What we learned from Week 8 of high school football season in South Sound
Week 8 of the high school football season is in the books, highlighted by a shootout in the 3A Pierce County League in Lakewood on Saturday afternoon. Here’s what we learned from the week, heading into the final week of the regular season.
LINCOLN IS BACK ON TOP OF THE 3A PIERCE COUNTY LEAGUE
Few saw it coming last year. Lincoln had just come off a semifinal appearance in the 2019 state tournament and was the presumptive favorite to win the league again. But Spanaway Lake stunned Lincoln in week one of the covid-shortened spring season, winning 34-7 en route to a perfect season and the league championship.
Suffice it to say, Lincoln’s players didn’t want that to happen again. The Abes beat Spanaway Lake 41-14 on Sept. 23. Then on Saturday, Lincoln wrapped up the league title with its win over Lakes.
“It feels good,” said Lincoln quarterback Gabarri Johnson. “It’s just all that work that our team has put in. Now it’s back where it’s supposed to be.”
The play of Lincoln junior quarterback Gabarri Johnson is a major reason the Abes are back on top of the league. He came into his sophomore season already with big-time offers because of his play in 7on7 events, so it was almost easy to forget that he hadn’t even started a varsity football game.
There were some growing pains. He flashed his talent from time to time, but a lot of the growth that needed to happen was mental: learning how to command a huddle, how to be assertive. Over the course of this season, we’ve seen a major leap in maturity. Physically, Johnson looks stronger, but mostly, he looks more poised.
He’s a true dual-threat QB, too. That moniker gets slapped onto guys sometimes when they aren’t top-end passers, but Johnson throws and runs at an elite level. On the ground, his elusiveness makes him a nightmare to corral.
“I feel like that’s where the dual-threat comes from,” Johnson said after the win against Lakes.. “Just being able to do both on the ground and throwing the ball — just being super deadly at both. What is the defense really going to do with it?”
Lakes coach Dave Miller offered praise for Lincoln’s QB after the game.
“He’s just so hard to tackle,” Miller said. “He’s not the fastest guy in the world, but he’s super shifty, super quick. You saw him make a lot of guys miss. He was a difference maker out there.”
Five-star recruit Jayden Wayne seems to be coming into his own this season, too. He’s been a coveted national recruit since his freshman year because of his measurables: He’s 6-foot-5, 245 pounds. In every way, he looks the part of a big-time college football player.
He’s also been reliant on raw talent as an underclassman at defensive end — where he’ll play in college — and at receiver. He’s worked hard on technique rushing the passer, rather than simply overpowering opposing linemen.
“I got way better, using my hands more, my speed and strength more.”
He showed up on offense in Saturday’s win, too. With a one-point lead in the fourth quarter, Wayne sold the Lakes corner on a double move and Johnson hit him in stride for a 33-yard touchdown.
KENNEDY CATHOLIC WINS 4A NPSL
Kennedy Catholic won its third-straight 4A NPSL title on Friday, beating Kentwood 21-10 at French Field.
“The last three years in a row, it came down to this,” Kennedy coach Sheldon Cross said. “These opponents. They put it last. This is a rivalry game. It’s like our Apple Cup.”
Kennedy Catholic has made a change at quarterback, opting to start freshman Devon Forehand. He completed 22-of-26 passes against Kentwood for 244 yards and two touchdowns.
“I think you’ve gotta really know, to go to a freshman quarterback,” Cross said. “The last time we did it, it worked out well.”
He’s referring, of course, to Sam Huard, who started four years for Kennedy Catholic and broke the state’s all-time career passing yards record last spring before enrolling at the University of Washington.
Cross isn’t saying Forehand is the next Huard obviously, but it’ll be interesting to see if the QB change can make Kennedy Catholic a contender in the postseason. The NPSL, as a whole, fared poorly in nonleague games before the league schedule began.
GIG HARBOR GETS IMPORTANT WIN IN 3A SSC
Coming into Friday night’s road game against Timberline with a 2-3 league record, Gig Harbor needed a win to keep its playoff hopes alive. The Tides got just that, holding off a Timberline rally for a 31-26 win.
Both teams now have 3-3 records; Gig Harbor now has the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage. But there’s some confusion as to who will get the league’s four playoff bids. Yelm and Peninsula, both sporting undefeated records, are locks. Central Kitsap (3-1 league record) is the wild card. The Cougars had to cancel two games because of covid protocol. The 3A SSC is counting covid cancellations as non-contests rather than forfeits.
The league’s coaches and athletic directors will vote on which teams will earn playoff seeds. This week, we’ll take a more in-depth look at what the process will look and exactly how the seeds will be determined.
FINAL WEEK OF REGULAR SEASON UP NEXT
Playoffs are just around the corner. Your league champions, so far: Kennedy Catholic in the 4A NPSL, Graham-Kapowsin in the 4A SPSL, Lincoln in the 3A PCL, Steilacoom in the 2A SPSL and Tumwater in the 2A EvCo. Yelm and Peninsula could be declared co-champions in the 3A SSC if both teams finish undefeated, though Yelm seems like the likely candidate to take the league’s No. 1 seed into the playoffs.
