Week 1 takeaways: Graham-Kapowsin is back, Mount Tahoma dominates and more
Week 1 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 this week’s action.
BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FROM WEEK 1
Manley: Graham-Kapowsin is back. I think we all understood last year was a rebuilding year for Jeff Logan’s Eagles — even that included 4A SPSL championship game and 4A state tournament appearances — and the entirety of 2024 felt like a young roster setting the stage for 2025. And in Week 1, G-K delivered. Graham-Kapowsin knocked off reigning Class 3A state champion O’Dea and its vaunted defensive line, 40-38, in what TNT staff photographer Brian Hayes characterized as “pure cinema,” an apt description for a game that had it all: lead changes, a signature performance from emerging sophomore QB AJ Tuivaiave, dominant performances from G-K’s talented receivers and a game-winning, 80-yard drive in the final two minutes. Tuivaiave, in particular, was excellent. He torched O’Dea’s secondary all night and drew praise from Logan for his pocket presence, climbing the pocket when O’Dea’s pass rush threatened to get home. He looked beyond his years as a 15-year-old sophomore. I knew WR Kase Betz was poised for a big year, but sophomore WR Jayce Halasz was equally electric and may be the next Division I recruit out of G-K. Logan mentioned to me Halasz reminds him of former G-K receiver Malachi Durant, who is now playing for Oregon State.
Wicke: Franklin Pierce wants to be considered “the toughest team in Tacoma,” and though that title can’t be claimed Week 1, the Cardinals are well on their way. RB Bryson Allen erupted for 285 yards and five touchdowns, and F-P made one of the South Sound’s biggest statements with a 38-29 win over the Lincoln Abes on the road Friday night. The Cardinals forced two turnovers and controlled the clock with a deceptive Power-T run game, using Allen’s fifth touchdown to slam the door late in the fourth quarter at Lincoln Bowl. “We said last year was the proof that we’re on the right track, and this year is going to be the statement that we’re here to stay,” head coach Trevor Hanson said, who returns Allen and dual-threat QB Jeremiah Orcutt. “That’s why we schedule these tough games. I think the kids are starting to believe in what the coaches see in them.” Franklin Pierce plowed through the 2A SPSL and reached the Class 2A quarterfinals last fall, and we have every reason to believe a return to the state bracket is imminent with a core group of returners and their tried-and-true offensive scheme. Another heavyweight matchup looms: The Cardinals host perennial 2A-contender Lynden on Saturday afternoon with a chance to knock off the two toughest teams on their schedule immediately.
Another statement: Gig Harbor’s run game thrived in Saturday’s annual Fish Bowl rivalry with Peninsula, a 35-21 win at Mount Tahoma Stadium in Tacoma. New head coach Jeff Scoma implemented a Wing-T offense that cruised from start to finish, powering the Tides’ third straight win over their crosstown rivals. “Scoma, the second he came in, he has implemented a great and solid foundation,” Tides RB Ian Shearer said, who scored three touchdowns in the win. “There’s no one else I’d rather go into battle for right now.”
WHICH TEAMS IMPRESSED MOST?
Manley: There were a bunch, but I’ll go with Keith Terry’s Mount Tahoma T-Birds, who shut out 4A Yelm, 42-0. Mount Tahoma piled up 259 yards on the ground, led by Nessi White (101 yards, TD) and Felix Diaz (94 yards, TD). Defensively, the T-Birds were lights out and racked up 10 tackles for loss — three apiece for Shan Jones and Teaven Jones. Mount Tahoma has been one of Tacoma’s best teams the past few years but has gotten off to slow starts. Clearly, it looks like that isn’t a problem this year.
Also, I thought Enumclaw looked solid in its win over Decatur at Pete’s Pool on Thursday. It took a little while for the offense to get going, but once senior QB Gavin Trachte settled in, the Hornets cruised in the second half. Sophomore RB Paxton Patterson suffered an ankle injury early in the game but looked electric on the opening touchdown drive. And 11 new starters on defense didn’t seem to be an issue for Mark Gunderson’s team.
Wicke: I’ll take the Auburn Trojans after HC Aaron Chantler’s offense piled 67 points on Kent-Meridian. Opposing defenses already had to gameplan for standout WR Lucas Whitehall-Gilkes, but the return of WR Christian Titialii poses the question: How can you stop both? Kent-Meridian couldn’t stop either, as Whitehall-Gilkes exploded for four touchdowns (5 REC, 179 YD) and Titialii added another (8-147-1). I’m excited to see where Auburn finishes in a competitive 4A NPSL, and if defenses can solve the offensive catch-22 at Auburn Memorial Stadium this fall.
Another blowout: Lakes blanked Auburn Riverside, 48-0, piling 427 yards of offense (236 rush yards). The Lancers return Idaho WR commit Tristan Baker and a much healthier defense this time around, making them head-and-shoulders favorites to repeat their 3A PSL Nisqually title.
WHICH WEEK 1 RESULT WAS THE MOST SURPRISING?
Manley: Look, Franklin Pierce is a good team. Trevor Hanson’s squad returned a lot of key pieces from last year’s undefeated 2A SPSL championship team and I predicted the Cardinals would advance to the 2A state tournament semifinals this year. That being said, Lincoln was a 3A state tournament quarterfinal team a season ago and returns junior four-star QB Sione Kaho. So yes, this is still a game I would’ve expected Lincoln to win, even against a good 2A team. The result (a 38-29 Franklin Pierce win at Lincoln Bowl on Friday night) reminds me a bit of 4A Puyallup’s loss to 2A Tumwater last season, though obviously not the same margin of defeat. Things have to be really tight defensively against deceptive run offenses (Power-T in Franklin Pierce’s case, and the Wing-T in Tumwater’s case). Lincoln may wind up being just fine in the long run, but it looks like there’s some work to be done. I wouldn’t expect a fun week of practice at Lincoln Bowl this week.
Wicke: After notching consecutive five-win seasons in 2023-24 with a Class 3A playoff appearance in the latter, could this be a breakthrough year for the Capital Cougars? First-year QB Nolan Potts delivered four rushing touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime, to surprise 4A-Olympia in the city’s Spaghetti Bowl rivalry on Friday night, 33-27. Efficient both on the ground and through the air, Potts completed for 23-of-35 passes for 168 yards, adding 110 rushing yards on 10 carries. It’s a young Cougars squad, but Potts and Co. have lived up to HC Terry Rose’s playoff standard one game in. We’ll learn more when Capital visits W.F. West on Friday night.
WHICH TEAM SHOULD BE ON EVERY OPPONENT’S RADAR MOVING FORWARD?
Manley: A 52-0 win over Auburn Mountainview tells me Federal Way might be ready to contend for the 3A NPSL title this season. Eastern Washington commit Zamarie Tellez scored a pair of touchdowns and four different running backs crossed the goal line for the Eagles. Enumclaw beat Decatur on Thursday night, 30-14. Could the 3A NPSL title be decided when Enumclaw travels to Federal Way on Sept. 25?
Also, keep an eye on Timberline in the 3A PSL Nisqually division. The Blazers pulled off a 37-33 road upset over 4A Woodinville on Friday night. I figured Timberline would be improved, given how young James Jones’ Blazers were last season; Friday night’s win was confirmation. Blazers’ RB Cooper Jones rushed 27 times for 220 yards and a touchdown.
Wicke: Puyallup remembered their 56-6 loss at Tumwater in last year’s season opener all too well. New head coach DJ Mims went as far to plaster the final score on the Sparks Stadium scoreboard at summer practices, an unfriendly reminder of what happened one year ago, and the Vikings turned their frustration into fuel for a 25-19 win over the T-Birds in Friday night’s rematch. Puyallup led by as many as 18 points, establishing a heavy run game with RB Briytan Bailey and quieting Tumwater’s Wing-T offense that ran over the Vikings last fall. And Puyallup could be even scarier in a matter of weeks when Central Kitsap QB transfer Noah Smith becomes eligible to play in Week 5. The talent isn’t a question, and I like their chances to contend down the stretch.
WHICH INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE STOOD OUT MOST IN WEEK 1?
Manley: I heard from a few people over the offseason that Sumner WR Braylon Pope was really motivated to put together an elite junior year season. That certainly looks to be the case after one week. In a loss to perennial 4A state championship contender Lake Stevens, Pope’s line: 10 receptions, 118 yards, four touchdowns. Pope has the skillset to dominate even some of the state’s best opposing corners and it looks like big things are in store for the three-star Division I recruit this fall.
One more: how about Capital quarterback Nolan Potts, who led his team to a 33-27 overtime rivalry upset over 4A Olympia on Friday night? Potts completed 23-of-35 passes for 168 yards and rushed 10 times for 110 yards and four touchdowns, including the game-winning score in overtime. That’s a big-time outing in the Spaghetti Bowl and one Potts is sure to remember for life.
Wicke: Franklin Pierce head coach Trevor Hanson says you have to be ready to run through a brick wall as a fullback in his Power-T offense, and Bryson Allen fit the bill in Friday’s statement win at Lincoln, 38-29. The reigning 2A SPSL MVP thrived in his bellcow role at Lincoln Bowl, handling 33 carries for 285 yards and five touchdowns — a dream start to his senior season. Allen did it all for the Cardinals with flashy, breakaway chunk plays and short, power runs that Abes defenders simply couldn’t stop. Hanson eyes a 2,000-yard rushing campaign for his lead back, and it’s safe to say Allen is ahead of pace one week in.
This story was originally published September 8, 2025 at 11:15 AM.
