High school football games to watch in the South Sound in Week 2
We’re headed to North Kitsap vs. Tumwater this week, the winner of our Week 2 Games of the Week poll. Thank you to everyone who voted.
Read about the top five high school football games in the South Sound in Week 2 below.
The weekly poll opens at noon each Tuesday and closes at noon Thursday.
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4A SPSL
Olympia Bears (0-1) vs. Emerald Ridge Jaguars (0-1)
7 p.m. Thursday, Sparks Stadium, Puyallup
How competitive will the 4A SPSL be this fall? Of the five games played across the league in Week 1, four were decided by one touchdown. Two were decided by one point, resulting in season-opening losses for both Olympia and Emerald Ridge. The Bears hosted Curtis, dropping a 35-34 contest that wasn’t decided until the game’s closing minutes. Olympia took a lead into the break, and built it to two possessions midway through the third, but Curtis then scored three consecutive touchdowns, including what turned out to be the game-winner on a 27-yard keeper by quarterback Rocco Koch with less than four minutes to play. Olympia answered with Gabe Downing’s fifth touchdown pass of the game, but missed the extra point. The Vikings fell on the onside kick attempt, then picked up a crucial first down following a measurement on fourth-and-1 with less than a minute left and ran out the clock. Meanwhile, Jake Schakel and Tony Harste connected for three touchdowns in the first half to help Emerald Ridge build a 26-8 lead over Puyallup, but the Vikings rallied in the final two quarters to hand the Jaguars a 29-28 loss. Jacob Velasco tossed a 19-yard touchdown to Donte Grant with just over a minute left to lift Puyallup to the win. Two of the South Sound’s top quarterbacks go head-to-head this week in Downing (37-of-47, 381 yards, five TDs last week) and Schakel (23-of-35, 220 yards, three TDs) as both the Bears and Jaguars look for their first win this season.
TNT pick: Emerald Ridge, 28-24
Puyallup Vikings (1-0) vs. Graham-Kapowsin Eagles (1-0)
7 p.m. Friday, Art Crate Field, Spanaway
No 4A SPSL program has won a game against three-time defending league champion Graham-Kapowsin since 2018. The last team to beat the Eagles? That was Puyallup, when the Vikings bested the Eagles in overtime on their way to completing their own back-to-back undefeated 4A SPSL titles. This week, Puyallup will be the latest to try to end the Eagles’ 27-game league winning streak. The Vikings pulled off a thrilling comeback last week in their season-opener against Emerald Ridge, rallying from a three-touchdown deficit in the second half to pick up a 29-28 win. WR/DB Jacob Velasco was key in the win, converting a pair of two-point chances, hauling in a receiving touchdown to begin Puyallup’s comeback in the third quarter, intercepting a pass in the fourth and then tossing the game-winning touchdown to Donte Grant with 1:07 to play. Graham-Kapowsin played the only Week 1 game in the league decided by multiple touchdowns in a 56-0 rout of Rogers. QB Daveon Superales impressed in his first career start, completing 12-of-13 passes for 242 yards and three touchdowns. Graham-Kapowsin, last season’s 4A state champion, carries an active 21-game winning streak into this matchup.
TNT pick: Graham-Kapowsin, 35-28
Sumner Spartans (1-0) vs. Curtis Vikings (1-0)
7 p.m. Friday, Viking Stadium, University Place
The 4A SPSL schedule is loaded with tough contests this season. Both of these programs picked up Week 1 wins decided by one touchdown, and go head-to-head in Week 2 in another compelling matchup. A pair of rushing touchdowns and a field goal gave Bellarmine Prep a two-possession lead over Sumner at the break last week, but the Spartans shut out the Lions the rest of the way and rallied for a pair of second half scores. QB Kayde Bodine rushed for the 7-yard game-winner with 2:18 to play, and the Spartans defense forced a turnover on downs inside the final minute to close out their 22-16 victory. Curtis went back-and-forth with Olympia on the road, and also at one point trailed by two possessions in the second half, but scored three touchdowns in the final two quarters to secure a 35-34 win. QB Rocco Koch (184 rushing yards, 150 passing yards, three total TDs) lifted the Vikings to the win, scoring the eventual game-winner on a 27-yard keeper with less than four minutes to play. Curtis is looking for its first 2-0 start since 2018, but will have to best a Sumner team that has won each of the six matchups between the two programs since joining the 4A SPSL in 2016. The Spartans have outscored the Vikings, 268-58, during that span, holding Curtis two one touchdown each of the past two seasons and posting two earlier shutouts in the recent series.
TNT pick: Sumner, 21-17
Nonleague
Eatonville Cruisers (1-0) vs. Orting Cardinals (0-1)
7 p.m. Friday, Cardinal Stadium, Orting
This figures to be a fun matchup of small schools. Eatonville advanced to the 1A state title game last season, falling to Royal. Orting, meanwhile, advanced to the 2A state bracket last season, falling in the opening round to Ridgefield. Army commit Job Kralik was impressive in his debut at quarterback in Eatonville’s 47-27 win over Olympic last week. He completed all six of his passes for 180 yards and a pair of touchdowns, also rushing for 120 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Orting will have its hands full trying to slow down Eatonville’s breakneck pace. The Cardinals should feel up to the challenge after hanging with Squalicum in a 28-21 loss in Week 1. Orting’s offense was solid in the loss, too. QB Mason McCall completed 11-of-21 passes for 171 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Senior tight end Tanner Peavler hauled in a pair of receptions for 79 yards and a touchdown.
TNT pick: Eatonville, 42-35
North Kitsap Vikings (1-0) vs. Tumwater T-Birds (1-0)
7 p.m. Friday, Tumwater District Stadium, Tumwater
Both of these programs played deep into the postseason last fall — and both had their seasons ended by defending 2A state champion Lynden. North Kitsap entered the 2A state semifinals with an undefeated record, but lost to the Lions in a game that was decided by a Lynden rushing touchdown with 38 seconds to play. The next week, Tumwater opened scoring in the 2A championship game, but was shut out in the final three quarters as the Lions closed out a win to secure the program’s ninth state title. Months later, North Kitsap and Tumwater are set to meet in an early-season nonleague contest that is perhaps the most intriguing matchup in the state this week. Both programs should be contenders at the state level again this fall, and this meeting could give an early glimpse of what that postseason picture might look like. Tumwater rolled to a 35-7 win over Burlington-Edison on the road in Week 1, while North Kitsap secured a 29-14 victory over Mount Tahoma.
TNT pick: Tumwater, 30-28
This story was originally published September 6, 2022 at 2:00 PM.
