Week 3: What we learned from this week’s high school football games in the South Sound
The second week of high school football in the South Sound provided more thrilling results in league play, and a rivalry game streak was extended.
Here’s what we learned in Week 3:
EMERALD RIDGE BURSTS INTO 4A SPSL TOP TIER
For years, Emerald Ridge has been on the outside looking in at the top tier of Graham-Kapowsin, Puyallup and Sumner in the Class 4A South Puget Sound League. With Friday night’s 28-18 road win over Sumner, though, the Jaguars have officially crashed the party.
“It’s so big,” junior quarterback Jake Schakel said after the win at Sunset Chev Stadium. “Emerald Ridge has always been the fourth team out, right? We’ve been to the (state) playoffs not one time. We’re always a team that’s been thrown under the radar, behind Sumner, Puyallup, G-K. That is no more, because we just made a statement tonight and it means everything to us.”
Clearly, this one was special for Emerald Ridge’s players. You could see it as they sprinted toward their student section after the game, waving the big Jaguars flag, jumping in celebration and pure joy.
“This is astronomical,” senior linebacker Logan Lisherness said. “This means a lot.”
We liked Emerald Ridge as a possible league title contender in the 4A SPSL.
Schakel is one of the area’s top quarterbacks, tight end and defensive end Jacob Lane, a Washington commit, is a force on both sides of the ball, and Emerald Ridge has some of the best skill position players in the area — Tony Harste, Gio Kafentzis and Kajon Babcock are all playmakers.
Emerald Ridge led Puyallup 26-8 at halftime in Week 1 before the Vikings rallied to win the game, 29-28. Emerald Ridge’s win over Sumner keeps the Jaguars alive in the 4A SPSL title hunt.
4A SPSL CROWDED AT THE TOP
This is the seventh season the 4A SPSL has operated in its current configuration following the reclassification cycle ahead of the 2016 season.
Each season in this recent stretch, there has been a clear winner at the top of the league — which has included either nine or 10 teams in the years since.
Three-time defending league champion Graham-Kapowsin made a convincing undefeated run through the 4A SPSL in 2019, the shortened spring season in 2021 and then again last fall on the way to a 4A state championship.
Puyallup won back-to-back undefeated league titles in 2017 and 2018.
Sumner swept the 4A SPSL in its first season in the league in 2016.
Will that trend continue this fall?
Three weeks in, Puyallup is the league’s only remaining undefeated program. The Vikings rallied in the second half for a comeback win over Emerald Ridge in their season-opener, then became the first 4A SPSL team to beat Graham-Kapowsin since 2018 last week and added a win over South Kitsap on Saturday night.
So, Puyallup has control of the 4A SPSL early on, but there are several programs in the 10-team league still in position to contend for a league title.
Five more programs — Bethel, Curtis, Emerald Ridge, Graham-Kapowsin and Sumner — each have a pair of early wins.
Emerald Ridge regrouped from that loss to Puyallup in Week 1 with wins over Olympia (35-19) and Sumner (28-18).
Sumner opened with two wins against Bellarmine Prep (22-16) and Curtis (35-28) before the loss to the Jaguars.
Curtis topped Olympia (35-34) in its season-opener, and responded to the Sumner loss with a shutout of Bethel (42-0).
Bethel shut out South Kitsap (6-0) and Bellarmine (7-0) before the loss to Curtis.
Graham-Kapowsin has wins over Rogers (56-0) and Olympia (28-17) on either side of the Puyallup loss.
Bellarmine’s losses have both been by one possession. Olympia has played close contests.
So, this league could get crowded at the top as the regular season schedule continues on.
PENINSULA CONTINUES DOMINANCE IN FISH BOWL
Make that seven in a row for Purdy’s Peninsula Seahawks over crosstown rival Gig Harbor in the 44th edition of the Fish Bowl rivalry game.
The event, which packs thousands of fans into Roy Anderson Field just east of the Purdy Spit, is one of the most attended high school football games in the area every year. It’s a big enough deal to warrant multiple food trucks rolling in for the game, serving up meals to hungry fans.
And on the field, it rarely fails to entertain. It certainly didn’t this year in a 39-30 win for Peninsula, its seventh straight in the series.
Peninsula led, 32-17, in the second half, before Gig Harbor stormed back to pull the Tides within two points at 32-30. But, Gig Harbor’s attempt to tie the game with a two-point conversion was stopped, and Landon Watson put things out of reach with a 33-yard game-clinching run late in the fourth.
Peninsula now leads the Fish Bowl series, 23-21, and the Seahawks are inching toward the longest winning streak in the series — Peninsula won nine in a row against Gig Harbor from 1984-1992.
2A SPSL HEATING UP
Whether its 4A or 2A, there’s just something about the South Puget Sound leagues this season.
Fife beat Franklin Pierce, 36-34, in a wild Thursday night contest between teams that came into the game with identical 2-0 records.
“It was just a bloodbath,” Fife coach Kent Nevin said. “Two teams throwing haymakers. It really came down to who could make the final stop.”
Enumclaw remains the league favorite after a 41-7 rout of Washington on Friday night at Pete’s Pool, but there are several programs looking to contend in the 2A SPSL.
Fife is undefeated, and Franklin Pierce looks dangerous with its bruising running game.
Steilacoom beat Orting, 20-13, at Lumen Field on Saturday in a compelling matchup of teams also looking to contend for the league title this season.
And Clover Park shut out White River, 20-0, on Thursday. It was Clover Park’s first win against White River in eight tries. The last time Clover Park beat White River was in 2010.
STILL UNDEFEATED
There are 73 programs in the state across all six classifications that have not lost a game through Week 3.
There are 13 in the South Sound — three in 4A, three in 3A, four in 2A and three in 1A — that remain undefeated.
In the 4A ranks, a pair of 4A North Puget Sound League programs are off to 3-0 starts in Kentridge and Mount Rainier.
The Chargers, led by Oregon State commit Dorian Thomas, picked up nonleague wins over Auburn Mountainview (14-0) and Kent-Meridian (41-7) the first two weeks before routing Decatur (47-14) in their league opener Friday night.
Mount Rainier has opened with three consecutive victories for the first time since 2016, topping Kent-Meridian (28-0) and Kentlake (14-13) in nonleague games and edging Tahoma (13-6) in Friday night’s 4A NPSL opener.
Puyallup currently sits alone atop the 4A SPSL following a comeback win over Emerald Ridge (29-28) in its season-opener, a key victory over defending league and 4A state champion Graham-Kapowsin (30-13) last week and then a win over South Kitsap (28-7) on Saturday.
Perennial 3A Pierce County League powers Lincoln and Lakes also haven’t lost three weeks in.
Lincoln, the defending league champion, opened with a win over last year’s 3A NPSL champion Auburn Riverside (28-21), added an early road win over 4A KingCo program Skyline (35-27) the second week and ran over 4A Greater St. Helens League power Camas (42-28) behind impressive performances from Missouri commit and third-year quarterback Gabarri Johnson and running back Navarre Dixon on Saturday afternoon in Tacoma.
Lakes has only played two games — the Lancers’ scheduled game against River Ridge in Week 2 was canceled due to poor air quality — but has posted convincing wins in both. The Lancers opened with a rout of Kentwood (50-23) on the road, and after their unexpected break in Week 2 added another road win over Bonney Lake (33-14) on Thursday night.
Yelm continued its dominant run of wins early on this season with a shutout of Central Kitsap (58-0) in Friday night’s 3A South Sound Conference opener. This after the Tornados made a statement with back-to-back wins over 4A GSHL powers Camas (44-14) and Union (46-6) the first two weeks. Four-star recruit Brayden Platt has 13 total touchdowns through the three games.
Two 2A SPSL programs in Enumclaw and Fife remain undefeated, setting up an intriguing matchup when the programs meet this weekend.
The Hornets opened with a pair of wins over 3A programs in Peninsula (29-27) and Silas (62-14) before routing Washington (41-7) in Friday night’s league opener.
The Trojans have nonleague wins over Interlake (43-6) and Squalicum (23-14) and upended Franklin Pierce (36-34) on the road Thursday in their first 2A SPSL contest of the season.
2A Evergreen Conference rivals Tumwater and Black Hills are also undefeated heading into Week 4.
Tumwater, the defending league champion and last season’s 2A state runner-up, enters 2A EvCo play this week following three impressive nonleague victories over Burlington-Edison (34-7), North Kitsap (8-6) and 3A GSHL program Kelso (38-19).
Black Hills opened with nonleague wins over 1A Evergreen program Montesano (33-20) and 3A SSC program North Thurston (15-0), and added a victory over Rochester (34-7) in Friday night’s 2A EvCo opener.
Last season’s 1A Evergreen champion and state runner-up Eatonville opened with a pair of wins over 2A programs in Olympic (47-27) and Orting (35-14), and added another nonleague victory over Cascade Christian (37-7) on Thursday night.
League rival Tenino has three early wins over Pe Ell-Willapa Valley (20-7), Sequim (52-14) and Klahowya (62-14).
Vashon Island also has three wins to open the season against Fort Vancouver (21-18), Sultan (21-0) and Blaine (17-6).
