” Kurle said. “But the defensive plays, the quickness to the ball and natural instincts showed really well.”
This story was originally published October 16, 2021 at 11:54 PM.
