High school football: Top 10 non-league games featuring South Sound teams
Wondering if Sumner would rest on its laurels after winning the Class 4A state high school football championship last fall? Longtime coach Keith Ross has other ideas. Once again, Sumner’s non-league schedule is the toughest in the state, stacked each of its three weeks with matchups against state tournament teams Lake Stevens, Kennedy Catholic and Oregon power West Linn.
All three of those contests make this list, but Sumner isn’t the only team with compelling non-league contests. Here are 10 we’re looking forward to this fall.
Sumner at Lake Stevens, 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5
Sumner’s 31-28 overtime win in Week 1 against Lake Stevens last fall was a signature win and solidified the belief that Ross’ squad could win the Class 4A state championship — which the Spartans did. This fall, Sumner is the visitor in the rematch, which will be a good indicator of where both teams are early in the season. This is the first of three stiff tests in Sumner’s loaded non-league slate.
O’Dea at Graham-Kapowsin, 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5
Graham-Kapowsin lost a thriller on the road against O’Dea in last season’s non-league opener, 35-28. O’Dea went on to win the Class 3A state championship in dominant fashion. Graham-Kapowsin sophomore QB AJ Tuivaiave should be more comfortable in year two but will face a stiff test against the Irish’s defensive line, which is one of the best on the west coast.
Tumwater at Puyallup, 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5
It wasn’t a surprise seeing perennial 2A state power Tumwater beat Puyallup last fall, but the scoreline was shocking: Tumwater 56, Puyallup 6. Puyallup should have the edge with skill-position talent, but it’ll come down to how well the Vikings are prepared to defend Tumwater’s well-oiled Wing-T machine in DJ Mims’ first game as Puyallup’s new head coach.
Life Christian at Yelm, 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19
Changes at Yelm this fall: former Eatonville coach Rex Norris replaces Jason Ronquillo, who resigned recently. Still, the Tornados have played in two state championship games in recent years (winning one title) and held their own in their first season in the 4A SPSL. This is a good test for 1A state championship contender Life Christian and TNT All-Area QB Jabez Boyd.
West Linn at Sumner, 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19
Looky here, another Spartans’ game makes the list. Sumner’s only loss en route to the Class 4A state title last fall was on the road in Oregon to West Linn, but the Spartans led 20-6 at halftime before watching West Linn come back in the second half to win, 34-27. This time around, it’s West Linn crossing the border and making the road trip to Sunset Chev.
Curtis at Lakes, 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19
This was a defensive battle last fall, with Lakes putting together a comeback win on the road in University Place. Curtis stars and TNT All-Area selections Parker Mady and Xavier Ahrens — both at Montana State — are gone, but we’re expecting another tight game.
Kennedy Catholic at Sumner, 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12
This should be fun: reigning 4A NPSL champion Kennedy Catholic (we’ve lost count of how many league titles in a row the Lancers have won, at this point) takes on reigning 4A SPSL champion and 2024 state champion Sumner. Sumner has the more complete roster, but UW defensive line commit and the state’s top-ranked recruit Derek Colman-Brusa has game-wrecking ability.
Mount Tahoma at Camas, 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12
Mount Tahoma has been a team that has started slowly before hitting its stride and playing its best football late in the season under coach Keith Terry, who has engineered an impressive turnaround in Tacoma’s South End. The pieces are there for Mount Tahoma this fall, which returns dual-threat QB Mikkah Cordero and highly-touted WR/DB Elijah Durr, a UW commit. Can the T-Birds get out of the gate hotter? A matchup against reigning 4A state tournament runner-up Camas is a good test.
Franklin Pierce at Lincoln, 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5
Contrasting styles here: Franklin Pierce runs the football almost exclusively in its Power T offense, while Lincoln is balanced but will look to spread things out with junior QB Sione Kaho, a four-star recruit.
Lincoln at Camas, 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19
Last year’s meeting between the programs wasn’t particularly close; Camas won comfortably, 33-14. We’d expect a tighter contest this time around with Lincoln QB Sione Kaho entering his junior year.
This story was originally published August 6, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
