Week 5: What we learned from high school football games in the South Sound
Week 5 of the high school football season is in the books. TNT high school sports reporters Jon Manley and Tyler Wicke discuss what stood out.
BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FROM WEEK 5
Manley: Welcome to the show, AJ Tuivaiave. Graham-Kapowsin’s freshman quarterback was sensational in Friday night’s marquee road win over Yelm, throwing for over 400 yards and a school-record seven touchdowns. I’m surprised Yelm wasn’t able to affect him more. After watching Yelm disrupt Lincoln quarterback Sione Kaho a couple weeks earlier, I thought a similar game plan would work against Tuivaiave. I still figured Graham-Kapowsin would put some points on the board — there’s too much talent at G-K for that offense to be completely shut down — but 57 points? Yeah, I didn’t see that coming. Props to Graham-Kapowsin coach Jeff Logan and the Eagles’ coaching staff. They were prepared and had a good game plan to attack Yelm’s secondary.
Wicke: The Graham-Kapowsin Eagles are in excellent hands. Any win at Yelm would have sufficed, but 14-year-old freshman QB AJ Tuivaiave entered enemy territory and etched his name into school record books. The 6-3, 200-pound signal-caller (already with two Division-I offers from Arizona State and Miami) threw seven touchdowns and torched the Tornados’ secondary with accurate deep balls, completing 21-of-27 passes for 418 yards without a turnover in a 57-36 shootout. It’s the most touchdown passes in a single game in Eagles history. We considered Graham-Kapowsin vs. Yelm one of the South Sound’s top matchups of the regular season, and those who trekked south were certainly rewarded. Tuivaiave spread his seven touchdowns among four receivers, handing Yelm its first home loss since 2021 despite four touchdown passes from Tornados QB Parker Myers. It’s a young G-K offense on the rise, headlined by Tuivaiave and sophomore RB Blake Pearson, who established Friday night’s run game with 26 carries for 141 rushing yards. Watch out for Jeff Logan’s Eagles.
WHICH TEAMS IMPRESSED MOST?
Manley: I’ll go with the Decatur Gators, who pulled off a 15-14 win over a good Skyview program. Quarterback Spencer Holloway and the Decatur offense has played well this season, even without star running back Nehemiah Washington, who suffered an injury just before the season opener, but how ‘bout that defense? Decatur is giving up just 12.2 points per game this season.
Wicke: Tumwater — where else will you find 14 individual running backs handling 38 total carries for 309 yards? Willy Garrow’s T-Birds just keep rolling, this week over 4A-Union, 56-10. Despite the rushing frenzy, it was LB Beckett Wall who dominated the defensive stat sheet: 11 tackles, four TFL, three sacks, two batted balls, a fumble recovery and a blocked extra point. … The Capital Cougars followed an impressive, 24-21 win over Peninsula last weekend with a 49-0 rout of Timberline. Feature RB Blake Ostrander ran for 118 yards and two touchdowns, helping extend Capital’s win streak to three.
WHICH INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE STOOD OUT MOST IN WEEK 5?
Manley: Given the stage, it’s Graham-Kapowsin QB AJ Tuivaiave and his seven touchdown performance against Yelm, then everyone else. A couple other noteworthy lines: Kennedy Catholic do-everything back Indiana Jones, who rushed for 202 yards and three touchdowns and added a pair of receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown in a win over Auburn. And again, Stadium running back Darius Sum: 265 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a win over Kentwood.
Wicke: Tuivaiave aside, Lincoln QB Sione Kaho threw four touchdowns (no interceptions) and guided the Abes over Tacoma-rival Mount Tahoma in a double-overtime thriller, 38-32. It avenged Lincoln’s 24-20 loss to the T-Birds last season, the first at the hands of their crosstown rival since 2011. … Lakes WR/DB Tristan Baker terrorized River Ridge in three phases, scoring three touchdowns in a runaway 48-0 win. Baker took 90- and 60-yard kickoff returns to the house, handled four carries for 13 yards and a one-yard touchdown rush, plus two receptions for 20 yards at Harry Lang Stadium in Lakewood.
WHICH OF THE REMAINING UNDEFEATED TEAMS HAD THE BEST PERFORMANCE IN WEEK 5?
Manley: Give me Tumwater with another win over a 4A team, this time a 56-10 rout of Union. The Wing-T has been predictably hard to stop, but this defense could be what gets Tumwater back into the 2A state championship game and perhaps into a closer-fought matchup against reigning state champion Anacortes if the teams meet again in a rematch of last year’s 2A title game at Husky Stadium. LB Beckett Wall has been a game-wrecker.
Wicke: How about a signature win for Decatur over 4A Skyview in miraculous, comeback fashion? The Gators trailed by seven points with two minutes to play. When the Storm tried to run out the clock, DT Eli Saleaumua forced the game-saving fumble that gave Decatur life. QB Spencer Holloway directed the game-winning drive with a touchdown pass and ensuing two-point conversion to WR Maddox Heyliger for the win, 15-14. The Golden Gators are 5-0 and possess wins over Enumclaw, Federal Way, and Skyview five weeks in. They’re looking like a legitimate postseason threat.
WHICH MATCHUP ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO MOST IN WEEK 6?
Manley: I’m intrigued by Mount Tahoma’s matchup against Bellarmine Prep for a couple reasons. 1) Mount Tahoma is sitting at 1-4 overall and 0-2 in 3A PSL play and desperately needs a win, and 2) Bellarmine Prep comes into the game undefeated and this will be the biggest test yet for the Lions in their new league. Bethel vs. Graham-Kapowsin should be fun, also. The schools sit just five miles apart, are in the same school district and there’s a lot of familiarity and history there.
Wicke: We’re looking forward to a 4A SPSL matchup between Curtis (2-0, 4-1) and Emerald Ridge (2-0, 3-2) at Sparks Stadium when a high-flying Vikings offense led by WRs Parker Mady and Xavier Ahrens clash with a Jaguars defense allowing fewer than 18 points per game. … We’ve seen plenty of competitive football in the 3A NPSL, and that should continue when White River (4-1) visits Federal Way (3-2) on Friday night. The Hornets have recovered from an early, 48-0 loss at Fife with three straight wins in league play over Auburn Mountainview, Todd Beamer and Kentlake by combined scores of 118-20. It’s a tough test with the Eagles to extend that streak to four.
This story was originally published October 7, 2024 at 12:31 PM.
