Takeaways, biggest winners from regular season, teams that could surprise in playoffs
Week 9 of the high school football season is in the books. TNT high school sports reporters Jon Manley, Lauren Smith and Tyler Wicke discuss what stood out from this week’s action and the regular season overall.
The regular season is in the books. What are a couple of your big-picture takeaways from this season?
Manley: For me, the biggest takeaway is how the 4A SPSL continues to be the deepest and toughest league in the state. Outside of a couple programs that have struggled, there really aren’t any easy weeks in the 4A SPSL. League champion Graham-Kapowsin ran through the league undefeated and has a legitimate shot to run the table and win its second 4A state title in three seasons. The Eagles are as battle-tested as anyone. Curtis, Emerald Ridge and Sumner are capable of making a run, too. My other takeaway: the South Sound has legitimate state title contenders in a couple other classifications, too. Yelm blew the doors off nearly everyone it faced this season and will look to defend its 3A title, while undefeated Enumclaw and Tumwater squads look capable of getting to Husky Stadium.
Smith: The 4A SPSL schedule was as tough as advertised, complete with thrillers and overtime contests along the way. Graham-Kapowsin won the undefeated title — completing the program’s second 9-0 run through league play in the past three seasons — but Curtis (7-2), Emerald Ridge (7-2), Sumner (6-3) and Puyallup (5-4) also carry winning records into this week’s district playoffs. Seven teams from the league qualified for Week 10, and this certainly seems like a year multiple 4A SPSL programs could make impressive runs in the state bracket.
Wicke: This should be an exciting state tournament for the South Sound, which possesses at least one undoubted, undefeated league champion in each of the state’s top three classifications. 4A-contending Graham-Kapowsin (9-0) sports the area’s best resume with thrilling, shootout victories in the SPSL over Curtis, Emerald Ridge, and Sumner. 3A Yelm, the reigning state champion, resumed casual dominance of the South Sound Conference and could mark repeat titles this fall. 2A’s Enumclaw (SPSL) and Tumwater (EvCo) are undefeated freight trains on a crash course for the state bracket, the latter reclaiming its status as the 2A EvCo’s elite with an unbeaten league campaign.
Which teams impressed you most in the regular season?
Manley: Enumclaw, Tumwater and Yelm all posted undefeated regular seasons and looked dominant doing it. I was probably most impressed by Graham-Kapowsin, given the nature of their schedule and the different hurdles they needed to clear to win the 4A SPSL. I knew Graham-Kapowsin’s passing game would be explosive this season, but this Eagles team won games against Sumner, Curtis and Emerald Ridge by being nasty and physical up front and in the running game, also. If there’s a way to slow down that offense, no one has figured it out yet.
Smith: Mount Tahoma (6-3) won the program’s first league title since 1982, and posted a perfect 6-0 record against 3A PCL opponents, upending two-time defending 3A PCL champion Lincoln and perennial contender Lakes along the way. Five of the T-Birds’ six wins in league play were by double digits, and their three losses this season were to tough nonleague opponents with winning records who are also headed to the Week 10 district round, in North Kitsap, Eastlake and Battle Ground. Both North Kitsap (2A Olympic) and Eastlake (4A KingCo) also won undefeated league titles. Mount Tahoma can return to the state playoffs for the first time since 1984 with a win this week.
Wicke: A league title returns to Mount Tahoma High School for the first time since 1982. It was history 41 years in the making – the T-Birds (6-3, 6-0) were undefeated in 3A PCL play, featuring marquee wins over Lincoln, Bonney Lake, and Lakes. A pair of undefeated 2A title contenders reside in the South Sound, both possessing elite defenses and ridiculous point differentials: Enumclaw and Tumwater. Orting (8-1, 7-1) flew quietly under the radar as the 2A SPSL’s runner-up, but dominated non-Enumclaw teams en route to the postseason. In 4A, it’s hard not to be wowed by Graham-Kapowsin, though the winner of the SPSL was bound to impress us all.
Which undefeated team in the South Sound had the most impressive regular season?
Manley: I mentioned Graham-Kapowsin already, so I’ll go with the reigning 3A state champion Yelm Tornados. Yelm averaged 52 points per game scoring and beat opponents by an average margin of 42 points per game. The only close call was an 8-7 road win against 4A Camas in Week 1, which looks pretty good now that Camas went through the rest of its schedule undefeated.
Smith: Graham-Kapowsin making an undefeated run through the nine-game 4A SPSL schedule. There are several elite teams in perhaps the state’s toughest league this season, and it was tough to think back in August any program would make it through the regular season with a perfect record. But, the Eagles did behind an offense that averaged 5.2 touchdowns per game and a defense that made key plays in close contests. QB Daveon Superales (2,858 total yards, 38 total TDs) has impressed, and leads Graham-Kapowsin in both passing and rushing, and the Eagles have the playmakers to make another memorable postseason run.
Wicke: Graham-Kapowsin made the statement of the season – an undefeated gauntlet through all nine 4A SPSL rivals. Arguably the South Sound’s strongest league, QB Daveon Superales guided the Eagles to the strongest on-paper resume in the area. Graham-Kapowsin outlasted a trio of title contenders in the state’s top classification: Curtis (42-35), Emerald Ridge (41-35), and Sumner (38-31). Each ended in thrilling fashion, and each helped return the Eagles the SPSL’s regular-season title. Another impressive unbeaten stretch: 2A-Enumclaw, a favorite to hoist the state trophy in the coming weeks. The Hornets allowed 46 points all season (388-46) – just over five points per game – outscoring opponents by 38 points per win.
Which individual performance stood out most in Week 9?
Manley: It may not be the most eye-popping stat line of the season, but Decatur running back Nehemiah Washington put another strong performance together, rushing for 135 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries in a win over Federal Way. Mostly, I like the significance of what it meant for Decatur: a win over a district rival, capping off the program’s best regular season in two decades. Washington has been the focal point of the offense this season.
Smith: Timberline TE/LB Darrell Gipson had 20 tackles, six tackles for loss, three pass break-ups and a blocked punt in a shutout win over Peninsula, and added a touchdown catch on offense. Yelm’s Brayden Platt now has six consecutive games with multiple rushing touchdowns — including three rushing scores in each of the past four — after piling up 192 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries in the Tornados’ 3A SSC title win over Gig Harbor. Puyallup’s Luke Faccone kicked the game-winning 34-yard field goal in overtime as the Vikings stunned Curtis to wrap up their 4A SPSL schedule, and also added a 32-yard field goal just before halftime.
Wicke: Auburn Riverside RB Thyrou Umi-Tuato’o exploded for four rushing touchdowns in a blowout win over Auburn, delivering the Ravens both the 3A NPSL title and city’s Fugate Trophy. He took 22 carries for 109 yards, the unquestioned tone-setter for an offense that ran 39 times and dominated the time of possession in a 41-14 win. The Ravens completed an unblemished run through the 3A NPSL, much to Umi-Tuato’o’s establishment of the league’s best run game. He’s a hard-hitting linebacker, too, joining Division-I recruit Jonathan Epperson to help form a scary front-seven.
Which team surprised you most this season?
Manley: Decatur in the 4A NPSL and Orting in the 2A SPSL. I really didn’t see this type of season coming from Decatur, a program that had reached over .500 just once in two decades (5-5 in 2019). The Gators are in the playoffs for the first time since 2003. Running back Nehemiah Washington (1,109 yards, 16 TDs) has been a workhorse, averaging 139 rushing yards per game. Orting finished second in the 2A SPSL, its only loss to state title contender Enumclaw. Running the football is always a big emphasis in the 2A SPSL, and Orting was among the league’s best — seven different players rushed for at least 100 yards this season, led by sophomore Carson McCall (528 yards, eight TDs).
Smith: Several of the second-place teams in South Sound leagues made big strides this fall. Decatur heads to the postseason at 8-1, and will post a winning record for the first time since 2003. The Gators enter Week 10 on a five-game winning streak, their only loss this season is to five-time 4A NPSL champion Kennedy Catholic back in Week 4. Curtis made a jump in the 4A SPSL standings this fall, opening the season 5-0 before a narrow loss to league champion Graham-Kapowsin, and returns to Week 10 with a 7-2 record. Gig Harbor (7-2) posted a seven-game winning streak between a season-opening nonleague loss to Spanaway Lake and a loss to defending 3A SSC and 3A state champion Yelm last week, securing a seven-win season for the first time since 2019. Orting (8-1) has already secured at least eight wins for the first time since 2008, making an impressive run in 2A SPSL play with seven multi-touchdown league victories. Orting’s only loss this season is to two-time defending 2A SPSL champion Enumclaw back in Week 4. The Cardinals enter the district round on a five-game winning streak.
Wicke: Yelm is still the 3A SSC’s top dog. Peninsula has remained a perennial state participant for decades. But how about those Tides? Gig Harbor (7-2, 6-1) notched four wins over state contenders (Bonney Lake, Peninsula, Timberline, Capital) and secured a runner-up finish in the 3A SSC behind Yelm. Gig Harbor erased a near-decade-long losing streak to Peninsula in the annual Fish Bowl game, a comeback victory orchestrated by then-backup QB Benji Park in thrilling fashion at Roy Anderson Field on Sept. 15. The Tides handled Bonney Lake in a nonleague contest on Sept. 8, 34-12.
Which team do you think could surprise people in the playoffs?
Manley: I think 3A PCL runner-up Lincoln beats Auburn this week and gets back to the state tournament. A deep run seems unlikely against the likes of Yelm, Eastside Catholic and O’Dea, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Lincoln won the next two weeks and found themselves in the quarterfinals. The Abes have a good defense and have been in every game this season. Their three losses came by a combined 21 points.
Smith: Sumner may have ended the regular season at 6-3 and fourth in the 4A SPSL standings, but the Spartans are a perennial 4A contender, and have reached eight of the past 10 state brackets, including back-to-back appearances in the state quarterfinals the past two seasons. Sumner’s only losses this season are to other expected 4A contenders in Curtis (38-33), Emerald Ridge (42-28) and 4A SPSL champion Graham-Kapowsin (38-31 in overtime) in September. The Spartans have four consecutive multi-touchdown victories since.
Wicke: That Auburn Riverside defense is scary. The Ravens just dismantled Auburn, 41-14, to complete an undefeated run through the 3A NPSL, blanking the rival-Trojans for nearly three quarters and triggering the 40-point-lead running clock. Any team that wants to eliminate Auburn Riverside has to establish the run, first – and with the hard-hitting Ravens linebackers firing on every cylinder right now, that may be easier said than done. As for 4A, I wouldn’t be surprised to see any 4A SPSL team make a deep run. I’ve been wowed this season, in particular, by the sheer depth of talented programs in that league.
