Week 7: What we learned from this week’s high school football games in the South Sound
Week 7 of the high school football season is in the books. TNT high school sports reporters Lauren Smith and Tyler Wicke discuss what stood out from this week’s action.
What’s your biggest takeaway from Week 7?
Smith: Eight South Sound leagues still have at least one team on track to win an undefeated league title through Week 7. Kennedy Catholic is two 4A NPSL victories away from a fifth consecutive undefeated league title. 4A SPSL power Graham-Kapowsin is 7-0 overall after a 35-7 win over South Kitsap. Defending 3A NPSL champion Auburn and Auburn Riverside are both 4-0 in league games. Mount Tahoma continues to lead the 3A PCL following a 42-7 rout of Stadium. Defending 3A SSC and state champion Yelm routed Timberline, 54-7, to remain undefeated, while Gig Harbor is also 5-0 in 3A SSC contests after a 46-2 win over North Thurston. Undefeated Enumclaw is two wins away from closing out another 2A SPSL title after a 44-14 victory over Fife. Tumwater shut out Shelton, 60-0, to stay undefeated atop the 2A EvCo standings. And defending 1A Nisqually champion Cascade Christian stayed undefeated in league games with a 36-13 victory over Life Christian.
Wicke: Yelm, the reigning 3A champion, sure looks the part of a repeat winner. Friday night was its first of three tests against 3A SSC contenders to conclude the regular season, only for the Tornados to stomp Timberline in a rout, 54-7. RB Brayden Platt scored three touchdowns, QB Damian Aalona continues to post eye-popping numbers, and the Tornados’ defense and special teams groups challenge as the best in the state. Yelm’s last five wins, by score: 56-6, 59-7, 58-7, 56-7, 54-7.
Which team impressed you most in Week 7?
Smith: Decatur clinched the program’s first winning season since 2003 on Saturday afternoon with a 30-14 win over Kentwood. The Gators improved to 4-1 in 4A NPSL games with the victory — their only loss this season is to four-time defending league champion Kennedy Catholic — and 6-1 overall. Decatur closes out the regular season with a nonleague game at Kent-Meridian next week and a 4A NPSL contest against Federal Way in Week 9.
Wicke: I’ll highlight another 3A SSC program in Gig Harbor, which dismantled North Thurston by a 46-2 score on Friday night. The Tides (6-1, 5-0) are the only other unbeaten in league play (alongside Yelm) and are allowing just 11 points per game to SSC rivals. They’ll meet the Tornados in a regular-season finale on Oct. 27 — likely to determine a league champion.
Which of the remaining undefeated teams had the best performance in Week 7?
Smith: Defending 3A SSC and state champion Yelm, now 7-0, continued to roll through its schedule with a 54-7 road win over Timberline. This is the sixth consecutive week the Tornados — who have now outscored opponents 353-75 — have scored 50-plus points in a game. They scored touchdowns in all three phases against the Blazers. Anthony Kiamco’s 91-yard kickoff return opened scoring, and Arlo Henderson Jr. added a second special teams touchdown on a 40-yard punt return later in the first quarter. Onyx Carter added a defensive score on a 43-yard fumble return. Brayden Platt rushed for three touchdowns to pace Yelm’s offense, while Kiamco also caught a 44-yard scoring pass from Damian Aalona.
Wicke: Beyond Yelm and Gig Harbor, I’ll look to Enumclaw — Hornets RB Wyatt Neu totaled three touchdowns in a 44-14 win over Fife. Even more wild: Fife’s 14 points are the most any team has scored on Enumclaw this season. The 30-point victory keeps the Hornets atop the 2A state rankings and in cruise control en route to an SPSL title.
Which individual performance stood out most in Week 7?
Smith: Decatur running back Nehemiah Washington posted a third consecutive 100-plus yard performance in a win over Kentwood, rushing for 146 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries, and Mount Tahoma’s Brison Bailey posted a third consecutive 100-plus yard rushing game with 193 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries in a victory over Stadium. Cascade Christian’s Jackson Almond added two more interceptions at safety in a win over Life Christian, bringing his season total to nine through seven games.
Wicke: Graham-Kapowsin QB Daveon Superales threw four touchdowns and rushed for another, good for five total in a victory over South Kitsap that keeps the Eagles undefeated. Superales and Co. outlasted Curtis in last week’s Game of the Year-caliber thriller between unbeatens, and the signal-caller’s big Thursday night maintains their momentum in the regular-season’s final weeks. Also of note — Emerald Ridge RB Navarre Dixon well a bell-cow feature back on Friday night, handling 28 carries for 179 yards and a touchdown in a 12-0 shutout of Bellarmine Prep.
Which matchup are you looking forward to most in Week 8?
Smith: Can any team make a perfect run through the 4A SPSL this season? Graham-Kapowsin, at 7-0, is the only remaining undefeated program in perhaps the state’s toughest 4A league, and the Eagles face another big test Saturday on the road against Emerald Ridge (6-1). Both the Eagles and Jaguars advanced to the 4A state semifinals last season, and returned many of their key playmakers this fall. Graham-Kapowsin enters the contest averaging 38.3 points per game, while Emerald Ridge averages 37.4. The Jaguars’ only loss this season is to another 4A contender in Curtis back in Week 4.
Wicke: We’re in for another 4A SPSL shootout on Saturday night between Graham-Kapowsin and Emerald Ridge, both state contenders. Jaguars QB Jake Schakel and Eagles QB Daveon Superales are two of the best quarterbacks in the South Sound. And Graham-Kapowsin (7-0), the last unbeaten, leads Emerald Ridge (6-1) by a single game. Elsewhere: Auburn Riverside and Auburn Mountainview meet in a crosstown-rivalry game on Friday night, featuring a fun matchup between Lions QB Elijah Baird and a menacing Ravens defense. In the 3A PCL, Lincoln faces Lakes in a longtime rivalry that has produced its share of shootouts in recent renditions. Meanwhile, Yelm meets Peninsula in its first of consecutive games with Gig Harbor schools.
