4A SPSL Media Day: Loaded Sumner chases repeat state championship
Keith Ross was just trying to find his wife. He was making his way through the stands at Husky Stadium after his Sumner Spartans won the Class 4A state championship over Camas last December and kept getting stopped for conversations and photos.
“I was starting to get frustrated,” Ross said, laughing.
He eventually found Tracie, his wife. The celebrations didn’t stop there. When he finally made his way onto the bus after the win — the first state championship of his nearly three-decade coaching career — he had 272 unread text messages.
“People I had never even heard from, or people I went to college with 30 years ago, or (Sumner) town folks,” Ross said. “It’s still incredible around town. It’s a small enough town that it’s a proud town, and people know we won the state championship.”
There was a parade down Main Street, recognition from the city council and more. At the 4A South Puget Sound League football media day at The Ram Restaurant on Ruston Way in Tacoma on Tuesday, Ross acknowledged it was time to turn the page on last year’s title, but the monthslong celebration sure has been fun.
“It was super cool to see everybody,” linebacker Austin Glivar said. “The best fans we could’ve asked for. … It was the most people I’ve ever played in front of.”
Now, a new challenge awaits the Spartans: defending a pair of titles, both in the league and in the state.
“We’ve already turned the page,” Glivar said. “Wining the state championship doesn’t happen a lot. It’s super cool when it happens, but as soon as workouts started, we knew it was time to go.”
Sumner returns seven starters on offense and eight on defense. The Spartans also welcome Davis (Yakima) running back transfer Lance McGee, an Oregon State commit. It might just be a match made in heaven with a program that loves to run the football.
“A 230-pound Division I running back playing at Sumner is a dream,” Ross said.
Quarterback Nate Donovan and receiver Braylon Pope also return, giving Ross the pieces to what should be an explosive offense to pair with a lights-out defense. Sumner’s title defense begins with a grueling non-league schedule again this year: Lake Stevens in Week 1, Kennedy Catholic in Week 2 and Oregon power West Linn in Week 3.
TNT high school sports reporters Jon Manley and Tyler Wicke sat down with all of the 4A SPSL’s programs (except Yelm, which did not attend) on Tuesday afternoon at The Ram. Here’s a few quotes from each program that stood out. Looking for more? Don’t worry, we have a ton of coverage coming — a preseason practice tour, league previews, top players lists, predictions and more — as practices begin this week. TNT subscribers receive unlimited digital access to all of our coverage.
BETHEL BISON
Tight end Elijah Muliufi on replacing the production of Zaydrius Rainey-Sale: “He set the standard. They’re feeding off each other. We got some dawgs in the linebacker room.”
Linebacker Ramzak Fruean, a UCLA commit, on what he learned from Rainey-Sale: “Learned a lot from him. My biggest takeaway was just that violence he had on the field. He brings it every day, every practice. 100 percent effort.”
Returning QB Evan Barnes on the type of season he expects to have: “Super confident. I like the position I’m in, great guys all around. I’m trying to reach for 3,000 passing yards this season.”
BONNEY LAKE PANTHERS
OC Tyler Parker on crosstown-rival Sumner’s state title: “Everybody wants to be a state champ. Everybody wants to be (an) elite program that goes and plays big teams. We’ve got a little bit of work to do to get there, but these guys haven’t hid from that work.”
RB/LB Gavin Davis on returning to the playoffs in 2025: “Playoffs are all we think about. It’s all we talk about.”
TE Chris Conte: “It’s not just a goal. It’s going to happen. We tell everyone that because we 100 percent believe it’s going to happen.”
CURTIS VIKINGS
Head coach Darren McKay on graduated WRs Parker Mady and Xavier Ahrens: “Having those two playmakers … what they did, you can’t emulate. They set school records as far as anything in the receiving category. They’re both playing college football for a reason.”
McKay on the ongoing QB1 battle: “Sam (Patterson) is ahead right now, the sophomore, and he’s going to be getting the majority of those reps as a result of that. … Both quarterbacks played last year, so we have that experience.”
OL/DL Kingston Kerkhoff on RB Ryland Geldermann, a Gig Harbor transfer: “ I don’t think there’s a better back in the league, to be honest.”
Kerkhoff on the run game: “I want us to impose our will on teams more than we did last year. We had a good O-Line group with a lot of talent, but chemistry is everything, and we didn’t have that, necessarily. This year, I think (that will) be the changing factor in our run game.”
DL/OL Robby Lavata’i on playing in the 4A SPSL: “It’s nice to have great competition in this league, having the defending champs [Sumner]. I just can’t wait to beat them.”
EMERALD RIDGE JAGUARS
DB/WR Cloyd Coles on the team surprising people last year: “We were really underdogs. We were staged last. A lot of people doubted us. We went into the weight room with that mentality.”
Coach Torey Donovan on Puyallup transfer QB Brayden Paulino: “He’s an athlete, makes good decisions with the football. From Day 1, he’s been nothing but a positive leader. The guys just latched on. I’m excited to see that continue.”
DL/OL Brandon McMullen: “They always doubt us. We’re always in the weight room. We have fast guys.”
GRAHAM-KAPOWSIN EAGLES
Sophomore QB AJ Tuivaiave on entering his second season as the starter: “Feeling great. Difference between year one and year two, I’ve gotten bigger, stronger, a little bit faster. I’ve been studying my plays, watching film a lot.”
Center Douglas Peterson on the offensive line’s maturation: “Grown tremendously. Everyone is starting to buy in. (Left tackle) Ayden Bullinger put on 60 pounds. Everyone is starting to buy in. With this team bonding thing, we’re gonna see a lot of results.”
Peterson on facing O’Dea’s highly-touted defensive line in a non-league rematch: “They’re known for their d-line. With how much our o-line has grown, we’re gonna be able to hold our own.”
WR Kase Betz on watching league peer Sumner win the 4A state championship: “Sumner is our rival. … To see them win the state championship didn’t make me very happy, especially because they played us and beat us pretty bad. That definitely made me work a lot harder in the days after. … We’re a school with high expectations. We only expect state championships.”
OLYMPIA BEARS
Head coach Nick Mullen on the offensive line: “We have four starters back and they’ve all lived in the weight room. They’re weird, and you want weird offensive linemen. And they’re all weird guys because they have a screw loose. You have to have a screw loose to play offensive line. They just have a great time together, they compete at everything, they don’t miss the weight room, and that’s the big thing. Because they hold each other accountable and eat their faces off together.”
Mullen on the program’s strength/retainment: “We are homegrown. We aren’t getting kids from Seattle. … We sell who we are, we sell our community, and our kids and community take care of each other. I don’t recruit anybody. These are my guys. And I think the guys coming up see that. Because if you leave? Kick rocks, buddy. You don’t want to be a part of something then. We’re building something.”
WR/S Samuel Rigg on being a perennial playoff contender: “We’ve definitely been through the lows. We came back stronger from it. … We’re capable one year, so let’s do it again, you know? Why not?”
PUYALLUP VIKINGS
New head coach DJ Mims on last year’s 56-6 loss to Tumwater in Week 1: “They weren’t too happy, but I put 56-6 on the scoreboard at Puyallup for summer practices. If you want to change that, it starts on September 5. And to do that, you’ve got to put in the work.”
WR/DB Jayden Woodland: “We have way too much talent not to do something with it. It’s just, how bad do we want it now? We’ve got to stay disciplined and stay prideful.”
LB Michael Pulalasi, a Lakes transfer: “Just the way the (Puyallup) program is run… It preps you for college and for the future.”
ROGERS RAMS
WR/DB Carson Barnett on the defense hoping to improve this year: “On defense, we had the people, it was just the little things, connecting things together that prevented points from being scored.”
QB Rashard Boone on how explosive the offense could be: “Way more explosive than last year. We lost a key receiver but we’re making up for him in big ways. We’re gonna score even more points. In those big games, we can score even more points. Our starting offense, I just trust them with everything, especially with this new o-line.”
Coach Shawn Yohn on the roster construction: “We don’t have all the D1’s, all the transfers, but we have guys that we’ve built internally. We want guys to play for us that want to be here. We’re building from within. (Sumner coach Keith) Ross took a while to win a state title. We know it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
SOUTH KITSAP WOLVES
Head coach Sean Banks: “There’s not a lot of ego with this group. It’s definitely team-first. Really coachable. This group of seniors has been with me now for three years, so I’m a lot more comfortable with these guys. I’m excited just to see their growth. … We did lose a lot of seniors, but I think a lot of the younger guys (who) step into roles have earned that right.
“(The 4A SPSL) is the best league in my opinion, with all due respect to other leagues. You can’t pick out a game on the schedule where (you think) it’s a gimme, a get-right game. And to be frank, we’ve been that on other people’s schedules. … Our guys have embraced the challenge. They don’t shy away.”
WR/S Jesse Billings on taking the next step: “Something we’re really excited about is the player-led leadership from day one. Starting tomorrow and throughout the season, I think we’ve put that upon ourselves to really help elevate the team in general.”
SPANAWAY LAKE SENTINELS
RB Peyton Martin on expectations in 2025: “Same goal, make a deep run in the playoffs. Most of us, we’re all familiar with each other. We’ve been playing since sixth, seventh grade. We want to make it like those days.”
WR Dwight Ballard on stepping up to the 4A SPSL last year: “Definitely harder, 3A to 4A. This last year, we’ve adjusted to knowing what to expect. We’re more prepared. Just better competition makes practice that much harder.”
SUMNER SPARTANS
Coach Keith Ross on turning the page: “Last year’s team was last year’s team. It’s time to move on.”
LB Austin Glivar on how last season’s tough non-league schedule paid dividends: “I think it set us up perfectly, winning that Lake Stevens game, getting on that high road. Week 3, we lost a great game against a great team (West Linn, Ore.). After that game, we flipped a switch.”
This story was originally published August 20, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
