Only one thing has eluded longtime Graham-Kapowsin coach Eric Kurle: a state title
When the Graham-Kapowsin coaching staff sits down to watch film on an upcoming opponent, defensive line coach Scott Logan is always amazed by longtime Eagles’ head coach Eric Kurle.
“He has a knack — he can sit down and watch a play on video and know right then what we need to do,” Logan said. “He sees the game so quick in his head and processes it and knows, ‘Here’s what we need to do.’ He just gets that stuff so quick.”
That ability to instantly diagnose things is part of what has made Kurle such a successful coach for so many years. He’s now in his 26th year as a head football coach, which included stints at Clover Park and Bethel, before a now 16-year run at Graham-Kapowsin. Kurle has a 245-74 career record, has won 14 league titles and has gone to the playoffs all 26 years. His teams have eight state tournament quarterfinal finishes, four semifinal finishes and one runner-up finish in 2000, when he was the head coach at Bethel.
The only thing that’s eluded him? A state championship. Kurle will have the chance to finally win one on Saturday, when top-ranked, undefeated Graham-Kapowsin faces Lake Stevens for the Class 4A championship at Mount Tahoma High School at 4 p.m.
“The biggest thing is the excitement, being able to control that excitement,” Kurle said. “Not making mistakes because of that excitement. Kids know it’s not just another game. For most of them, it’s the last game they’re ever gonna play. Understanding you have to be under control.”
Logan, G-K’s defensive line coach, has been by Kurle’s side for 21 years now. His first year on staff was as an assistant for Bethel on the 2000 team. Then he followed Kurle to Graham-Kapowsin when the school opened in 2006. Logan’s sons, Jeff and Greg, both played for the Eagles in the late 2000s.
Jeff went on to play quarterback for Montana Western, while Greg became a standout receiver at Central Washington. These days, they’re both also on the Graham-Kapowsin staff; Jeff is the team’s offensive coordinator and Greg coaches receivers.
“It’s been great,” Kurle said of the Logan family. “Jeff and Greg both played for me, and they’re just outstanding young coaches.”
Scott Logan, who owns a screen printing business, sees the countless hours Kurle pours into the program, the nonstop 24/7 grind that comes with being a high school coach. He’d be over the moon to see three decades of hard work rewarded with a state championship.
“I think it would mean the world to him,” Logan said. “He’s put so much time and work into this program, and at Bethel, too.”
They’ve already knocked off one program that has been an obstacle and regular state tournament attendee, beating Bothell in the quarterfinals. The Cougars knocked off the Eagles in the quarterfinals of the 2019 state tournament. But no program has been more a thorn in the side of Kurle’s teams than Lake Stevens. The teams have met three times in the past six years, with Lake Stevens winning in 2015 and 2018, and Graham-Kapowsin winning once in 2017 in the opening round.
“(Lake Stevens coach) Tom (Tri) is really good at getting his athletes the ball in different ways,” Kurle said. “It’s two good programs. You run into each other when you’re good programs. We get matched up with them more often than not.”
Kurle attributes that year in and year out success to having a strong youth program that feeds into the high school program.
“It’s probably the same up there,” Kurle said. “Making sure kids become Eagles, or Vikings (in Lake Stevens’ case).”
Graham-Kapowsin will come into the game as the favorite, after thumping Kamiakin in last week’s semifinal, 42-0. There just don’t seem to be any holes on this Eagles roster, highlighted by the offensive and defensive lines, which Kurle said are the best he’s ever had. Left tackle Vega Ioane, a UW commit, has been a dominant two-way player for the Eagles. Twin brothers Curtis and Hunter Hill are relentless defensive tackles. Quarterback Joshua Wood, an Eastern Washington commit, is in full control of the offense, often looking to his No. 1 target Julian Mason, an Idaho State commit. Zack Lee and Jalen Davenport pace the running game behind that bruising offensive line.
“The talent is the No. 1 thing,” Kurle said, when asked what separates this group from other good teams the Eagles have fielded in the past. “If we need to throw every time, we can. If we need to run the whole game, we can. We can adapt to any situation in a game. … Talent-wise, we’re very talented in all areas.”
Kurle turns 54 years old on Friday. There are no gifts or gadgets on his birthday wishlist this year, just one thing: a state championship.
“It’d mean a lot for me, for sure,” Kurle said. “Just everything, It’s a great situation. Our community, our youth programs, all the things we’ve done in the past. We don’t really have a town — G-K and the school is our community. We’ve built it around our school and the positive things we do as a football program.”
