High school football roundup: Kennedy Catholic upends Curtis in 4A state first round
Results, recaps and more from Week 11 high school football contests around the South Sound will be posted on this page Friday and Saturday.
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SATURDAY’S RESULTS (NOV. 11)
4A STATE FIRST ROUND
NO. 1 GRAHAM-KAPOWSIN 56, NO. 16 RICHLAND 35
More than three hours passed between the opening kickoff and the final buzzer Saturday afternoon at Art Crate Field in Spanaway, but when this 4A state first-round contest — which included a combined 91 points, 88 passing attempts and several penalty stoppages — concluded, top-seeded Graham-Kapowsin secured a sixth consecutive trip to the quarterfinals.
“The way our kids battled, at the end of the day, I’m really proud of the way we didn’t let some negativity kind of bring us down,” Eagles coach Jeff Logan said.
“I think that we continued to play our brand of football, get our athletes in space, make good, quick decisions, and then we started to figure it out on defense.”
The two programs traded touchdowns early, before Graham-Kapowsin eventually built a multi-touchdown lead for good midway through the third quarter.
Richland opened scoring on the fourth play of the game on a 67-yard pass from Josh Woodard to Brody Bocek, but the Eagles answered four plays later on a 1-yard scoring pass from Daveon Superales to Alele Fa’apito-Leao.
Woodard found Bocek again on the Bombers’ second drive on a 23-yard scoring pass, but Superales needed only two plays to respond with a 47-yard connection to Malachi Durant.
The Eagles took their first lead on the first play of their next drive, on a 64-yard pass from Superales to Durant, but Richland took it back on the next drive, after Woodward again found Bocek, this time for a 30-yard touchdown on fourth-and-7.
It wasn’t until midway through the second quarter that Graham-Kapowsin took the lead for good. The Eagles lost the ball on a third-and-1 play, but Superales saw the fumble, scooped it up and ran 27 yards into the end zone as the Eagles took a 28-21 lead with 7:06 to go in the half.
Kase Betz intercepted a Woodard pass late in the quarter to set up the Eagles’ final touchdown before the break. The Eagles quickly drove to the red zone before Superales briefly left the game with an ankle injury. He returned two plays later, and tossed a 13-yard touchdown to Khris Norris to extend the Eagles’ lead to 35-21 at halftime.
Superales briefly exited once more on the first drive of the third quarter, and the Eagles lost the ball two plays later on a Chris Daniels interception. Woodward tossed a 78-yard touchdown to Rayce Reeves on the next play to cut Graham-Kapowsin’s lead back to one touchdown.
Several penalties led to an eventual punt on the Eagles’ ensuing drive, but a Cohen Miller interception three plays later set up another quick Graham-Kapowsin touchdown.
“That’s what team football looks like, and you’re going to have to make plays like that to win in November, and hopefully December, and so hopefully we can kind of keep that going rolling forward,” Logan said.
Two plays after Miller’s interception, Superales connected with Woods for a 25-yard touchdown that pushed the lead to double digits for good.
Richland turned the ball over on downs twice, punted and DJ Ta’ape added a third interception for the Eagles on Richland’s next four drives.
Meanwhile, the Eagles added two more touchdowns early in the fourth on an 8-yard pass from Superales to Durant and 2-yard run by Nikoh Rivers to extend the lead as high as 56-28 with 7:40 to play.
Richland scored once more on a 7-yard run by John Simons with less than two minutes to go.
Woodard completed 30-of-50 passes for 466 yards and the four touchdowns for the Bombers, while Bocek (eight catches, 180 yards, three TDs) and Reeves (six catches, 119 yards, TD) each had 100-plus receiving yards.
Superales was 29-of-35 passing for 467 yards and the six passing touchdowns, and added nine carries for 64 yards and another score. Durant caught seven passes for 200 yards and the three scores, while Woods caught 11 passes for 189 yards and the one touchdowns.
Graham-Kapowsin (11-0) will host No. 8 Gonzaga Prep (10-1) in the quarterfinals next weekend. The Greater Spokane League champions topped No. 9 Chiawana, 24-14, in the first round Saturday afternoon to advance.
Richland ends the season at 7-5.
No. 4 EASTLAKE 21, No. 13 SUMNER 18
Sumner nearly completed a road upset, but No. 4 Eastlake prevailed in the final minutes to fend off visiting-Sumner in the opening round of the state tournament Saturday night.
On 4th and 4, Eastlake WR Grady Woodward converted the game-sealing first down run as the clock dwindled — the final blow to a Sumner defense needing a stop to survive.
Wolves QB Landon Renfroe hit WR Marcus Angiuli for a 40-yard touchdown with one second remaining in the first half — an answered prayer that gave Eastlake a 14-3 halftime lead. Sumner never fully recovered.
Angiuli secured two receiving touchdowns on Saturday, again from four yards in the fourth quarter.
Woodward added a 14-yard touchdown rush from the backfield in the second quarter, bursting to the left on a designed draw that put Eastlake on the scoreboard.
Sumner’s season ends at 7-4. The Spartans dominated Eastlake in last weekend’s district round, 48-6, to earn a state-tournament bid.
Eastlake hosts No. 5 Skyview in a 4A quarterfinal. A date and kickoff time (Nov. 17-18) are to be determined.
3A STATE FIRST ROUND
No. 1 YELM 38, No. 16 MARYSVILLE-PILCHUCK 13
It wasn’t the high-flying, scoreboard-destroying Yelm offense that’s become a weekend tradition — but the Tornados rallied from a second-half deficit and ran away with Saturday’s first-round contest in the fourth quarter.
Navigating uncharted waters in a third-quarter deficit, RB Brayden Platt erupted for a 47-yard touchdown run that handed Yelm a permanent lead over Marysville-Pilchuck.
The bracket’s top seed and reigning 3A champion can exhale: Yelm’s off to the state quarterfinals.
Marysville-Pilchuck QB Luke Shoemaker found WR Marcus Gaffney for a 41-yard touchdown just after halftime, which gave the No. 16 Tomahawks control to snap Yelm’s 24-game win streak and complete what could have been the upset of the year.
Yelm refused.
Tornados QB Damian Aalona hit wide receiver and brother Marius for a nine-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, Isaiah Patterson and Nathan Ford scampered for late touchdowns, and Yelm wound up with a 38-13 win in a game that was much closer for most of Saturday afternoon.
Yelm’s current win streak — 25 games. The last team to hand the Tornados a loss? This Marysville-Pilchuck program, back in the 2021 state quarterfinals.
Aalona completed 10-of-22 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown, adding 62 rushing yards on eight carries.
Platt handled a team-high 14 carries for 136 yards and his 47-yard touchdown in the third.
WR Marius Aalona secured four receptions for 47 yards and a score.
No. 4 EASTSIDE CATHOLIC 40, No. 13 LINCOLN (TACOMA) 0
Eastside Catholic established its dominance on the ground, handling 31 total carries (140 rushing yards) in a silencing of Lincoln earlier Saturday.
Crusaders QB Jake Tiryakioglu found WR Chris Taylor for a 21-yard touchdown in the opening minutes — the spark for a 40-point shutout that sends Eastside Catholic to the 3A quarterfinals.
Lincoln mustered nine rushing yards on 25 carries, quickly forced to the passing game as their deficit grew. Abes QB Sione Kaho completed 8-of-23 passes for 42 yards; Eastside Catholic never surrendered a play greater than Lincoln WR Kanoa Teplasy’s 13-yard reception in the third quarter.
Eastside Catholic’s David Lene rushed for a pair of touchdowns in the first half, including a two-yard keeper with 27 seconds remaining in the second quarter that gave the Crusaders a 30-point halftime lead.
Lincoln’s Teplasy, a receiver-corner, grabbed an interception in the second quarter.
Lincoln’s season ends at 7-4. The Abes defeated Auburn on Nov. 4, 56-23, to advance into the state bracket.
2A STATE FIRST ROUND
No. 3 Enumclaw 49, No. 14 Othello 12
Fair or unfair, Enumclaw has developed a reputation for being a physical team that wants to run the ball in between the tackles instead of passing.
But this Hornets team is no one-trick-pony. Enumclaw’s offensive balance, along with its turnover-inducing defense, could take the Hornets all the way this year.
Just look at the numbers from Enumclaw’s 49-12 rout of visiting Othello in the opening round of the Class 2A state tournament at Enumclaw Stadium (Pete’s Pool) on Saturday afternoon: 244 rushing yards and three rushing TDs, 180 passing yards and four passing touchdowns from Gunnar Trachte. Pair that with three turnovers — two interceptions and one fumble recovery — and that’s a pretty good recipe for success.
“A lot of people want to say that we’re just a running team,” Enumclaw coach Mark Gunderson said. “We’ll take whatever the defense gives us. It’s a credit to (our coaching staff) preparing our kids for the air and on the ground. I think it’s a credit to our kids, they can do either.
“(Quarterback) Gunnar (Trachte) gets not as much attention as a lot of quarterbacks that have thrown it 35 times a game. He just put his nose down and went to work. It’s a complete group, for sure.”
Trachte connected with receiver Colton Paulson twice in the first quarter for 43 and 15-yard passing touchdowns, giving Enumclaw an early lead on Saturday.
“Great to see, you always love to see the ball going your way,” Paulson said. “Just going up and snagging it is what the team needed. Had to do it in the moment and got it done. … Me and Gunnar are great friends. We play other sports together, we’ve been together for a while. I think we just have a really good connection at this point.”
Wyatt Neu led the Hornets with 101 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on seven carries. The game never felt in doubt. Enumclaw’s defense gave its offense a short field on several occassions with turnovers and Enumclaw’s offense capitalized.
“It starts up front, on both sides of the ball,” Gunderson said. “When our defensive line can take care of their business and force them to the air, we’ve got good DB’s, also. I think good players on the line, secondary, running backs, receivers and I think that’s why we are where we’re at.”
Where they’re at: undefeated, still, now 11-0 and marching into the 2A state tournament quarterfinals, where they’ll face No. 6 seed Highline, which won convincingly against W.F. West, 34-6. Can the Hornets win three more games and hoist the state championship trophy at Husky Stadium?
“I think we’ve got what it takes, for sure,” Paulson said. “I think we’ve just gotta stick together and play as a brotherhood.”
1A STATE FIRST ROUND
No. 6 NOOKSACK VALLEY 59, No. 11 CASCADE CHRISTIAN 7
Nooksack Valley RB Colton Lentz erupted for four first-quarter touchdowns, an unstoppable force that powered the Pioneers to victory in the opening round of the state tournament Saturday.
Even more unthinkable — Lentz scampered for four touchdowns on his first four carries as Nooksack Valley cruised to a 59-7 win over Cascade Christian at Civic Stadium in Bellingham.
Pioneers WR/DB Jackson Bennett scored twice in the second quarter — first on a 71-yard touchdown reception and again in Nooksack Valley’s secondary on a 25-yard pick six. The running clock ensued.
Cougars WR Caden Fredericks converted Cascade Christian’s only touchdown on a five-yard run in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
FRIDAY’S RESULTS (NOV. 10)
4A STATE FIRST ROUND
NO. 10 KENNEDY CATHOLIC 37, NO. 7 CURTIS 34
Kennedy Catholic will get a rematch with defending 4A state champion Lake Stevens.
Friday night at Viking Stadium in University Place, the visiting Lancers (10-1) scored a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns and collected two interceptions in the final eight minutes to upend Curtis, 37-34, in the opening round of the 4A state playoffs.
The victory sends Kennedy Catholic to the state quarterfinals next weekend, and sets up another meeting with No. 2 seed Lake Stevens, which edged the Lancers, 24-22, in last season’s state title game.
“We’re trying to bring it back,” Kennedy Catholic running back Indiana Jones said following Friday’s first-round win. “Couldn’t finish it last year. That’s our goal now. So, we’ve got to get it.”
Kennedy Catholic, which won a fifth consecutive undefeated 4A NPSL title in October, hasn’t lost to an in-state program this season and now has a nine-game winning streak heading into the quarterfinals, piled up 300-plus yards of offense and five touchdowns to upset Curtis on the road Friday.
Curtis took the first lead on the game’s opening drive, when quarterback Rocco Koch connected with Mataio Wilson on a 20-yard scoring pass.
The Lancers responded with a 5-yard touchdown run from Jones, who added a two-point conversion run to give the Lancers their first lead with 17 seconds left in the first quarter.
Mason Moriarty then rushed for a 54-yard score on Kennedy Catholic’s next possession to extend the lead to 15-7, but the Vikings responded less than four minutes later with a 2-yard scoring run by Koch. Curtis converted the two-point try on a pass from Koch to Xavier Ahrens to tie the game at 15-15 with 6:38 left in the half.
The Vikings regained the lead five minutes later, on a 12-yard pass from Koch to Ahrens, and took a 21-15 lead into halftime.
But, Kennedy Catholic took it right back after the break. JoJo Paaga returned the opening kickoff 73 yards, and Jones rushed for a 25-yard touchdown on the first play of the drive.
The Vikings took what turned out to be their final lead on their first possession of the half on a 25-yard pass from Koch to Ahrens.
Kennedy Catholic took more than nine minutes off the clock on the ensuing drive, scoring the go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard run by Jones on fourth-and-goal, and took decisive 30-27 lead with 10:25 to play.
Curtis’ next drive ended when Dante Saladino intercepted a pass in the red zone. The Lancers punted five plays later, but got the ball back immediately on a Landen Kahai interception at the Curtis 12.
“We knew we needed to get a few stops, and if we got stops we would win the game, so that’s exactly what we did,” Jones said.
Kennedy Catholic extended the lead to 10 on the next play, when Devon Forehand connected with Cam Mattingly for a 12-yard score.
The Vikings engineered a 14-play scoring drive, and cut the lead to 37-34 on a 2-yard pass from Koch to Ahrens, but the Lancers recovered the onside kick attempt that followed and ran out the clock.
Forehand completed 6-of-7 passes for 73 yards and the one touchdown for the Lancers, while Jones had a team-leading four catches for 40 yards.
Kennedy Catholic piled up 235 yards on the ground — and averaged 6.5 yards per carry — led by Moriarty, who had six carries for 94 yards and the one touchdown, and Jones, who collected 93 yards and the three scores on 19 carries.
Koch was 18-of-32 passing for 247 yards and four touchdowns, and led the Vikings in rushing with 31 carries for 144 yards and the one score. Ahrens caught 12 passes for 140 yards and the three touchdowns.
The Vikings, who were playing in the 4A state bracket for the first time since 2018, end the season at 8-3.
The Lancers advance to the quarterfinals to play Lake Stevens. The Vikings (10-1) shut out Woodinville, 41-0, in the first round Friday night, and also haven’t lost to an in-state opponent this season.
“We’re going to have a good game plan in place, and come out fighting,” Lancers coach Pat Jones said.
NO. 6 KAMIAKIN 36, NO. 11 EMERALD RIDGE 35 (OT)
Kamiakin quarterback Trent Woodhouse rose above the Emerald Ridge secondary to secure the game-winning two-point conversion pass in overtime — a do-or-die trick play that kept the Braves’ season alive.
Instead of opting for double overtime and kicking a game-tying extra point, Kamiakin executed an unconventional two-point try that earned the Braves a thrilling, 36-35, win in the first round of the 4A state playoffs on Friday night at Lampson Stadium in Kennewick.
Despite mounting a game-tying touchdown drive in the final minutes of regulation — and scoring first in added time — Emerald Ridge’s campaign ends in heartbreak.
Jaguars quarterback Jake Schakel completed 22-of-34 passes for 368 yards and two touchdowns.
Kamiakin’s Camden Schmidt took 23 carries for 189 yards and three touchdowns.
Emerald Ridge ends the season at 8-3.
3A STATE FIRST ROUND
NO. 9 MOUNT TAHOMA 21, NO. 8 FERNDALE 7
Mount Tahoma’s defense silenced the home crowd with a shutout for most of three quarters — a brilliant road performance to win what was the T-Birds’ first state contest since 1984.
T-Birds quarterback Tre Walker totaled two touchdowns in the first half, and running back Brison Bailey added a second-half score in Mount Tahoma’s 21-7 win at Ferndale High School.
The T-Birds advance to next weekend’s 3A quarterfinals for the first time since 1980.
“We had to come out here and prove it, but this is where we thought we would be,” T-Birds coach Keith Terry said. “We knew if we put certain things together throughout the season with the talent that we had, the work ethic … we knew we should be among (the top eight).
“We’re happy to be here. We’re embracing the moment. But it was our expectation.”
Walker hit wide receiver Deonjae Ervin for a 25-yard touchdown in the first quarter that opened scoring.
“Great read by both of those guys,” Terry said. “It was something we practiced this week, taking advantage of matchups. We know when we can connect down the field, that changes the box. When we hit those plays early, we’re going to get the running lanes we’re looking for.”
Walker scampered for a seven-yard touchdown rush in the second quarter.
Zane Cordero’s 60-yard reception early in the third quarter set up a 3-yard touchdown run by Bailey, and the T-Birds led by 21.
Ferndale mounted a late rally —but a turnover on downs with two minutes remaining all but assured Mount Tahoma’s historic season would live on.
“Us being fundamentally sound, playing assignment football, playing fast. … The attention to detail playing against the Wing-T, that was huge tonight,” Terry said. “We stepped up.”
NO. 2 O’DEA 48, NO. 15 AUBURN RIVERSIDE 0
Jason Brown was unstoppable — O’Dea’s feature-back took 12 carries for 248 yards and five touchdowns, a ridiculous stat line in a dominant first-round win for the Fighting Irish.
In their first state-tournament appearance in school history, Auburn Riverside averaged under one yard per play (37 plays, 36 yards) and failed to establish a run game (22 carries, 25 yards) that, all season, was their unstoppable force.
Brown scampered for three touchdowns in the first quarter, and O’Dea triggered the running clock before halftime.
O’Dea running back Kyan McDonald took a 73-yard punt return to the house in the first quarter, extending the Irish lead to 14-0.
Auburn Riverside quarterback Andrew Wold completed 3-of-15 passes for 11 yards and two interceptions. Ravens tailbacks Lucas Lemalu and Thyrou Umi-Tuato’o took a combined 14 carries for 31 yards.
Lemalu tallied a team-high four tackles.
2A STATE FIRST ROUND
NO. 7 ORTING 33, NO. 10 WASHOUGAL 10
The Orting Cardinals knew they needed to keep Washougal quarterback Holden Bea on the sidelines as much as possible on Friday night. The Panthers quarterback had thrown the ball all over the field on opponents all season long.
So the Cardinals decided basically not to throw the football in their 33-10 first-round victory at Cardinal Stadium.
“What did we throw it, just one time I think,” Orting coach Tom Bannan said. “We knew how good No. 5 (Bea) was over there. We had to keep him off the field.”
Quarterback Zach Gemar actually completed 2-of-3 attempts for 61 yards and the go-ahead touchdown — a 13-yard completion to Jace Lowdermilk — with 29 seconds left in the first half. The other 44 plays Orting (10-1) had were runs as the Cardinals advanced to the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2005.
The Cardinals have appeared in the state bracket on several occasions over the last two decades, both in 1A and 2A. But they hadn’t won a Round of 16 game since a 28-6 win over Woodland in that 2005 season until Friday.
Orting likely earns a date with No. 2 seed Anacortes in a quarterfinal matchup next weekend. The Seahawks play No. 15 seed Rogers of Spokane at home at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
“Which is crazy when you think of their story, right,” Bannan said. “You go back six or seven years and they (Anacortes) couldn’t even field a team. Then all of a sudden the incredible, total turnaround up there.”
The Cardinals are enjoying a quick turnaround of their own.
“It’s just amazing,” Bannan said. “Last year was such a rough year for us. To see the improvement, what they’ve done. It’s just so great to have one more week with them. And that’s the goal again this week.”
Seven different Orting running backs carried the ball on Friday. Kaiden Whitaker led the way with 70 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. Carson McCall had 53 yards and a score on just six carries before he left the game with a slightly sprained left ankle.
McCall will be ready to go for the quarterfinal matchup, Bannan said. Defensively, when Bea did get on the field, Orting ultimately held him to 16 completions on 32 attempts for 160 yards.
NO. 1 TUMWATER 70, NO. 16 PORT ANGELES 12
Tumwater’s merciless run game piled nine touchdowns — three from Kooper Clark — and the bracket’s top seed cruised through the state tournament’s first round on Friday night.
Clark erupted for an 85-yard touchdown on Tumwater’s first offensive play, the first of several rushing highlights underneath considerable rain at Tumwater District Stadium.
The win punched the T-Birds’ ticket for next week’s 2A quarterfinals, familiar territory for the perennial contender.
“Our kids expect to be here. They’re not overwhelmed by the moment,” Tumwater coach William Garrow said. “Our coaches have a lot of experience coaching in playoff games and preparing for playoff games.
“I’m confident that our kids are going to have the right attitude, and that our coaches know how to prepare.”
Running back Jaylin Nixon scampered for a 44-yard touchdown in the closing minutes of the first quarter. Six T-Birds scored a rushing touchdown, in total.
“We’re lucky that we have six different kids we play at different running back positions,” head coach William Garrow said. “Kooper and Jaylin are both fullbacks for us… both of them are really, really talented kids.
“It’s fun when both of them can get going, because both bring something a little different to the table.”
The T-Birds host the winner of Saturday’s contest between No. 8 Clarkston or No. 9 Woodland in the quarterfinals next weekend.
1A STATE FIRST ROUND
No. 2 LAKESIDE (NINE MILE FALLS) 41, No. 15 LIFE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 14
Lakeside erased an early deficit and stormed to victory in the second half behind Zackary Meharg’s two touchdowns on Friday night.
Meharg raced 85 yards for a touchdown on the opening kickoff of the second half, which started a scoring barrage en route to a 41-14 win over No. 15 Life Christian in the opening round of the state tournament.
Eagles quarterback Jabez Boyd found Champ Seumalo for a 17-yard touchdown that, for most of the second quarter, gave Life Christian a 6-3 lead.
But Lakeside quarterback Calvin Mikkelsen countered with a 1-yard touchdown rush with eight seconds remaining in the first half, the deciding score.
Life Christian’s (7-3) season ends following a second-place finish in the 1A Nisqually.
NO. 1 ROYAL 50, NO. 16 EATONVILLE 0
Royal completed a 1A three-peat in 2022 — and the state’s top seed rolled through Eatonville on Friday night, a step closer on their quest for a fourth-straight championship.
This was a rematch of the 2021 1A championship, Royal’s second of three straight. The Knights claimed the 2019 championship and have won in back-to-back seasons since the pandemic canceled the 2020 bracket.
Eatonville’s (6-5) season falls shy of the state quarterfinals for the first time since the Cruisers moved to the 1A classification.
This story was originally published November 10, 2023 at 11:14 PM.
