High school football season preview: Steilacoom Sentinels
The high school football season begins in early September and The News Tribune has been all over the South Sound, visiting local programs at practices before games begin. Up next, we’re previewing a handful of teams individually before the season kicks off.
Here’s how things are shaping up for the Steilacoom Sentinels this fall.
Editor’s note: The “outlook” section for each program is pulled from the TNT’s preseason practice tour. Find the full practice tour story here, complete with insight on over 20 teams in the area, quotes, photos, videos and more.
STEILACOOM SENTINELS
Head coach: Kyle Haller, fifth year
2024 results: 6-4, Class 2A district playoffs
Offensive coordinator & base scheme: Kyle Haller, Spread
Defensive coordinator & base scheme: Chris Maxwell, 4-2-5
OUTLOOK
New year, same offensive scheme for head coach Kyle Haller: Steilacoom’s going to air it out.
For three years, graduated QB Drew MacDonald was the “heart and soul” of the Sentinels, guiding Steilacoom into the postseason with 2,202 passing yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior in 2024. The good news: Much of the core that surrounded him returns, with seven starters on both sides of the football back for more in ‘25.
“We like to throw the football. We still intend to throw the football,” Haller said Wednesday, as Steilacoom officially kicked off the season at their first practice. “We’re gonna tweak some things, just to get some different looks, but stay true to who we are.”
Junior QB Titus Kaeka and his “live arm” built for Steilacoom’s pass-heavy offense take over as signal-caller. Two-way TE and edge-rushing disruptor Xander Shaw headlines the returnees. And Haller says the program is in a much better place now than it was last fall, when the Sentinels won six games and appeared in the 2A playoffs.
The goal this year? Return to the state’s Sweet 16 for the first time since 2021.
“I get the glorified position of being able to run downfield and catch balls, but I also get to block and put people in the dirt,” Shaw, a three-star Air Force commit, told The News Tribune. “We’ve got some dogs (on defense) for sure, ready to fight. Offense, we’re ready to let the ball loose and let it fly.”
Watch for junior RB/S Noah Maxwell, a reigning All-State defensive back with six rushing touchdowns and 66 tackles in 2024. All-league lineman Porotesano “J.P.” Mataiao is the strongest player on the team, enough for Haller to call his shot: “I have a feeling he’s going to be an absolute force in this league.”
Steilacoom went 6-4 with a fourth-place finish in the 2A SPSL last season. They’ll open the 2025 campaign at home with non-league Bremerton on Sept. 5.
KEY PLAYERS
TE Xander Shaw, sr.
RB/S Noah Maxwell, jr.
QB Titus Kaeka, jr.
OL Porotesano Mataio, sr.
DB Evan DiPetrillo, sr.
SCHEDULE
Sept. 5: vs. Bremerton
Sept. 12: at Aberdeen
Sept. 18: vs. Washington
Sept. 25: at Clover Park
Oct. 3: at Orting
Oct. 9: vs. Franklin Pierce
Oct. 16: at Foss
Oct. 24: vs. Eatonville
Oct. 30: vs. Fife
This story was originally published August 26, 2025 at 12:00 PM.
