Top performers, upsets in the high school football state quarterfinals
The high school football state quarterfinals in Washington delivered big individual performances, convincing wins and a handful of upsets.
Here’s a bracket-by-bracket glance at some of the highlights from the round, and a look ahead to the semifinals.
CLASS 4A
QUARTERFINALS SCORES
No. 6 Graham-Kapowsin 28, No. 3 Sumner 21
No. 2 Lake Stevens 42, No. 10 Gonzaga Prep 17
No. 4 Kennedy Catholic 38, No. 5 Skyline 10
No. 8 Emerald Ridge 40, No. 1 Chiawana 37
UPSET ALERT
In a battle of 4A SPSL powerhouses, Graham-Kapowsin delivered an upset over league champion and rival Sumner in the second meeting between the two programs this fall. The key? Holding 4A SPSL MVP Matthew Spurbeck under 100 yards rushing. Perhaps no team has shown more improvement over the course of the season than the defending 4A state champion Eagles. QB Daveon Superales found his groove against the Spartans, completing 19-of-25 passes for 220 yards and one touchdown, and added a pair of rushing scores, while WR Jabez Woods, who hauled in 10 catches for 127 yards and a touchdown in the win, keeps moving the chains.
Emerald Ridge delivered the biggest upset in the 4A bracket so far in the quarterfinals, traveling to Pasco and knocking off previously undefeated Chiawana. It’s difficult to travel east of the mountains and come away with wins against quality teams, but the Jaguars rallied from a deficit that reached as many as 22 points in the first half. QB Jake Schakel completed 39-of-48 passes for 377 yards and four touchdowns in the win, finding WR Tony Harste 14 times for 179 yards and two scores. Schakel connected with Mitchell Condon for the winning 6-yard touchdown with 3.7 seconds to play. Emerald Ridge has already shown the ability to win defensive battles — the Jaguars scored twice in the fourth quarter to upend Eastlake, 21-9, in the first round — and shootouts in the state playoffs. What a story it would be for the Jaguars to find themselves in the championship game in the school’s first state tournament appearance.
TOP PERFORMERS
RB/LB Xe’ree Alexander, Kennedy Catholic, sr.
18 carries, 140 yards, 4 TDs
WR/DB Mason Hayes, Kennedy Catholic, sr.
5 catches, 83 yards; 2 INT, 56-yard INT return TD
RB/LB Jayden Limar, Lake Stevens, sr.
19 carries, 177 yards, four TDs; 4 catches, 107 yards, TD
QB Jake Schakel, Emerald Ridge, jr.
39-of-48 passing, 377 yards, 4 TDs
QB Daveon Superales, Graham-Kapowsin, jr.
19-of-25 passing, 220 yards, TD; 4 carries, 34 yards, 2 TDs
DID YOU KNOW?
▪ Get ready for a rematch of last season’s 4A state title game. Defending 4A champion Graham-Kapowsin and runner-up Lake Stevens met in the final last December at Mount Tahoma Stadium in Tacoma, with the Eagles running away with a dominant 44-7 victory to secure the school’s first football title, as well as the South Sound’s first 4A title since 2002. (Graham-Kapowsin went on to add a thrilling bowl game win over nationally-ranked Georgia 7A champion Collins Hill in Las Vegas to complete a perfect 15-0 season.) A year later, the Eagles and Vikings are set to play again, this time with a trip to next weekend’s 4A title game on the line. This will be the fifth meeting between the two programs in the state playoffs, with the series even at 2-2.
▪ Emerald Ridge is the only program remaining in the 4A bracket that has never played in the state semifinals, but has already picked up two wins in the first two state games in school history. Kennedy Catholic is in the semifinals for the seventh time in its history, and first since 2006. This is the ninth trip to the semifinals for Lake Stevens, and third for Graham-Kapowsin.
▪ This is the first time since 2001 two teams from the 4A SPSL have advanced to the semifinals in the same season. That year, 4A SPSL North program Kentwood and 4A SPSL South program Bethel met in the semifinals in the Tacoma Dome, with the Conquerors advancing with a 32-24 win. Kentwood went on to win the 4A title — the first football championship in school history — with a 38-24 victory over Pasco the following week.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The 4A state semifinals are scheduled for Saturday at sites around the state.
No. 6 Graham-Kapowsin (10-2) vs. No. 2 Lake Stevens (10-2)
4 p.m. Saturday, Lake Stevens High School, Lake Stevens
No. 4 Kennedy Catholic (11-1) vs. No. 8 Emerald Ridge (10-2)
1 p.m. Saturday, Sparks Stadium, Puyallup
CLASS 3A
QUARTERFINALS SCORES
No. 3 O’Dea 42, No. 11 Stanwood 21
No. 2 Eastside Catholic 35, No. 7 Ferndale 18
No. 5 Bellevue 22, No. 4 Lincoln of Tacoma 20
No. 1 Yelm 36, No. 9 Kennewick 27
UPSET ALERT
Heartbreak at Lincoln Bowl. It looked like the Abes had a trip to the 3A state semifinals all but secured before the Wolverines completed one of the unlikeliest comebacks in recent memory. Lincoln led by a touchdown late in the fourth quarter before Bellevue answered with a pair of scores inside the final minute. A 2-yard scoring run from Carson Rubin cut the lead to 20-19, but the Abes topped the two-point try with 55.8 seconds left to stay in front. An onside kick recovery was all Lincoln needed to ice the win, but Bellevue’s Caymus Rooney recovered the kick, and Luke Scoma converted what turned out to be the winning 43-yard field goal with 16.5 seconds left. With the loss, the impressive career of four-star QB Gabbari Johnson, the state’s top-ranked passer in the 2023 class, comes to a close. The Missouri commit finished 18-of-22 passing for 174 yards, and added a game-high 181 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries against Bellevue, accounting for 355 total yards.
TOP PERFORMERS
RB/DB Jason Brown, O’Dea, jr.
23 carries, 191 yards, 5 TDs
RB/DB Ishaan Daniels, Bellevue, sr.
10 carries, 168 yards, TD
RB/LB Richie Fotualii-Aliifua, Eastside Catholic, sr.
21 carries, 137 yards, 4 TDs
QB Gabarri Johnson, Lincoln of Tacoma, sr.
18-of-22 passing, 174 yards; 27 carries, 181 yards, 2 TDs
RB/LB Brayden Platt, Yelm, jr.
20 carries, 163 yards, 2 TDs; 6 tackles; 2-pt conversion run
DID YOU KNOW?
▪ Yelm is in the semifinals for the first time in program history, and the only team remaining in the bracket looking to win its first state title. Bellevue, Eastside Catholic and O’Dea have now combined for 43 state semifinals trips, per WIAA records, 29 championship game appearances and 19 title wins (not including Bellevue’s vacated titles and appearances). The last four 3A champions? Bellevue in 2021, Eastside Catholic back-to-back in 2018 and 2019 and O’Dea in 2017.
▪ 3A Metro League rivals Eastside Catholic, this season’s league champion, and O’Dea are back in the semifinals, starting a new streak for the league. Before last season’s semifinals — which featured Bellevue (3A KingCo), Kennewick (4A/3A MCC), Eastside Catholic (3A Metro League) and Marysville-Pilchuck (3A Wesco) — the Metro League had sent at least two teams to the final four in five consecutive brackets. This will be the second meeting between Eastside Catholic and O’Dea this season. The Crusaders won the league matchup in September, 24-17. This will be the fourth matchup between the two teams in the state playoffs, and first since Eastside Catholic won back-to-back titles with wins over O’Dea in 2018 and 2019.
▪ Top-ranked running backs played big roles in quarterfinals wins. O’Dea running back Jason Brown, the state’s top-ranked recruit in the 2024 class, rushed for 191 yards and five touchdowns in the win over Stanwood. In the 4A bracket, Notre Dame commit Jayden Limar, the state’s top-ranked rusher in the 2023 class, lifted Lake Stevens to the victory over Gonzaga Prep with 177 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries, and added another 107 yards and a score on four catches.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The 3A state semifinals are scheduled for Saturday at sites around the state.
No. 3 O’Dea (10-1) vs. No. 2 Eastside Catholic (11-0)
1 p.m. Saturday, Memorial Stadium, Seattle
No. 5 Bellevue (9-2) vs. No. 1 Yelm (12-0)
1 p.m. Saturday, Art Crate Field, Spanaway
CLASS 2A
QUARTERFINALS SCORES
No. 3 North Kitsap 10, No. 6 Anacortes 7
No. 2 W.F. West 31, No. 10 Sedro-Woolley 14
No. 4 Enumclaw 20, No. 5 Othello 17
No. 1 Lynden 42, No. 8 Highline 13
UPSET ALERT
No upsets here. Each of the four higher-seeded 2A programs advanced to the semifinals.
TOP PERFORMERS
WR/DB Gage Brumfield, W.F. West, soph.
8 catches, 158 yards, 2 TDs; fumble recovery
QB/DB Gavin Fugate, W.F. West, sr.
23-of-33 passing, 294 yards, 2 TDs; 14 carries, 37 yards, 2 TDs
RB/LB Lane Heeringa, Lynden, sr.
23 carries, 161 yards, 2 TDs
WR/DB Alex Hitchings, North Kitsap, jr.
9 tackles; 3 INT; 5 passes defended
RB/DB Emmit Otero, Enumclaw, sr.
25 carries, 113 yards, TD
DID YOU KNOW?
▪ Each of the four remaining teams this bracket won undefeated league titles earlier this fall. Lynden made a perfect run through the 2A Northwest League, W.F. West through the 2A EvCo, North Kitsap through the 2A Olympic and Enumclaw through the 2A SPSL.
▪ Enumclaw is in the semifinals for the first time in program history. W.F. West will make its second appearance, and first since 2011. North Kitsap and defending 2A champion Lynden both advanced to the semifinals last season and played each other, with the Lions securing a 15-10 win in the contest. This is also the second semifinals appearance for North Kitsap. Lynden is set to play in the final four for the 21st time. Lynden, which has 14 championship game appearances and nine titles in its history, is the only remaining team in the bracket that has played for a title before.
▪ Another week, another opponent limited to one trip to the end zone for North Kitsap, which has now held opponents to one touchdown or less for 11 consecutive weeks. The only time the Vikings have given up multiple touchdowns this season was to 3A program Mount Tahoma back in Week 1. North Kitsap still won that contest, 29-14. The Vikings have outscored opponents, 428-48, through 12 weeks.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The 2A state semifinals are scheduled for Saturday at sites around the state.
No. 3 North Kitsap (11-1) vs. No. 2 W.F. West (10-1)
4 p.m. Saturday, Tumwater District Stadium, Tumwater
No. 4 Enumclaw (12-0) vs. No. 1 Lynden (11-0)
5 p.m. Saturday, Civic Stadium, Bellingham
CLASS 1A
QUARTERFINALS SCORES
No. 3 Nooksack Valley 34, No. 11 Cashmere 24
No. 10 Mount Baker 35, No. 2 Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls 20
No. 12 Freeman 23, No. 4 Eatonville 17
No. 1 Royal 41, No. 8 Montesano 9
UPSET ALERT
It’s total chaos in the 1A bracket, where Mount Baker and Freeman both pulled off upsets for the second consecutive week. Mount Baker rushed for 379 yards in the win over Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls behind strong outings from Marques George and Wilhem Maloley. Eatonville, last season’s 1A runner-up, couldn’t generate enough offense against Freeman, the surprise of the bracket. Scotties QB Boen Phelps connected with WR Luke Whitaker for a pair of touchdowns in the win. Besides defending state champion Royal, the bracket’s top seed, the other three teams in the semifinals are seeds 3, 10 and 12. Mount Baker and Freeman are the only double-digit seeds remaining in the six state brackets.
TOP PERFORMERS
QB/LB Dylan Allred, Royal, sr.
15-of-22 passing, 196 yards, 3 TDs; 15 carries, 110 yards, 2 TDs; 8 tackles, TFL
RB/LB Marcques George, Mount Baker, sr.
26 carries, 214 yards
RB/LB Colton Lentz, Nooksack Valley, soph.
34 carries, 187 yards, 3 TDs
QB/LB Boen Phelps, Freeman, sr.
12-of-18 passing, 301 yards, TD; 12 carries, 59 yards; 29-yard catch; 12 tackles, TFL, sack
QB/WR/DB Luke Whitaker, Freeman, jr.
2-of-2 passing, 42 yards, TD; 3 catches, 132 yards, TD
DID YOU KNOW?
▪ Royal, which will make its seventh consecutive appearance in the semifinals, is the only team remaining in the 1A bracket that played in the final four a season ago. The two-time defending 1A state champion Knights are set to make their 20th appearance in the semifinals in their history. Freeman returns to the semifinals for the first time since its 2013 title run — when the program beat Mount Baker in the final — and fifth time overall. Mount Baker is back for the first time since that 2013 season, and third time overall. Nooksack Valley returns for the first time since 2009, and third time overall.
▪ Eatonville’s upset loss to Freeman in the quarterfinals means there will be no rematch of last season’s 1A title game this weekend in the semifinals. Royal shut out Eatonville, 41-0, in the final last season to win the program’s 10th state championship.
▪ Nooksack Valley and Mount Baker will meet again in the semifinals. The 1A Northwest Conference rivals have already played twice this season — once in a league contest, and again in a mini-tiebreaker that sent both programs to the state playoffs. Nooksack Valley won the regular season meeting, 28-20, on the road midway through October, but Mount Baker won the mini-tiebreaker, 6-0, earlier this month to secure the league’s top playoff allocation. Nooksack Valley topped Lynden Christian, 3-0, in the tiebreaker to claim the league’s second and final playoff spot. This will be the first meeting between Nooksack Valley and Mount Baker in the state playoffs.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The 1A state semifinals are scheduled for Saturday at sites around the state.
No. 3 Nooksack Valley (9-2) vs. No. 10 Mount Baker (7-4)
1 p.m. Saturday, Civic Stadium, Bellingham
No. 12 Freeman (9-2) vs. No. 1 Royal (10-1)
3 p.m. Saturday, Lions Field, Moses Lake
CLASS 2B
QUARTERFINALS SCORES
No. 3 Pe Ell-Willapa Valley 34, No. 6 Raymond-South Bend 13
No. 2 Okanogan 55, No. 10 Onalaska 0
No. 4 Chewelah 36, No. 5 Toledo 0
No. 1 Napavine 55, No. 8 Liberty of Spangle 7
UPSET ALERT
No upsets here. Each of the four higher-seeded 2B programs advanced to the semifinals.
TOP PERFORMERS
QB/DB Ashton Demarest, Napavine, jr.
10-of-12 passing, 172 yards, 3 TDs; 12 carries, 131 yards, 2 TDs
QB/LB Kolten Fluke, Pe Ell-Willapa Valley, sr.
4-of-5 passing, 76 yards, TD; 6 carries, 12 yards, TD; 9 tackles
LB/RB Kruz Katzer, Chewelah, sr.
18 carries, 177 yards, 3 TDs; 10 tackles, 2 TFL
QB/DL Carter Kuchenbuch, Okanogan, soph.
6-of-8 passing 165 yards, 3 TDs; 2.5 tackles, 1.5 TFL
RB/LB Johnny Swartsel, Okanogan, sr.
11 carries, 80 yards, 2 TDs; 4.5 tackles, 1.5 TFL
DID YOU KNOW?
▪ There were two shutouts in the six brackets in the quarterfinals — both in 2B. Okanogan blanked visiting Onalaska, 55-0, while Chewelah shut out visiting Toledo, 36-0.
▪ The 55 points scored by Okanogan and Napavine in wins in the quarterfinals were tied for the most scored by any team in the five 11-man classifications in the round.
▪ Napavine is the second 11-man program to eclipse 600 points this season following the win over Liberty of Spangle, joining top-seeded 3A program Yelm, which accomplished the same in the first round last week. The Tigers now have 628 through 11 games, averaging 57.1 per contest. Yelm continues to lead the five 11-man classifications with 648 points through 12 games.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The 2B state semifinals are scheduled for Saturday at sites around the state.
No. 3 Pe Ell-Willapa Valley (8-3) vs. No. 2 Okanogan (11-0)
Noon Saturday, Apple Bowl, Wenatchee
No. 4 Chewelah (9-2) vs. No. 1 Napavine (11-0)
1 p.m. Saturday, Tumwater District Stadium, Tumwater
CLASS 1B
QUARTERFINALS SCORES
No. 3 Liberty Christian 84, No. 6 DeSales 50
No. 2 Neah Bay 66, No. 7 Wellpinit 14
No. 5 Liberty Bell 54, No. 4 Mossyrock 20
No. 1 Odessa 76, No. 8 Naselle 74
UPSET ALERT
Liberty Bell secured the first upset in the 1B bracket this season with the 34-point rout of Mossyrock on the road. The Mountain Lions raced out to a 36-0 halftime lead and never looked back in the 8-man football contest. Liberty Bell QB Riley Lidey passed for six touchdowns and added another score on the ground in the win. Vikings RB Sage Greisen rushed for 140 yards and a touchdown in the loss.
TOP PERFORMERS
QB/DB Keegan Bishop, Liberty Christian, sr.
517 total yards; 12-of-27 passing, 371 yards, 6 TDs; 19 carries, 146 yards, 2 TDs; 5 tackles, INT; 2 2-pt conversion runs
QB/DB Riley Lidey, Liberty Bell, sr.
6 TD passes, rushing TD
RB/DL Kolten Lindstrom, Naselle, sr.
358 all-purpose yards; 15 carries, 230 yards, 4 TDs; 5 catches, 128 yards, 3 TDs; 13 tackles, fumble recovery
RB/DB Gage Starkel, Odessa, sr.
33 carries, 361 yards, 5 TDs; 14.5 tackles
RB/DB Jodell Wimberly, Neah Bay, soph.
326 all-purpose yards; 21 carries, 265 yards, 4 TDs; 7 tackles, INT; 61-yard KOR, 3 2-pt conversion runs
DID YOU KNOW?
▪ There are three undefeated teams — Odessa, Neah Bay and Liberty Christian — remaining in this bracket, which is the most in any of the six classifications. The 3A, 2A and 2B brackets each have two undefeated teams still playing.
▪ Liberty Bell is in the semifinals for the first time in program history following the upset win over Mossyrock. Odessa, Neah Bay and Liberty Christian have each made multiple appearances in the final four.
▪ Liberty Christian’s 84 points scored in its quarterfinals win over DeSales were the most scored in a 1B state tournament game since Odessa scored 84 in a win over Entiat in the 2019 semifinals.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The 1B state semifinals are scheduled for Saturday at sites around the state.
No. 3 Liberty Christian (10-0) vs. No. 2 Neah Bay (10-0)
1 p.m. Saturday, Mount Tahoma Stadium, Tacoma
No. 5 Liberty Bell (10-2) vs. No. 1 Odessa (10-0)
Noon Saturday, Lions Field, Moses Lake
