Graham-Kapowsin beats nationally-ranked Collins Hill on Wood’s TD pass in final seconds
When the Graham-Kapowsin football team arrived at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas for its GEICO State Champions Bowl Series game against Georgia 7A state champion Collins Hill, the players were met with a lot of barking from their opponents.
“Our kids got off the bus and (the Collins Hill players) were saying ‘You never should have showed up,’ stuff like that,” said Graham-Kapowsin coach Eric Kurle. “They were very confident, talking a lot of stuff coming onto the field.”
That got the Graham-Kapowsin players fired up.
After all, all the talk coming into the game was about Collins Hill. Their star power, led by the No. 1 recruit in the country, Travis Hunter. Their 7A classification in Georgia, one of the toughest in the country. The rest of their loaded class: Four-star quarterback Sam Horn, a Missouri signee. Four-star junior tight end Ethan Davis, a Tennesse commit. West Virginia commit Asani Redwood. The list goes on.
If you were a neutral fan, you’d think this was David vs. Goliath, some insurmountable challenge for the little team from Washington. And that didn’t sit well with the Washington 4A state champions, who had been the bully on the block all season long. They felt disrespected.
“Our kids see all that,” Kurle said. “In the social media world, kids see everything.”
Collins Hill might have been the favorite, but with the game on the line with eight seconds to go and Graham-Kapowsin trailing, it was Graham-Kapowsin’s star who shined the brightest. Senior quarterback Joshua Wood, an Eastern Washington commit, threw a 32-yard dart into the back of the end zone, finding receiver Stephen Mars for the game-winning score, leaving just one second left on the clock. Graham-Kapowsin held on for the 40-36 win.
“It was incredible,” said G-K coach Eric Kurle. “Stephen mostly plays defense. Jabez (Woods) was hurt, so Stephen got in there and just broke off that post, got behind them, kept his feet in and secured the ball.”
Collins Hill had scored the go-ahead touchdown just moments earlier, taking the lead with just 28 seconds to go in the fourth quarter. It came on a pass to Hunter, who showed his immense athleticism, making several Graham-Kapowsin defenders miss before scampering into the end zone.
But Wood, praised often by coach Eric Kurle for his cool and calm demeanor, led the Eagles down the field methodically with what little time remained before connecting with Mars for the game-winning touchdown.
“It’s incredible. NFL guys can’t do that,” Kurle said. “He made the plays and our receivers made the plays. Our kids just fought the entire game. They just kept scrapping. They did.”
It caps off a perfect season for Graham-Kapowsin, which finishes with a 15-0 record after posting a 14-0 record during the season in Washington. It was one of the most dominant high school football seasons in Washington in recent memory, with Graham-Kapowsin beating Lake Stevens in the Class 4A state championship game, 44-7.
In fact, Saturday’s win over Collins Hill was the first time the Eagles even played in a competitive game this season. Prior to Saturday, Graham-Kapowsin had won its 14 games by an average margin of 41 points.
Graham-Kapowsin had to hang on defensively after the team’s top linebacker, Jalen Davenport, left with an apparent left leg or ankle injury in the first half. He was later shown on the sideline on crutches in the second half.
Graham-Kapowsin got a dream start to the game, forcing a Collins Hill fumble and capitalizing when Wood found tight end Andrew Savaiinaea for the game’s opening score. Hunter, the nation’s No. 1 high school player, showed his ridiculous athleticism with a high-leaping touchdown grab to re-take the lead. Graham-Kapowsin scored twice more in the half: Wood rolled out and found Jabez Woods for a long touchdown pass and Michael Toa ran for a short rushing touchdown behind Graham-Kapowsin’s monster offensive line.
Much was made by the ESPNU commentators of Collins Hill’s star power, notably at the skill positions. But Graham-Kapowsin’s dominant offensive line, led by starters Vega Ioane, Austin Siitia, Joshua Holder, Curtis Hill and Hunter Hill, was paid scant attention. Ioane recently decommitted from UW, while the Hill twins are both Idaho State commits. The line was as good as its best all season once again on Saturday, even against a level of competition G-K hasn’t seen all year.
WILL JOSHUA WOOD FINALLY GET SOME POWER-5 LOVE?
On the biggest stage yet, Wood showed it all, making plays in the running game, the passing game, extending plays outside the pocket with his legs and with under 30 seconds to go, showed considerable poise, leading his team down the field for the unlikely game-winner. He completed 15-of-24 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns and rushed 12 times for 86 yards in the win.
247sports.com national recruiting editor Brandon Huffman has watched Wood in various settings and games during the spring season, over the summer and this fall. He’s never been more impressed than he was on Saturday.
“The dude literally saved his best for last,” Huffman said. “Because this was the best team he’d played against, by far. ... In the moments he needed to, he made a play throwing because he made it with his legs. I’m kind of speechless. It was one of those scintillating performances.”
Wood has made a name for himself as a dual-threat quarterback, equally dangerous as a runner and passer. But there’s maybe a third threat to his game that makes him special. On several occasions, he escaped pressure from the pocket and once he got loose, always has an innate sense of exactly where the line of scrimmage is. He keeps moving laterally, keeping his eyes downfield before inevitably finding an open receiver.
“That’s because of how calm he is,” Kurle said. “That allows him to do that. A lot of people panic when they get that pressure. He tries to find that spot, find someone downfield.”
There’s a sense among people who follow high school football in Washington (this humble writer included) that Wood has been under-recruited for some time. The only knock that college coaches have on Wood’s skillset — which was mentioned multiple times on the ESPNU broadcast — is Wood’s apparent lack of elite arm strength.
A) That sure didn’t seem to be an issue on the game-winning touchdown pass, which was a dart; and B) Even if it is a weakness, it could be easily addressed in a college weight room with a dedicated strength staff.
Since Saturday’s game was televised nationally, Wood might have just seen his stock rise sharply. We wouldn’t be surprised to see his phone ringing off the hook in the coming days. If he ends up sticking with his Eastern commitment, the Eagles will seemingly be getting a steal. Since the game was on national television with so many prized recruits on one field at the same time, there won’t be an excuse for college recruiters across the country to have not tuned in.
“If they weren’t watching, directors of player personnel are doing themselves a disservice, if that film isn’t in their inbox by Monday,” Huffman said. “I absolutely think there’s going to be a couple Mountain West offers that could come between now and February. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some Pac-12 offers, too.”
This story was originally published December 18, 2021 at 4:21 PM.
