Week 3 football takeaways: 4A SPSL has several heavyweights; Lakes gutsy in win
Week 3 of the Washington 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 3
Manley: The 4A SPSL has a chance to make some noise in the state tournament later this fall — again. I applaud Sumner coach Keith Ross for scheduling aggressively again this year. Sure, the Spartans might be 1-2, but those losses have come on the road against Lake Stevens and at home against Oregon reigning Class 6A state champion West Linn. Ross told me a while back his scheduling approach stemmed from a conversation he had with former Graham-Kapowsin coach Eric Kurle. Going through the gauntlet in the non-league schedule paid off for Sumner last year, obviously, so we’ll see if it pays off again. Also from the 4A SPSL North Division, Puyallup has lived up to the preseason hype through three games with wins over Tumwater, Evergreen and a 52-10 home win over Skyview on Friday. Keep in mind that Puyallup hasn’t even gotten quarterback Noah Smith (Central Kitsap transfer) yet this season. He’s eligible after Week 4. If he becomes the starter, current QB Luke Parker gives DJ Mims’ team another skill position weapon. Between J’Isaiah Mitchell, Jayden Woodland and Lawson Looker at receiver, there’s a ton of skill-position talent on this team. After a headline Week 1 win over O’Dea and a comfortable win over Skyview in Week 2, Graham-Kapowsin got all it could handle from neighbor Emerald Ridge in a 14-0 win in Week 3, but I think Jeff Logan’s teams get up for big games and are a group that could find themselves playing into December, also.
Wicke: Statistics and box scores rarely tell the entire story — but what Franklin Pierce RB/LB Bryson Allen is doing through three games of his senior season is borderline absurd. The reigning 2A SPSL MVP’s totals to date: 72 carries, 506 yards and a state-leading 10 touchdowns (no other player has nine, per MaxPreps). On defense, Allen has nine tackles (five for a loss) with two sacks, a pass deflection and a fumble recovery. Assuming Franklin Pierce runs the table and wins another league title, it’ll be tough to keep back-to-back MVP awards out of Allen’s hands. In fact, he’s just one of multiple Tacoma players atop state leaderboards. Mount Tahoma’s Teaven Jones and Stadium’s Cruz Nolan co-lead Washington with five sacks. Kentwood’s Lupe Muipu co-leads the state with four interceptions (Franklin Pierce’s Jeremiah Orcutt has three) and Mount Tahoma’s Shan Jones co-leads Washington with 40 total tackles, keeping South Sound statisticians plenty busy.
WHICH TEAMS IMPRESSED MOST?
Manley: Shoutout to Cameron Robak’s Spanaway Lake squad, which silenced a red-hot Federal Way offense in a 24-10 win on Friday at Art Crate. Junior WR Malik Burns had eight catches for 150 yards and a touchdown and a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. I liked what I saw from Lakes in a comeback win over Curtis on Friday night, too; this was a gutsy win that played out similarly to last year’s when Dave Miller’s squad was trailing late in University Place before mounting a comeback. The Lancers were overmatched from a size standpoint on the lines but held their own, making things difficult for a Curtis offense that has no secrets about wanting to run the ball this year. I’m intrigued by some of the playmakers on this Lakes team, like receivers Tristan Baker and Ean Owens. If freshman QB Jadis Lefono can keep developing, this will be a dangerous team in the postseason.
Wicke: After White River dismantled a strong Fife program by 38 points last weekend, the Hornets matched their Week 2 point total in Friday night’s 48-3 rout on the road at Auburn Mountainview. Through three games, QB Chaz Strickland has completed over 84 percent (!) of his pass attempts, totaling 10 touchdowns and two interceptions while building a rapport with junior wideout Parker Fry (13-321-5). Perhaps more impressive? White River’s defense has allowed 19 total points in three wins over Thomas Jefferson, Fife and Auburn Mountainview. We’ll know more on where HC Wyatt Evenson’s squad stands when the Hornets clash with their top league contenders: Federal Way (Oct. 9), Decatur (Oct. 24) and a regular-season finale with crosstown rival Enumclaw on Halloween.
WHICH WEEK 3 RESULT WAS THE MOST SURPRISING?
Manley: Silas is off to a 3-0 start thanks to a 30-26 win over 4A SPSL opponent Rogers on Thursday. QB Bradly Pittrof threw for 164 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for a score. LB Devonte Sumpter (11 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery) led the charge on defense, and kicker Landon Kingston made the difference with a 51-yard field goal in the first quarter. Outside of that, no major surprises in Week 3. We’re starting to see a clear pecking order in the local leagues, and it’ll be fun to see the league races start to play out.
Wicke: We figured Tumwater would find a way to outlast 4A’s Eastlake on Friday night, but the T-Birds’ Wing-T run game exploded for 366 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground in a 49-21 win. Tumwater RB Peyton Davis led the charge with 16 carries for a team-high 144 yards and a touchdown. Eastlake held Gig Harbor’s matching Wing-T scheme in check just one week ago, 39-20, but six Tumwater running backs proved too big of a puzzle for the Wolves to solve this time around. We’re expecting the good times to continue for HC William Garrow’s squad following back-to-back 2A championship appearances. Speaking of the Tides: Gig Harbor trekked to Coeur d’Alene (Idaho) and shut down Lake City, 16-6, avenging last year’s 35-16 loss to the Timberwolves. That’s a quality win for first-year head coach Jeff Scoma before 3A PSL play begins.
WHICH INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE STOOD OUT MOST IN WEEK 3?
Manley: Give me Lakes special teams monster Ean Owens, who returned four kickoffs for 206 yards, including a 90-yard return for a touchdown that was the play of the game in Lakes’ comeback win over Curtis. Lakes needed something to swing momentum, and Owens delivered. If teams keep kicking the ball to him this season, that touchdown return won’t be the last. A few more: White River’s Ray Palmer returned a pair of punts for touchdowns and had 200 all-purpose yards in a blowout win over Auburn Mountainview. Spanaway Lake’s Malik Burns, mentioned earlier, had eight catches for 150 yards and a touchdown and a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in a win over Federal Way. Eatonville WR Colton Herbrand had five catches for 175 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Clover Park.
Wicke: West Linn (Ore.) had no answer for Sumner’s workhorse RB Lance McGee on Friday night, who took 33 carries for 288 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-24 loss. The three-star Oregon State commit had the Spartans offense humming in the first half and threatening to lead by three possessions before intermission, but an untimely interception and subsequent West Linn touchdown flipped momentum that Sumner couldn’t take back. My favorite drive of the game: On 1st and goal from the 18-yard line, the Spartans gave McGee four straight carries before punching in a one-yard score on 4th and goal. If that doesn’t describe Sumner football, I don’t know what does.
This story was originally published September 22, 2025 at 12:00 PM.
