TNT’s Week 10 football power rankings: Sumner remains top dog, Tumwater rises
The regular season has concluded in the South Sound and across Washington state. The News Tribune’s high school sports crew ranked the top football teams again this fall.
As playoffs begin, we’re expanding our Top 10 list to 25. We’ll consider a variety of factors when adjusting rankings, not just wins and losses. Did a team lose because its star quarterback was hurt and didn’t play? Maybe that team won’t slide. Is a team lower in the standings than others teams in the league because of a more difficult non-league schedule? We’ll consider that, too.
Without further ado, the final power rankings of the season, the TNT’s Top 25:
1. Sumner (8-1) — Can offense hit explosive plays to accompany elite defense? If so, Spartans can win the whole thing.
2. Kennedy Catholic (9-0) — All the pieces are there to win it all, and we like the experience of Pat Jones’ squad. Versatile RB Indiana Jones is the key.
3. Tumwater (9-0) — One of the most dominant regular seasons we’ve ever seen, and the T-Birds did it against the big boys, too, collecting wins over 4A schools Puyallup and Eastlake.
4. Graham-Kapowsin (6-3) — Offensive struggles in the 4A SPSL title against Sumner game put a spotlight on G-K’s youth, but this team is dangerous when it’s clicking.
5. Decatur (9-0) — What a job by coach Matt Vaeena. Decatur’s defense has been lights out all season, and now the Gators return star running back Nehemiah Washington just in time for the postseason.
6. Puyallup (5-4) — Winners of four straight, this is the Puyallup we expected to see this season. RB Kyson Douglas is a match-up issue for defenses.
7. Lincoln (7-2) — Credit to Lincoln for scheduling aggressively in non-league. The Abes are battle tested and have won six straight.
8. Yelm (7-2) — Hopefully for Tornados, last week’s loss to Puyallup was simply a case of running into a red-hot team. The secondary faces another test against pass-happy Richland.
9. Enumclaw (8-1) — Since the loss to league champion Decatur in Week 1 (we will die on the hill that the game should’ve never been played that early, for what it’s worth), Hornets have been unstoppable and will be a tough out in the 3A playoffs.
10. Emerald Ridge (6-3) — First-year coach Torey Donovan has done one of the best jobs in the area this fall. Run-first, defense-minded approach could be recipe for postseason upsets.
11. Mount Tahoma (5-4) — A lot of people were too quick to give up on the T-Birds this season, winners of four straight. WR Elijah Durr is a game changer.
12. Lakes (8-1) — Loss to Mount Tahoma was evidence the 3A PSL’s Narrows Division was much more competitive than the Nisqually this season. Still, if Lakes can get healthy, this is a talented defense with playmakers everywhere.
13. Olympia (6-4) — Bears aren’t the same without QB Cameron Downing. WR Harper Hejtmanek (926 yards, 11 TDs) can still be a difference maker, though.
14. Curtis (5-4) — Vikings erased a three-game skid and punched their playoff tickets with last weekend’s win over Bethel. Look for two-way playmakers in Xavier Ahrens and Parker Mady when Curtis visits Glacier Peak in the 4A Round of 32.
15. Bethel (4-6) — The odd-man out in a tight 4A SPSL playoff race, Bethel dropped contests to Yelm and Graham-Kapowsin by four combined points. LB Zaydrius Rainey-Sale wrecked games and kept the Bison toe-to-toe with the area’s best.
16. Franklin Pierce (9-0) — The pieces formed a perfect puzzle for Trevor Hanson’s undefeated Cardinals this year as Franklin Pierce (9-0) outscored opponents 464-58 with an unstoppable Power-T. Which opponent is first to muster a competitive outing this postseason?
17. Federal Way (7-2) — Eagles have won five straight with two early losses to Decatur (by one point) and Enumclaw (17), proving they belong in the upper echelon of the 3A NPSL. Federal Way hosts Ferndale in the postseason’s opening round.
18. Tahoma (6-3) — Bears are winners of six straight with quality wins in the 4A NPSL. Up first on the playoff schedule – a visit to reigning state champion Lake Stevens.
19. Capital (5-4) — Cougars won five of their last seven – including a must-have over Gig Harbor last weekend – to secure a playoff berth. RB Blake Ostrander could be the key when Capital visits Roosevelt in the 3A Round of 32.
20. Gig Harbor (4-5) — RB Ryland Geldermann embodies the “run-the-ball, stop-the-run” mantra as the workhorse back across the Narrows. Tides won a second straight Fish Bowl rivalry over Peninsula in Week 1 and could notch win No. 5 with Kentwood on Wednesday.
21. Bellarmine Prep (6-3) — Lions ended a three-game skid over River Ridge last weekend, and QB Birk Johnston looks comfortable as a dual-threat. A trip to Monroe awaits in the 3A Round of 32.
22. Auburn (5-4) — WR Lucas Whitehall-Gilkes is putting together what’s arguably the best single season by a Trojans wideout in school history. The first-ever to 1,000 receiving yards, his 17-catch performance and game-winning rushing touchdown lifted Auburn to the city’s Fugate Trophy over Auburn Riverside last weekend. A playoff game at Sumner awaits.
23. Stadium (6-3) — Tigers clinched a 4A playoff berth with four league wins and impressive line play. Star RB Darius Sum’s availability (hamstring) is key when Stadium visits undefeated-Camas next.
24. Spanaway Lake (5-4) — Perimeter standout and UW commit D’Aryhian Clemons headlines this speedy group. Sentinels won three of four to conclude the regular season.
25. Orting (8-1) — Aside from their lone hiccup with Franklin Pierce, these Cardinals rolled through the 2A SPSL and earned a home playoff game with Toppenish. Opponents can’t stop all-purpose RB Carson McCall this season (100 scrimmage yards per game).
