High school football season preview: 4A South Puget Sound League favorites and contenders
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High school football is back
The News Tribune is visiting schools in the area and previewing local leagues as the first week of games approaches.
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High school football is back in the South Sound. Practices are underway as programs across the state prepare for the beginning of the 2023 season.
The News Tribune will be visiting schools in the area and previewing local leagues as the first week of games approaches.
Follow along with us throughout the two-week preseason for previews on the 4A NPSL, 4A SPSL, 3A NPSL, 3A PCL, 3A SSC, 2A SPSL, 2A EvCo and more.
4A SOUTH PUGET SOUND LEAGUE
Who’s the favorite?
The 4A SPSL sent three programs — reigning league champion Sumner, Graham-Kapowsin and Emerald Ridge — to the 4A state bracket last season, and all three could compete for the league’s top spot again this fall on the road back to the playoffs.
A season after rolling to an undefeated record and winning the first state championship in program history, Graham-Kapowsin advanced to the semifinals again last fall and is gearing up for another run in 2023. The Eagles return starting QB Daveon Superales (203-of-293 passing, 2,367 yards, 21 TDs; 62 carries, 362 yards, four TDs), who led the program in both passing and rushing last season, as well as leading receiver Jabez Woods (70 catches, 946 yards, 10 TDs), who was a 4A SPSL first-teamer and TNT All-Area and all-state pick in 2022. They also add Oregon State commit Malachi Durant (58 catches, 789 yards, eight TDs last season at Puyallup) to a stacked offense set up for a high-flying passing attack this fall.
Emerald Ridge advanced to the state playoffs for the first time in program history last fall, reaching the semifinals, and brings back much of the group that played key roles in that memorable run. QB Jake Schakel (253-of-347, 3,287 yards, 37 TDs), an Eastern Washington commit, last year’s 4A SPSL co-offensive player of the year and a TNT All-Area selection, returns to guide Emerald Ridge’s offense. Schakel’s top two receiving targets — Idaho commit Tony Harste (80 catches, 1,166 yards, 13 TDs), also a returning TNT All-Area pick, and 4A SPSL first-teamer Gio Kafentzis (66 catches, 970 yards, 11 TDs) — are also back. New additions in RB Navarre Dixon, who was a 3A PCL first-team selection last season at Lincoln, WR Isaac Syph, who advanced to the 4A title game with Kennedy Catholic last season, and three-star DB Isaiah Jennings could also be impact players for the Jaguars this fall.
Sumner won the 4A SPSL title last fall for the first time since 2016, eventually reaching the state quarterfinals. The Spartans return the league’s reigning MVP in RB/LB Matthew Spurbeck, who rushed for a South Sound-leading 1,946 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2022 and was a TNT All-Area and all-state pick. Three of Sumner’s five starting offensive linemen are also back, led by four-year starter Dylan Sikorski, an Oregon State commit who was a 4A SPSL first-teamer on both the offensive and defensive line last fall and a TNT All-Area selection.
Any other contenders?
It wouldn’t shock us if Curtis ended up in the top three when it’s all said and done. The Vikings return two of the league’s most dynamic playmakers in QB Rocco Koch — the league’s co-offensive player of the year in 2022 — and all-league WR/DB Xavier Ahrens. Koch is one the toughest players in the 4A SPSL to bring to the turf and has grown as a passer. Ahrens is poised for a huge season on both sides of the ball. The Vikings return three starters on the offensive line.
We think it’ll be Bethel, Olympia, Bellarmine Prep and Puyallup vying for the league’s fifth and sixth playoff spots. Bethel features one of the state’s top recruits in linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale. He’s 6-foot-2, 220 pounds and was a key part of a strong Bethel defense last season. The question will be whether Bethel can move the football this year — the Bison averaged just 10.5 points per game scoring last season. Olympia lost QB Gabe Downing and WR Mason Juergens to graduation and has a question mark at quarterback after losing its presumptive starter to an ACL injury in spring practice. First-team all-league WR Drew Carlson will take over QB duties. Carlson is an all-around good athlete, unquestioned team leader and should make things happen for the Bears, but his move to QB creates a hole at receiver for Olympia.
Bellarmine doesn’t have much in the way of star power but ninth-year coach Brian Jensen feels better about the program’s depth and experience than in recent years. The Lions return a handful of three- and four-year starters, including WR/DB Drew Johnson and twins Cole and Drake Johnston, who will set the tone on defense.
Puyallup could be the biggest wild card of the bunch. The Vikings, in a fitting nod to the fairgrounds next to Sparks Stadium, had a roller coaster 2022 season. Puyallup beat state tournament teams Emerald Ridge and Graham-Kapowsin in the first two weeks of the season, then went 4-4 the rest of the way, collecting wins over South Kitsap, Rogers, Olympia and Bethel and losing to Sumner, Bellarmine, Curtis and in the district playoffs, Skyview. QB Kaden Rolfsness returns and Puyallup’s coaching staff likes what they’re seeing from TE/DE Kai Richardson.
Save the date
▪ Friday, Sept. 8 — Curtis at Sumner, 7 p.m. at Sunset Chev Stadium
▪ Friday, Sept. 15 — Sumner at Emerald Ridge, 7 p.m. at Sparks Stadium
▪ Thursday, Sept. 28 — Graham-Kapowsin at Sumner, 7 p.m. at Sunset Chev Stadium
▪ Saturday, Oct. 21 — Graham-Kapowsin at Emerald Ridge, 7 p.m. at Sparks Stadium
▪ Thursday, Oct. 26 — Curtis at Puyallup, 7 p.m. at Sparks Stadium
Did you know?
▪ Three of the six 4A SPSL teams that qualified for the district playoffs last fall advanced on to the state bracket in Sumner, Graham-Kapowsin and Emerald Ridge, and all three won their first-round games. Sumner shut out Woodinville (31-0), Graham-Kapowsin routed Skyview (42-28) and Emerald Ridge won the first state playoffs game in school history over Eastlake (21-9). Both the Eagles and Jaguars went on to win their quarterfinals matchups — the Eagles with a 28-21 victory over rival Sumner and the Jaguars with a 40-37 upset over top-seeded Chiawana — to give the 4A SPSL two representatives in the state semifinals in the same season for the first time since 2001.
▪ The highest-rated recruit in the 4A SPSL entering the fall season? Bethel’s Rainey-Sale. The four-star linebacker collected 53 tackles, 5 1/2 tackles for loss and a team-leading four sacks during the nine-game regular season as a sophomore last fall to help pace Bethel to the district playoffs. Rainey-Sale has 10 offers from Division I schools, including nine from Power Five programs, and is considered the No. 2 recruit statewide in the 2025 class by 247Sports.com.
15 players to watch
WR/DB Xavier Ahrens, Curtis, jr.
QB/WR Drew Carlson, Olympia, sr.
WR/DB Malachi Durant, Graham-Kapowsin, sr.
TE/LB Noah Flores, Graham-Kapowsin, jr.
WR/DB Tony Harste, Emerald Ridge, sr.
WR/DB Drew Johnson, Bellarmine Prep, sr.
WR/DB Gio Kafentzis, Emerald Ridge, sr.
QB Rocco Koch, Curtis, sr.
TE/LB Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, Bethel, jr.
QB Kaden Rolfsness, Puyallup, jr.
QB Jake Schakel, Emerald Ridge, sr.
OL/DL Dylan Sikorski, Sumner, sr.
RB/LB Matthew Spurbeck, Sumner, sr.
QB Daveon Superales, Graham-Kapowsin, sr.
WR/DB Jabez Woods, Graham-Kapowsin, sr.
Predicted order of finish
Graham-Kapowsin, Emerald Ridge, Sumner, Curtis, Puyallup, Bethel, Bellarmine Prep, Olympia, South Kitsap, Rogers
This story was originally published August 22, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
