High school football roundup: Orting captures first 2A SPSL title since 2006
Results, recaps and more from Week 9 high school football contests around the South Sound will be posted on this page on Thursday night. Looking for more scores? Find them on our statewide scoreboard here.
ORTING 49, EATONVILLE 10
They’ve waited 19 years for this.
For the first time since 2006, the Orting Cardinals are kings of the 2A South Puget Sound League.
Carson McCall rushed for three touchdowns and Orting (9-0) smothered Eatonville, 49-10, completing an undefeated regular season in front of the home crowd at Cardinal Stadium. The dependable, senior workhorse was the heartbeat of Orting’s ground game all year — making Thursday night’s clinic all the more fitting when it mattered most.
“He just seemed like he switched into a different gear, like ‘I’m going to take over and play with emotion and passion,’” Orting head coach Cody Baskett said. “Usually, he’s pretty calm and collected, but he was pretty fired up tonight.”
Orting captured the 2A SPSL’s Valley Division in 2019, but hadn’t won the league outright since 2006. That outlook changed earlier this fall, when the Cardinals stunned Franklin Pierce in a Week 4 shootout-style classic, 43-42, placing them in the driver’s seat.
Cardinals RB Shiron Seniours returned a punt for an Orting touchdown on Thursday night, and freshman RB Dakota Anderson added a score. Their defense posted a first-half shutout and triggered the running clock with a 40-point lead by intermission, locking up a league title well before the final whistle.
“Eatonville is a great team that values football, and it’s always nice when it’s an Orting-Eatonville rivalry,” Baskett said. “It’s really nice and special to be able to do it at our home field and bring in a league championship.”
SUMNER 49, BETHEL 0
Keith Ross has spent 28 years building powerhouse defenses in The Valley, but never has Sumner’s longtime head coach seen a turnaround like this.
They were stunned by Puyallup in a Week 5 blowout loss at Sparks Stadium, 58-22, but Ross’ defense has responded exactly how defending 4A champions should — storming through four-straight SPSL opponents, pitching shutouts in three of them, and entering the district playoffs as one of the state’s true contenders.
Not a typo: Sumner (6-3) has surrendered just three points in their last four games.
“What they’ve done in the last four weeks after the Puyallup loss... I’ve been doing this a long time. It’s amazing, the recommitment we made and the discipline that they’ve had, and the work ethic,” Ross said. “It’s pretty impressive.
“This defense, right now, is playing as good as anyone I’ve ever had.”
Star RB Lance McGee erupted for three touchdowns in the first half, and Sumner blanked Bethel on Thursday night, 49-0. The Division-I recruit’s work was done by halftime, providing timely rest ahead of a playoff push where McGee will serve as the focal point. The state’s 4A Round of 32 kicks off next weekend.
Sumner WR Braylon Pope hauled in a 52-yard touchdown catch, RB Israel Nabors scored on a 10-yard run, and the Spartans took a 42-0 lead into the break.
Spartans RB Dillon Titialii and sophomore AJ Barnby added Sumner touchdowns.
STEILACOOM 40, FIFE 22
Titus Kaeka’s five total touchdowns powered Thursday night’s 40-22 win over Fife, marking Steilacoom’s first seven-win season since 2021.
The junior signal-caller threw four touchdown passes and rushed for a fifth, building on a 2,000-yard campaign with another big night through the air at Steilacoom High School.
“He was making some mistakes early in the season that were costing us in the red zone, and (we’ve) been trying to work those out of his system,” Sentinels head coach Kyle Haller said. “The last few weeks just feel like he’s been on fire. I think he is very comfortable with what we’re doing now. He’s seeing things much better.
“We’re pumped he’s our quarterback. He’s playing out of his mind right now.”
Steilacoom trailed Fife at halftime, 22-19, before a defense led by first-year coordinator Chris Maxwell refused another Trojans touchdown. It wasn’t an adjustment. It was a message: Do your job.
“(Fife’s) a good football team, and they’ve been on a hot streak lately, too,” Haller said. “If one guy doesn’t do what they’re supposed to do, they’re going to exploit it and make things happen.
“We just tried to hit that home at halftime, and talk some positivity into existence. We said we’re going to come out, and we’re going to march and score. We’re going to get a stop, we’re going to score, and put them in chase mode. Things just kind of took off from there.”
Kaeka completed 21-of-32 passes for 244 yards, four touchdowns and one interception, adding five carries for 28 yards and a score with his legs. WR Jason Freeland caught Kaeka’s first pair of touchdown passes, finishing with six receptions for 51 yards.
Steilacoom’s Jaleo Johnson, the state’s leading receiver (1,015 YDS), became the first receiver statewide to eclipse 1,000 yards this fall — securing 10 catches for 113 yards and a touchdown.
“We’re not big, so we have to win by winning our routes, understanding spacing and all that,” Haller said. “They’re just all coming into their own. It’s no secret we want to throw the football, so it’s always interesting to see how teams come out against us. We felt that we had a very efficient day today.”
RB Noah Maxwell took 14 carries for 78 yards and a third-quarter touchdown that extended Steilacoom’s lead, 33-22. WR Evan DiPetrillo added a 15-yard touchdown catch.
Steilacoom’s (7-2) comeback win over Eatonville in Week 8 clinched a 2A district playoff berth, and Week 9’s rally certainly bolsters their case for a higher seed in the 2A tournament, announced Sunday. Haller and the Sentinels feel they’re worthy of hosting an opening-round home game, awarded to the top 16 seeds in next week’s Round of 32.
“We think we’ve earned ourselves a home game next week,” Haller said. “Just hoping the chips fall that way.”
CURTIS 37, YELM 7
Tyce Kinley (2 TD) and Ryland Geldermann’s (1 TD) combined hat trick powered Curtis’ 37-7 win over Yelm on the road in a 4A SPSL rivalry Thursday night.
The Vikings (6-3) rebounded from lopsided losses to Sumner and Puyallup in similar fashion, sparked by a two-headed rushing attack behind one of the area’s best offensive lines.
Curtis QB Sam Patterson threw a 30-yard touchdown to Alijah Johnson and Vikings kicker Luca Niebergall delivered three field goals from 29, 35, and 32 yards.
This story was originally published October 30, 2025 at 10:27 PM.
