Week 10 football takeaways: Puyallup earns 4A tourney’s No. 1 seed; Sumner rises
Week 10 of the Washington high school football season is in the books. TNT high school sports reporter Tyler Wicke discusses what stood out from this week’s action.
BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FROM WEEK 10
Wicke: Still wondering if the 4A SPSL is the most competitive league in the state, top to bottom? Let last weekend’s district playoff round (and the WIAA’s state seeding) serve as a reminder. The South Puget Sound League boasts No. 1 Puyallup, No. 5 Sumner and No. 6 Graham-Kapowsin as top-six seeds in the upcoming 4A state tournament, along with No. 14 Curtis. Puyallup has looked like the best team in the state this fall, knocking off defending state-champion Sumner by 36 points in Week 5. The Spartans, meanwhile, have surged back into title contention, dominating five opponents by a combined score of 260-3 in the weeks since. Graham-Kapowsin knocked off reigning 3A state-champion O’Dea in Week 1, and standout QB AJ Tuivaiave is playing his best football of the season after recovering from a foot injury — throwing five touchdown passes in Saturday’s district playoff win over Stadium. Curtis rebounded from losses to Sumner and Puyallup with a dominant win over Yelm and playoff victory over Kentwood last Friday night. The South Sound’s football scene is bustling.
WHICH TEAMS IMPRESSED MOST?
Wicke: Puyallup can’t stop, won’t stop rolling. After their 25-19 win over 2A-Tumwater in Week 1, the undefeated Vikings won each of their next nine games by 29+ points — including three matchups with state-tournament teams (Sumner, Curtis, Graham-Kapowsin). Friday night’s district playoff blowout was more of the same, a 78-0 stampede powered by QB Noah Smith’s five touchdown passes and RB Briytan Bailey’s hat trick (130 YDS, 3 TD). There’s college-level talent everywhere you look on that roster. Up next: No. 16 Eastlake on Friday night at Sparks Stadium.
A few more: Sumner blocked two punts in the opening five minutes of its 62-0 clobbering of Eastmont in the 4A Round of 32, lifting the defending 4A champions back into the state bracket. RB Lance McGee only handled seven carries (61 YDS, 2 TD) and didn’t play in the second half, but he’ll be leaned on heavily as the field narrows and routs aren’t as likely. Sumner’s fourth shutout in five games lifted the Spartans from the state’s sixth seed to No. 5, and longtime head coach Keith Ross has Sumner playing its brand of football — downhill rushing with a swarming defense.
In 2A, Orting ran over East Valley (Spokane), 56-0, and the undefeated 2A SPSL champions punched its ticket to state. RB Carson McCall ran for 140 yards and four touchdowns in the win. With his blend of power and reliability, it’s hard to overstate the 6-foot-2, 225-pound senior’s value on this Cardinals offense.
WHICH INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE STOOD OUT MOST IN WEEK 10?
Wicke: I’ll highlight a few this week: Franklin Pierce RB/LB Bryson Allen surged into second place on the statewide rushing leaderboard (1,779 YDS), erupting for 254 yards and four touchdowns on just 15 carries in Friday’s 2A playoff win over Cedarcrest. At linebacker, Allen tackled eight (3 TFL) with two pass deflections. In 4A, both Graham-Kapowsin QB AJ Tuivaiave and Puyallup QB Noah Smith threw five touchdown passes without an interception in their district playoff wins.
WHICH WEEK 11 STATE PLAYOFF GAMES ARE THE MOST INTRIGUING?
Wicke: Rematch! No. 7 Franklin Pierce hosts No. 10 W.F. West in a 2A Round of 16 state playoff game at Franklin Pierce High School on Friday night. It’s a rematch of last year’s 2A state quarterfinals when W.F. West visited South Tacoma and derailed the Cardinals’ undefeated season. Will Franklin Pierce seize revenge? In 4A, I’m intrigued by No. 11 Kennedy Catholic’s state opener with No. 6 Graham-Kapowsin, which pits game-wrecking Lancers edge rusher Derek Colman-Brusa, a UW commit, against Eagles QB AJ Tuivaiave. After starting 0-2, Kennedy Catholic has rolled through eight straight wins. It’s likely up to its defense to keep them within reach of the high-flying Eagles.
