Graham-Kapowsin imposes its will, dominating Kamiakin 42-0 to advance to 4A state championship
Kamiakin was upset-minded, marching down the field on the game’s opening drive against top-ranked Graham-Kapowsin in the Class 4A state semifinal at Art Crate Field on Saturday afternoon.
The Braves had gone 65 yards on 12 plays. Dual-threat quarterback Henry Mercado was extending plays with his legs and running back Luis Salgado was making plays on the ground. It seemed fans were in for a shootout between two of the state’s elite offenses.
But then, Mercado threw an interception near the sideline, picked off by Graham-Kapowsin’s Jordan Woods.
From that point, Graham-Kapowsin did what it has done to every single team it has played this season: Line up and impose its will until the guys in the other jerseys were waving white flags, physically beaten down and mentally checked out.
In an era of 7on7 competitions, spread formations, and dizzying, up-tempo no-huddle offenses, Graham-Kapowsin is a throwback. I-formation. Pound the rock between the tackles. A single mindset:
Try to stop us.
By late in the fourth quarter, when Graham-Kapowsin led 42-0, the clock was running, a result of the mercy rule. 42-0 was the final score, with the state tournament’s top seed pitching a shutout against No. 4 Kamiakin and advancing to its first-ever state championship game, in emphatic fashion.
“It was something big,” said left tackle Vega Ioane, a UW commit. “We weren’t even trying to (hit a running clock). We just came out here, played our game, put up as many points as we could. It ended up like that.”
Behind Ioane and G-K’s powerful offensive line, Graham-Kapowsin had racked up 418 total rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns, before the starters were pulled from the game. Longtime Graham-Kapowsin coach Eric Kurle has coached good offensive lines in his time. He coached five-star recruit Foster Sarell, one of the nation’s top recruits. It’s becoming clear, however, that this is the best line he’s ever had, on both sides of the ball, led by Ioane, twins Curtis and Hunter Hill, Austin Siitia and Josh Holder.
“Oh yeah, for sure,” Kurle said, when asked if this year’s line is the best he’s ever had. “All five of these kids are benching 330 or above. On the squat, the clean, they’re tough and nasty.”
Zack Lee led the rushing attack with 119 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Jalen Davenport rushed seven times for 46 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Joshua Wood, who completed 10-of-16 passes for 90 yards and an interception, rushed six times for 65 yards and a touchdown, which he scored on a third down option-keeper. Fullback Michael Toa — more on him shortly — rushed for 86 yards and a touchdown on eight carries.
All that has Graham-Kapowsin in the 4A state championship game for the first time in the program’s history. Kurle has coached in one state championship game before, when he was the head coach at Bethel in 2000. The Braves lost to Pasco in that year’s championship game, 20-3. Graham-Kapowsin’s best finish came in 2014, when the Eagles lost in the state tournament semifinal round.
“It feels great,” Ioane said. “I told (my teammates) after the game and in our meets, ‘It’s either we make history or we repeat it,’” Ioane said.
Kurle wasn’t going to allow himself, or the team, a chance to celebrate just yet.
“We can’t enjoy it,” he said. “We’ve gotta focus. I keep telling them this is the third quarter, next is fourth. We’ve gotta keep it going, we know we have a lot of work to do. We’ve got two great programs that we have to play next week and we have to be ready. We’ve gotta find the strength of our team, find their weaknesses and try to get after it.”
THINK THE FULLBACK POSITION IS DEAD? NOT IN G-K’S OFFENSE
Not a lot of modern offenses value the fullback these days. And if fullbacks are utilized, they’re often used very situationally, in short-yardage or goal-line situations. That’s not so with Graham-Kapowsin’s offensive attack, at least in Saturday’s win. Toa, who rattled off 86 yards, nearly hit the century mark.
“Something just happened for me,” Toa said. “It’s all thanks to the line. All of them are pushing down, getting their jobs done. Thanks to our QB, it was thanks to them. Especially our backfield.”
Kurle said that’s the biggest statistical yardage output he can remember for a fullback he’s coached.
“I don’t know if we’ve ever had one (get 100 yards),” Kurle said. “Once in a while, but it’s very rare that our fullbacks get that many yards. (Kamiakin) was stunting, there were getting people on the line of scrimmage … They didn’t really have anybody in the second level. They were stunting, they get after it a ton, they’re a 3-3 team. … With our gap system that we run, it’s good against what they were doing. We felt good going into it with our run game.”
As for Toa? He enjoyed his role just fine.
“You gotta love it,” he said. “It’s amazing. Best line in the state, amazing QB, great wide receivers. I think our whole offense can make it all the way.”
PLAY OF THE GAME
There were plenty to choose from; we’ll go with Wood’s rushing touchdown. On 3rd and 6 with just under 3:30 to play, Wood rolled out to his right and read the Kamiakin defender, who moved toward the Graham-Kapowsin running back on the option. So Wood kept it himself, using one more receiver block to move into the end zone untouched and give Graham-Kapowsin a 21-0 lead at half. A 14-0 lead would have likely been plenty, the way Graham-Kapowsin’s defense played on Saturday, but a three-touchdown lead felt insurmountable for the visitors. Graham-Kapowsin actually had a chance to make it a four-touchdown lead seconds before the first half ended, but Wood’s pass to the end zone was intercepted by Kamiakin corner Gabe Tahir, who made up ground on the receiver and made a nice play. Tahir holds an offer from Penn State.
UP NEXT
Graham-Kapowsin faces Lake Stevens in the Class 4A state championship game. Lake Stevens, the tournament’s No. 3 seed, knocked off No. 2 Eastlake, 45-28. The championship game will be played on Saturday, Dec. 4 at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.
This story was originally published November 27, 2021 at 6:56 PM.
