Preseason power rankings: Which South Sound football teams make the top 10 list?
The high school football season begins this week in the South Sound and across Washington state. This year, The News Tribune’s high school sports team is taking on the task of ranking the top teams in the South Sound. Teams from every classification are considered for the Top 10 list, which will be updated throughout the season.
We’ll consider a variety of factors when adjusting rankings throughout the season, not just wins and losses. Did a team lose because their star quarterback was hurt and didn’t play? Maybe they won’t slide. Is a team lower in the standings than others teams in the league because of a more difficult nonleague schedule? We’ll consider that, too.
Here’s the preseason Top 10.
THE TOP 10
1. Graham-Kapowsin (15-0 last season, 4A SPSL champion, 4A state champion) — Eagles won undefeated league and state titles last season, becoming the first South Sound team to win a 4A championship since 2002, and capped their perfect season with another victory in their GEICO State Champions Bowl Series game in Las Vegas. Graham-Kapowsin graduated many of the players who keyed that run, including QB Joshua Wood, the reigning state Gatorade Player of the Year, who is now at Fresno State, but bring back seven starters and several returners who played significant snaps in 2021. Three-time defending 4A SPSL champions enter the season on a 20-game winning streak.
2. Sumner (9-2, advanced to 4A state quarterfinals) — Sumner team that returns 12 starters — including 4A SPSL first-teamers in OL Kyle Martin and WR/DB Jay Mentink (Princeton football and baseball commit) — and an experienced offensive line should challenge for its first league title since 2016. Spartans only losses last season were to Graham-Kapowsin and Eastlake in the state quarterfinals.
3. Yelm (10-1, 3A SSC co-champion, advanced to 3A state quarterfinals) — Could this be Yelm’s year to win a 3A state title? The Tornados have never won a state championship, and have never played in a state championship game. This will be their best shot yet. The Tornados are loaded with talent, especially at linebacker. Four-star recruit Brayden Platt is the headliner, complemented by reigning 3A SSC defensive MVP Ray Wright and Skyview transfer Isaiah Patterson, who holds offers from Oregon and WSU. Yelm also returns reigning offensive MVP Kyler Ronquillo (Portland State commit). First two weeks will provide a clear indication of just how good this team is, as Yelm welcomes 4A power Camas to town in Week 1 before a road tilt against Union, another 4A power.
4. Emerald Ridge (5-5, advanced to 4A district round) — Jaguars bring back 13 starters from last season’s group, which advanced to the district playoffs before losing to eventual 4A state runner-up Lake Stevens. 4A SPSL first-teamers in third-year QB Jake Schakel and DL Jacob Lane (UW commit), as well as last season’s leading receiver Tony Harste, return to lead an Emerald Ridge team looking to contend for a top spot in the league. Jaguars are also still chasing their first state playoffs appearance in program history. Could this be the year?
5. Puyallup (8-3, advanced to 4A state first round) — The most recent team to win a 4A SPSL title before Graham-Kapowsin’s recent run of three straight — the Vikings won back-to-back undefeated league championships in 2017 and 2018. Expect Puyallup to be in the mix again this fall. Vikings return 12 starters and three 4A SPSL first-teamers from the group that advanced to the first round of the state playoffs before losing to Camas. Puyallup has played in each of the past four 4A state brackets.
6. Lincoln (6-3, 3A PCL champion, advanced to 3A district round) — When you have the state’s top-ranked player at the most important position, you’re going to win a lot of games. Senior QB Gabarri Johnson, a Missouri commit, will give teams fits this season both in the passing and run game. DL Jayden Wayne, a Miami commit, is gone (transferred to IMG Academy in Florida), but there’s plenty to like on the roster. Lincoln will get a solid test in Week 1 against reigning 3A NPSL champion Auburn Riverside. A Week 3 matchup against 4A state power Camas looms large.
7. Kennedy Catholic (6-3, 4A NPSL champion, advanced to 4A district round) — Lancers bring back nearly every starter from the group that advanced to the district playoffs in 2021 before a season-ending, one-point loss to North Creek, including two Pac-12 commits in OL Micah Banuelos (USC) and LB Xe’ree Alexander (Arizona State). Three-time defending 4A NPSL champions haven’t lost a league contest since 2018, but can the they play their way into the state bracket for the first time since record-breaking QB Sam Huard and a high-flying offense took the Lancers to the 4A quarterfinals in 2019?
8. Spanaway Lake (5-2, advanced to 3A state first round) — Oklahoma commit and defensive back Jasiah Wagoner brings a swagger to this team that teammates feed off. He brings plenty of playmaking ability too, on both sides of the ball. Spanaway Lake will be without quarterback Dempsy James for at least the first week (unspecified violation of team rules). Can the Sentinels weather the storm while James is out? The team’s two nonleague games against Gig Harbor and Mount Si will be telling.
9. Lakes (7-4, advanced to 3A state first round) — Right there in the thick of things in a top-heavy 3A PCL, the Lancers return Division I-bound versatile RB/WR Leo Pulalasi (BYU commit) and speedy WR David Wells (Oregon State commit). Depending on how quickly freshman QB Legend Galeai masters this offense, the Lancers could see themselves moving up these rankings this fall. Lakes’ schedule is manageable early on, with nonleague games against Kentwood and River Ridge.
10. Tumwater (10-3, 2A EvCo champion, advanced to 2A state championship game) — The T-Birds lost a lot of talent to graduation from last year’s 2A state runner-up squad, but it’s unlikely the “winning football” machine will miss a beat. Idaho-bound RB Carlos Matheney, who rushed for 1,103 yards and 15 touchdowns last season, should rack up plenty of yards in Tumwater’s Wing-T. When Tumwater does air it out, returning QB Alex Overbay has a strong arm. Tumwater will be tested early in a road game against Burlington-Edison, before returning home to face North Kitsap, another 2A state contender.
THE NEXT FIVE
Eatonville, Federal Way, Peninsula, Enumclaw, Curtis
