Sumner rallies again, scoring four second-half touchdowns in win over Curtis
Friday’s Class 4A South Puget Sound League showdown in University Place kicked off a bit later than scheduled.
Sumner High School endured a longer-than-expected bus ride, causing a late arrival, which pushed game time back 15 minutes.
But, it didn’t slow down the Spartans, who for the second consecutive week rallied from a halftime deficit to secure a victory, this time upending Curtis, 35-28, at Viking Stadium.
After trailing by a touchdown at the break, Sumner scored twice early in the third quarter, and twice more in the fourth to open the season with a pair of wins.
“The first half was kind of rough, but we really got together in the locker room and said we were going to come out and win the game,” Spartans wide receiver and safety Jay Mentink said.
“So, I’m glad we took care of business.”
But, it was the Vikings that took control of the game early, opening scoring on a long 34-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline from Rocco Koch to Mataio Wilson less than two minutes into the second quarter.
Sumner answered on the following drive, taking nearly five minutes off the clock before quarterback Kayde Bodine scored the first of his two rushing touchdowns on an 11-yard keeper.
Curtis needed only seven plays to respond, taking the 14-7 lead they carried into the half on a backfield toss to Xavier Ahrens, who weaved through the defense for a 41-yard score.
But, the Spartans scored the next three touchdowns after the half to take a lead they never lost.
“We just had more heart, I feel like, in the second half,” Mentink said. “Our motto for the team is, ‘One more.’ One more game, one more snap, one more down, so I think we embraced that and just took it one play at a time.”
The momentum started to shift toward Sumner in the opening moments of the third quarter. The Spartans’ first drive of the half stalled near midfield, but a fumbled punt immediately set them up for a scoring opportunity at the Curtis 8.
Bodine rushed for the tying score, reaching over the goal line for a 2-yard touchdown, three plays later.
After forcing a quick three-and-out, Spartans running back Matthew Spurbeck scored what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown on a 41-yard run on Sumner’s next offensive play.
Curtis drove into the red zone on the ensuing drive, but Spurbeck ripped the ball out at the Sumner 14 and Garrett Farmer fell on the fumble, setting up what was ultimately another scoring drive for the Spartans.
“We made some plays,” Sumner coach Keith Ross said of the Spartans’ defense. “We got the muffed punt, we got the fumble there, we stopped them a couple times. We did enough to win.”
Sumner drove down the field on 12 plays, and Bodine connected with Mentink for a 25-yard touchdown.
The Vikings cut the lead back to one possession on their next drive, which ended on a 7-yard touchdown run from Lyndon Tanoa, but Mentink responded moments later, with a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to return Sumner’s lead to two possessions at 35-21.
Koch found the end zone three minutes later on an 8-yard keeper, bringing Curtis within one score again with 4:45 left, but the Vikings didn’t get another chance to even it up.
Sumner picked up two crucial first downs on the following drive — on a 3-yard run from Spurbeck on a fourth-and-1 play, and a 14-yard run from Steele Isaacs on third-and-7 — to run out the clock.
Bodine finished 7-of-12 passing for 87 yards and a touchdown, and added another 59 yards and the two scores on 14 carries.
Spurbeck led the way for Sumner on the ground, piling up 143 yards and the one score on 21 carries, while Isaacs had 12 carries for 69 yards.
Koch paced Curtis’ offense, piling up 104 yards on the ground, 180 through the air and the two touchdowns.
Curtis outgained Sumner, 401-371, on offense, but Sumner’s four second-half touchdowns proved enough to rally past a 4A SPSL opponent for the second consecutive week.
“We got the win, and we get another week to get better,” Ross said.
STREAK EXTENDED
Since becoming a member of the 4A SPSL ahead of the 2016 season, Sumner has not lost a game to Curtis. Friday’s win extended the Spartans’ recent stretch of victories over the Vikings in 4A SPSL play to seven games.
Sumner has outscored Curtis, 303-86, during that span, though the 28 points Curtis scored Friday night are the most the Vikings have scored against the Spartans in the seven games the programs have played since Sumner’s arrival in the league.
PLAY OF THE GAME
Mentink’s long kickoff return midway through the fourth gave the Spartans the needed two- touchdown lead to keep Curtis out of reach.
Moments after Tanoa’s touchdown run cut the Spartans’ lead to 27-21, Mentink hauled in the kickoff at Sumner’s 7-yard line and found space on the right sideline, sprinting 93 yards for a touchdown.
“We’ve been going over kick return a lot during practice all week,” he said. “So, we came together and we hit our blocks right, and I just hit the hole and got the job done.”
Spurbeck added a two-point conversion run to push Sumner’s lead to 35-21 with 7:55 to play.
UP NEXT
4A SPSL play continues for both programs next week. Sumner (2-0) hosts Emerald Ridge (1-1) at 7 p.m. Friday at Sunset Chev Stadium, while Curtis (1-1) travels to play Bethel (2-0) at 7 p.m. Friday at Art Crate Field in Spanaway.
This story was originally published September 10, 2022 at 12:11 AM.
