Week 10: What we learned from high school football playoff games in the South Sound
Week 10 of the high school football season is in the books. TNT high school sports reporters Jon Manley and Tyler Wicke discuss what stood out from the Round of 32, winner-to-state games.
BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FROM WEEK 10
Manley: I heard through the grapevine that some players from Glacier Peak were messaging Curtis star and Montana State receiver commit Parker Mady before last week’s playoff game, talking a little smack. That’s probably the last player I’d want to fire up before a playoff game. Lesson learned about poking the bear — Curtis soundly defeated Glacier Peak on the road, 28-0. And Mady? He caught seven passes for 80 yards and a touchdown and had three interceptions on defense, one of which he returned 38 yards for a touchdown. The Vikings weren’t the only road underdog from the 4A SPSL to advance. Puyallup defeated Eastlake, 27-14, to advance to the state bracket. The Curtis result surprised me but Puyallup’s win didn’t. Brian Grout’s group has been one of the hottest teams in the area in the second half of the season.
Wicke: Another year, another dominant showing from the 4A SPSL. Five teams from the area’s best league help comprise the 16-team state bracket this fall, headlined by No. 2 Sumner, but each program got there in their own way. No. 9 Graham-Kapowsin reached the bracket with QB AJ Tuivaiave, the freshman signal caller already turning heads. No. 12 Emerald Ridge’s defense is thriving under first-year head coach Torey Donovan, and No. 14 Puyallup climbed out of a 1-4 hole to reach the dance with sophomore QB Luke Parker. And No. 16 Curtis just blanked Glacier Peak on the road, 28-0, for a statement playoff win to make the bracket. Who’s in for the longest run?
WHICH TEAMS IMPRESSED MOST?
Manley: I loved what I saw from Mount Tahoma in a 35-13 win over Mount Spokane on a rainy Saturday afternoon in the south end of Tacoma. T T-Birds ran the ball at will against Mount Spokane, hit Elijah Durr for some explosive plays in the passing game and flew around in the secondary against a good Wildcats’ passing attack. They are going to be a tough out in the 3A bracket. And how ‘bout Emerald Ridge punching its ticket to the 4A state tournament with a 37-22 win over Skyline. I don’t think anyone would’ve picked the Jags to reach state this year after all the talent the team lost to graduation. This year’s team is winning with defense — Emerald Ridge’s defense picked off Skyline quarterback Mason Pirello four times in last week’s win.
Wicke: Mount Tahoma’s always had the talent, and on Saturday, the T-Birds put it all together for a 35-13 playoff win over Mount Spokane to return to the 3A state tournament. Star WR Elijah Durr caught two touchdowns and Mount Tahoma scored 35 unanswered points to win their fifth straight game. The outlook wasn’t always this bright after a 1-4 start with losses to Central Kitsap and Lincoln, but Keith Terry’s T-Birds never packed it in. “If you think we’re gonna quit, you don’t know me,” Terry said. ... A week after Lakes’ undefeated season ended in overtime at the hands of former PCL-rival Mount Tahoma, the Lancers stomped White River in their playoff opener at Harry Lang Stadium, 52-0. That’s the Lakes defense we remember, even without injured DT Tupu Saleauma and LB Tau Mareko. Credit to the Lancers – after a figurative punch in the mouth, they punched back.
WHICH INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE STOOD OUT IN WEEK 10?
Manley: Give me Enumclaw running back Louis Chevalier, running behind the Hornets’ nasty offensive line: 224 yards and three touchdowns on just eight carries (that’s 28 yards per carry) and two catches for 68 yards and another score in a 77-0 win over Southridge. And Curtis’ Parker Mady — what a game.
Wicke: Cascade Christian’s Tayven Collins just threw his name into the running for the best single-game performance in the South Sound this season. He was everywhere. As a receiver: five receptions, 184 yards, and two touchdowns. As a rusher: 10 carries, 184 yards, and a touchdown (three total) with a two-point conversion run. And on defense? Collins tackled 17 (two for loss) with two sacks and an interception (28-yard return) in Cascade Christian’s 45-11 win over Castle Rock that clinched a berth in the 1A state tournament.
WHICH PLAYOFF GAME ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO MOST IN WEEK 11?
Manley: I mentioned this matchup on Jason Puckett’s podcast the other day: No. 7 Decatur hosts No. 10 Mount Tahoma on Friday night in the 3A bracket. This is Decatur’s first trip to the state tournament in the program’s history. They didn’t get an easy draw with Mount Tahoma, which is one of the hottest teams in the bracket right now, coming off wins over Lakes and Mount Spokane the past two weeks. Grab your popcorn. In the 4A bracket, I think No. 8 Arlington vs. No. 9 Graham-Kapowsin will be fun up north. It’s a quarterback matchup between Arlington’s Leyton Martin and G-K freshman AJ Tuivaiave.
Wicke: We’re expecting another packed crowd (and perhaps plenty of points) when Kamiakin visits Sumner for the opening round of 4A state football this weekend. Spartans RB Steele Isaacs is gashing defenses and playing his best football of the season (six rush TDs in his last two games) and QB Nate Donavan has one of the area’s better skill-position groups at his disposal. It’ll come down to how well Sumner’s defense contains a Kamiakin offense averaging 34 points per game. ... Enumclaw, meanwhile, just rolled over Southridge for their most impressive win yet, a 77-0 rout to clinch a 3A state berth. Can QB Gavin Trachte and the Hornets keep their offense buzzing on the road at Lampson Stadium?
