Week 7 football takeaways: Graham-Kapowsin undefeated, Sumner defense dominates
Week 7 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 7
Manley: It almost feels like undefeated Graham-Kapowsin (7-0) has been flying under the radar a little since its Week 1 win over O’Dea. The Eagles have won every game but haven’t dominated all of them. Jeff Logan’s squad won tight games against Emerald Ridge and Bethel, to name a couple. G-K has been young the past two years, including this year, but this feels like a program that will get up for the big games, as evidenced by the Week 1 win over O’Dea. The Eagles will return some key players from injuries heading into the postseason, including sophomore star QB AJ Tuivaiave. With two of the league’s best receivers in Jayce Halasz and Kase Betz and a punishing run game paced by RB Blake Pearson, I still believe this team has the pieces to make a deep state tournament run. The 4A SPSL championship game against Puyallup will give us a good idea where the Eagles stand.
Wicke: Longtime Sumner head coach Keith Ross’ first words after his Spartans rolled Curtis on Homecoming Night, 49-3, last weekend? “We’re back.” It was a trademark Valley win, exactly what you’d expect from the defending 4A champions — an unrelenting run game, suffocating defense and splash plays that deflated the energy for the visitors at Sunset Chev Stadium. Spartans RB Lance McGee stole the show with 188 rushing yards and a season-high five touchdowns, but Sumner’s defense was equally impressive, silencing a Curtis offense that ran for 300+ yards in consecutive games before hitting a brick wall Friday night. “This is the Sumner defense I thought we were going to have,” Ross said, a reference to their Oct. 4 loss to Puyallup, 58-22, in a game advertised as one of the South Sound’s best of the fall. “We just thought we were going to have it. We didn’t have it (at first) because we just thought we were going to do it. And this week, we changed. We talked about (having to) start from scratch, and we’ve got to play Sumner football. We practiced harder. And we coached harder. The kids now understand what it takes to win football games. I was really proud of them.” Sumner hasn’t allowed a touchdown in back-to-back wins over Rogers and Curtis. Even if another SPSL title isn’t in the cards, they remain in the upper echelon of the 4A landscape.
WHICH TEAMS IMPRESSED MOST?
Manley: Sumner looked like Sumner again in its rout of the visiting Curtis Vikings on Friday. I think Spartans’ RB Lance McGee (5 rushing TDs against Curtis) is the best running back in the area this season. Maybe the best in the state, even. Cascade Christian’s 42-6 win over Annie Wright is an impressive result. I watched Annie Wright play Life Christian a couple weeks ago and saw a vastly improved Gators’ squad. Cascade Christian is a legit 1A state tournament contender this fall.
Wicke: Is it the Comeback of the Year? Kentwood trailed Auburn, 30-0, before the Conquerors stormed back to force overtime and win a 50-44 thriller at Auburn Memorial Stadium. Kentwood QB Brandon Tagle (3 TD, INT) threw for 317 yards, adding 11 carries for 82 yards on the ground, and WR Romeo Cabansag caught six passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns. That’s three wins in a row for the Conquerors (5-2), now tied with Tahoma for second in the 4A NPSL before the programs clash this weekend. Another impressive showing: Lincoln’s defense forced five interceptions in a 42-0 win over Bellarmine Prep, and the offense fired on all cylinders — a hint that the Abes are playing their best football as the playoffs near. QB Sione Kaho completed 22-of-29 passes for 250 yards (3 TD, 0 INT), and RB Jadeon Scranton ran for 120 yards and two scores.
WHICH WEEK 7 RESULT WAS THE MOST SURPRISING?
Manley: There were a few this week. I was surprised to see Bonney Lake beat Spanaway Lake on Thursday, 15-6. The Panthers got 123 rushing yards from senior Gavin Davis, a rushing touchdown from QB Colt Miller and another rushing score from freshman Brody Zubal. Defensively, Bonney Lake racked up nine tackles for loss, including four from senior Chris Conte. I was surprised to see Gig Harbor have Mount Tahoma on the ropes, too, in a 27-14 loss. Gig Harbor led 14-7 at half before a T-Birds comeback. Credit to first-year coach Jeff Scoma who has the Tides looking like a playoff team. Big road game for Gig Harbor at Bellarmine Prep on Friday night.
Wicke: How about those Yelm Tornados? RB Sam Dejiacomo ran for 199 yards and a touchdown, and Yelm took down Bethel, 24-21, for the program’s best win yet. The biggest surprise? Bethel averaged less than two yards per carry and totaled just 54 rushing yards, stuck in neutral from start to finish. It sets up an exciting matchup between Yelm and Olympia at Ingersoll Stadium on Friday night when the winner grabs sole third place in the 4A SPSL South.
WHICH INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE STOOD OUT MOST IN WEEK 7?
Manley: Puyallup QB Noah Smith had a whopping seven touchdown passes in a 65-6 win over Rogers on Friday; receivers Jayden Woodland and Lawson Looker accounted for three apiece. I liked what I saw from G-K RB Blake Pearson, who rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Olympia. Pearson joked with me after the game that he’s never been the fastest running back. Whatever he lacks in top-end speed, he makes up for with toughness. Tumwater’s Peyton Davis had five rushing touchdowns in a 55-20 win over Aberdeen. And Sumner’s Lance McGee — what a performance. I’ll let Tyler touch on that one.
Wicke: Sumner RB Lance McGee saved his best performance of the season for a rocking, Sunset Chev Stadium crowd on Homecoming Night, taking 16 carries for 188 yards and five touchdowns in Friday’s 49-3 win over Curtis. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound recruit catching the eyes of Division-I college programs has blossomed into the focal point of the Sumner offense, a perfect fit for HC Keith Ross’ ground-and-pound philosophy with a combination of size, speed and balance. “It means a lot,” McGee said. “Coming here to Sumner (from Davis of Yakima), I didn’t think I was going to be playing running back like that. But talking to Coach Ross, he was like, ‘Lance. I saw your film at Davis. You could be a 2,000-yard back here.’ Just them having the trust in me to come out here and put on for a Friday night, it’s a blessing, for sure.”
