Making the case for Tumwater: Why the T-Birds can win 2A state title
The high school football state tournament brackets in Washington are filled with teams from the South Sound. Over the course of the season, some of these teams separated themselves and look like legitimate state title contenders.
One of those teams is Tumwater, in Class 2A. The undefeated T-Birds earned the No. 1 seed in the 2A state tournament, which begins Friday. Here’s a look at Tumwater’s season, key players and signature wins. Plus, thoughts from multiple coaches who coached against the T-Birds this year — why they think Tumwater could win it all and what could cause the T-Birds to fall short of hoisting the trophy at Husky Stadium. Coaches are quoted anonymously to allow them to speak candidly.
RECORD: 11-0 overall, 6-0 in the 2A EvCo
SIGNATURE WINS: 34-14 over North Kitsap in Week 2; 55-20 over W.F. West in Week 5; 61-21 over Tahoma in Week 9
STAT LEADERS (through nine games): QB Ethan Kastner: 59-of-80, 1,149 yards, 21 TD, 2 INT; RB Kooper Clark: 744 rushing yards, 13 TD on 69 carries, 49 receiving yards, 2 TD on three receptions.
MAKING THE CASE FOR THE T-BIRDS
A 20-point win over 2A state contender North Kitsap in Week 2 was a statement, then the T-Birds ripped through the 2A EvCo untested. After Black Hills forfeited its Week 9 game against Tumwater, the T-Birds found a replacement in 4A Tahoma. The result? A 61-21 beatdown of the visiting Bears. Tumwater takes the 2A state tournament’s top seed and has dominated all season on both sides of the ball.
Opposing Coach A: “They were the best team we saw by a pretty significant margin. I think they’re methodically boring. They’re so good at what they do, especially offensively. You know what they’re going to do and you can’t stop it. They’re one of the best coached teams I’ve ever seen. … Defensively, it was the best defensive line we saw all year. (DL Mallijah Tucker) is super, super explosive. … Their linebackers are super aggressive and play fast. Schematically, that tells me those kids are really comfortable and know what they’re doing.”
Opposing Coach B: “I think offensively, it’s one of the soundest Tumwater running teams that I’ve coached against or seen. Their quickness out of the huddle, getting onto the ball, the way they fire off the ball, pull and move — it’s pretty special to watch. … Their running backs are definitely their strength. The reason it’s their strength, they’ve got 10 or 12 of them that are really similar. When one gets dinged, another one goes in and does the same thing. Their depth at running back is definitely their thing they can hang their hat on.”
WHY THE T-BIRDS COULD FALL SHORT
If anyone knows how to slow down Tumwater’s Wing-T, we certainly haven’t seen it yet this year, but there are quality teams year in and year out in the 2A state bracket. Teams like Lynden have met Tumwater so often in the playoffs, they’re used to preparing for Tumwater’s offense. Teams like Lynden, Anacortes and Enumclaw might be able to match up with the T-Birds up front. Lynden has been Tumwater’s kryptonite in the state tournament; the Lions are 5-2 against the T-Birds in the state tournament, per WIAA records. Most recently, Lynden beat Tumwater in the 2021 state championship game.
Opposing coach A: “I think they’d have to see a team that could match up well up front and hang with them offensively. It’d probably be a shootout. … They’d have to match up up front and move the ball vertically down the field. They’re too good in the box to just be able to cram it down their throat.”
Opposing coach B: “If they come across a team that’s got a great run-stopping defense and they have big, physical corners that can win 1-on-1’s, that’ll be a tough matchup.”
Opening round game: Port Angeles (7-3) at Tumwater (11-0), 7 p.m. Friday at Tumwater District Stadium
