South Sound Confidential, postseason edition: teams that surprised, best players and more
The 2023 high school football regular season has come to an end in the South Sound, with playoffs beginning this week. With the regular season in the books, we surveyed dozens of coaches this week and asked them about their respective leagues.
Which team pleasantly surprised them this season? Who was the best quarterback in their league? Who were some of the best players at multiple positions? And more. Here’s what they said.
Which team from your league pleasantly surprised you this year? Why do you think they had success?
The school mentioned most often was Kent-Meridian, which posted a 4-5 overall record and a 3-3 mark in the 3A NPSL. The Royals collected wins over Kentridge, Auburn Mountainview, Thomas Jefferson and Kentlake, earning a Week 10 playoff spot, where they’ll face defending 3A state champion Yelm. Kent-Meridian was 1-8 last year and has shown marked improvement under first-year head coach Randy Robbins. This is Kent-Meridian’s best season since 2018, when the Royals went 4-6.
3A NPSL coach: “Their coach has done an amazing job in his first season there. Posting multiple wins and being competitive in many other games has been a huge step forward for them.”
Others mentioned by multiple coaches: Orting, Capital, Bonney Lake, Decatur
Who was the best quarterback in your league this season? What made them effective?
The player mentioned most was Curtis quarterback Rocco Koch, a four-year starter for the Vikings who has enjoyed the best season of his high school career this fall. Koch, one of the state’s best dual-threat quarterbacks, completed 116-of-161 passes for 1,976 yards, 27 TDs, five INTs and rushed 181 times for 1,226 yards and 18 more TDs.
4A SPSL coaches on Koch: “Single-handedly played like the SPSL Tim Tebow. … Nobody in the state at the 4A level was asked to carry the ball 20+ times a game and throw it like he did. Not to mention, they did most of it out of empty, which makes Rocco even more difficult to defend.” “He has gotten better every year and makes you defend the entire field.” “Put up video game numbers.”
Others mentioned by multiple coaches: Gunnar Trachte, Enumclaw; Elijah Baird, Auburn Mountainview; Daveon Superales, Graham-Kapowsin
Who was the most difficult coaching staff for you to gameplan against this season? What made it challenging?
Playing against Franklin Pierce is always a game of “who has the ball?” They were mentioned most by coaches in this category. Senior Christian Goode (876 yards, 15 TDs) led the Cardinals, but Franklin Pierce had seven different players with at least 100 yards. Six of those players tallied at least four TDs this season.
2A SPSL coaches: “Power T formation is just a pain to prepare for.” “By far the hardest team to plan for because you never knew who had the ball so the instructions going into that game were clear: tackle everyone and don’t get bored.”
Others mentioned by multiple coaches: None
Excluding quarterbacks and excluding players from your own team, who do you think was the most valuable player in your league?
Emerald Ridge WR/DB Gio Kafentzis was mentioned most often by coaches because of his impact on both sides of the ball. Playing seven games before going out with injury, Kafentzis racked up 509 receiving yards and nine TDs and was a key part of Emerald Ridge’s defense.
4A SPSL coach: “Even though he only played seven games, he would’ve been my vote for 4A SPSL league MVP playing both sides of the ball like he did. He would fly downhill like he was shot out of a cannon on defense and he was dynamic every time he touched the ball on offense.”
Others mentioned by multiple coaches: Thyrou Umi-Tuato’o, Auburn Riverside; Brayden Platt, Yelm; Brison Bailey, Mount Tahoma; Jabez Woods, Graham-Kapowsin
Excluding players from your own team, who do you think was the most improved player in your league this season?
Franklin Pierce running back Christian Goode, Curtis quarterback Rocco Koch and Curtis receiver Parker Mady were all mentioned multiple times by coaches. Goode (876 yards, 15 rushing TDs) led the Cardinals’ Power T rushing attack. Koch completed 116-of-161 passes for 1,976 yards, 27 TDs, five INTs and rushed 181 times for 1,226 yards and 18 more TDs. Mady turned into a true No. 1 wideout, racking up 902 receiving yards and 13 receiving TDs. He also returned a pair of punts for TDs and had two interceptions on defense.
4A SPSL coach on Mady: “Might be wrong to call him the most improved player, but compared to what his numbers and tape showed this year from last year, he PROVED the most.”
Others mentioned by multiple coaches: None
Excluding players from your own team, which player from your league do you think is underrated and isn’t being talked about enough?
Answers varied widely on this question. Sumner free safety Cooper Miller was mentioned multiple times by coaches. At 6-foot-4, he has a prototypical free safety build and led the 4A SPSL with five interceptions this season, one of which he returned for a touchdown.
One 4A SPSL coach: “He is long and rangy, similar to Tristan Dunn and he plays the FS position about as good as anybody Sumner has had in the past.”
Others mentioned by multiple coaches: None
Who was the best offensive lineman in your league this season? What makes them good?
No matter who ran behind Sumner’s Dylan Sikorski, they found plenty of success on the ground. Sikorski, a 6-foot-5, 300-pound Oregon State commit, was the name brought up most by coaches. He was a TNT All-Area first-team selection in 2022. This year, Sumner led the 4A SPSL in rushing yards with 1,890, averaging 229.3 yards per game on the ground.
4A SPSL coaches on Sikorski: “Beast.” “Most dominating since Foster Sarell.” “He just moves better than anybody on the field for being his size. He is physically dominant. There’s a reason he is committed to Oregon State.”
Others mentioned by multiple coaches: Ryan Fehr, Enumclaw
Who was the best defensive lineman in your league this season? What makes them good?
Bethel may not have been a perfect team this year, but one thing was for certain: if you played against the Bison, you were going to feel it the next day. Bethel’s Jaymar Tasi, a 6-foot-2, 300-pound lineman, was mentioned most by coaches. Bethel boasted the best statistical run defense in the 4A SPSL this season, conceding just 112.3 yards per game on the ground.
4A SPSL coaches on Tasi: “Run stopper.” “Quick twitched and strong. Couldn’t ask for a better combination as a defensive lineman. He is physical and has the speed to run horizontally and track plays down. Nasty in the trenches.”
Who was the best running back in your league this season? What makes them good?
Bethel’s Roy Lockley III and Auburn Riverside’s Thyrou Umi-Tuato’o were mentioned most by coaches. Lockley III rushed for 1,060 yards and 15 TDs for the Bison this season, while Umi-Tuato’o rushed for 837 yards and 15 TDs, also adding 102 receiving yards and another score.
3A NPSL coaches on Umi-Tuato’o: “Physical runner with good vision.” “Has become quite the downhill runner that progressively gets better as the game continues.”
4A SPSL coach on Lockley III: “Strong, physical slasher who runs behind his pads.”
Besides the team that won your league, which team from your league might be capable of surprising people and making a postseason run? Why?
Emerald Ridge and Orting were mentioned most by coaches. Emerald Ridge took third in the 4A SPSL, finishing with a 7-2 record. Eastern Washington commit Jake Schakel (2,432 passing yards, 30 TDs) and Idaho commit Tony Harste (1,064 receiving yards, 14 TDs) pace the Jaguars offense. Emerald Ridge has been here before, too. The Jaguars advanced to last year’s 4A state tournament semifinals. Orting finished runner-up in the 2A SPSL behind league champion Enumclaw. RB Carson McCall (528 rushing yards, eight TDs; 335 receiving yards, two TDs) leads a balanced team looking to reach the state tournament.
2A SPSL coaches on Orting: “They are just built tough. They come to play.” “Solid in all three phases of the game.”
4A SPSL coaches on Emerald Ridge: “They can beat some people with their passing game just like last year.” “I know they lost to Curtis, but they had the ball inside the 5 multiple times and didn’t score. Jake has played a lot of football, and they have athletes surrounding him. Better up front than people give them credit for as well.”
