Week 11 football takeaways: South Sound thrives in state tournament’s first round
Week 11 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 11
Wicke: Friday Night Lights treated the South Sound well in the opening round of state tournaments around Washington. Local teams went a combined 7-0 on their biggest stages yet, from Tacoma to Tumwater and everywhere in between. Here’s a brief recap of Friday’s action:
- No. 1 Puyallup reinforced their status as the 4A title favorite with a 52-7 rout of No. 16 Eastlake. Vikings RB Briytan Bailey ran for 182 YDS, 3 TDs.
- No. 2 Mount Tahoma trailed early before erupting for 42 unanswered points, crushing No. 15 Seattle Prep in Friday’s 3A state opener, 42-7. QB Mikkah Cordero scored four total touchdowns (3 Pass, 1 Rush).
- No. 10 Lincoln knocked off No. 7 Rainier Beach on the road, 28-19, to reach the 3A quarterfinals, sealed by DE Noah Dennis’ last-minute pick-six. A trip across town for another installment of their historic rivalry with Mount Tahoma comes next.
- No. 5 Lakes (3A) outlasted No. 12 Liberty of Renton in a 35-34 thriller, saved by LB/DB Lee Snyder’s game-winning tackle on Liberty’s go-ahead two-point try with seven seconds left in regulation. QB Jadis Lefono threw for 210 YDS, TD with a 72-yard touchdown run.
- No. 2 Tumwater piled 371 team rushing yards and ran away from No. 15 Washougal, 47-6, in their quest for three-straight 2A championship game appearances. RB Peyton Davis rushed for 142 yards; RB Tyler Briscoe had 84 YDS, TD.
- No. 4 Orting blanked No. 13 Prosser in the first half and iced Friday’s 2A state win, 21-7, with RB Israel Shrode’s 89-yard touchdown run in the final minutes. Shrode finished with a team-high 109 yards.
- No. 7 Franklin Pierce avenged last season’s 2A quarterfinal loss to W.F. West, racing past the Bearcats in Friday’s state opener, 36-21. RB Bryson Allen, the South Sound’s rushing leader, posted 110 yards with a touchdown. RB Ja’mire Ford scored twice.
Sumner and Graham-Kapowsin (4A) rolled through Saturday’s opening round, as did Life Christian (1A). Curtis, Enumclaw and White River fell.
WHICH TEAMS IMPRESSED MOST?
Wicke: It’s no secret just how potent Graham-Kapowsin’s offense can be. Sophomore QB AJ Tuivaiave has proven himself as one of the area’s most efficient signal-callers with multiple perimeter playmakers. RB Blake Pearson sets a physical tone on the ground, averaging more than six yards per carry. But if head coach Jeff Logan’s defense keeps playing like this? They’ll be a tough out for anyone. “I jokingly say to our defensive staff sometimes ‘I’m going to be a defensive coach,’ ” Logan said. “Because they’re that good.” No. 6 Graham-Kapowsin (10-1) forced seven turnovers in Saturday’s 34-7 state win over No. 11 Kennedy Catholic, lifting the Eagles into the 4A quarterfinals. The high-flying Eagles recovered four fumbles, more than ready for a run-heavy Wing-T Lancers offense, and freshman safety George Woods grabbed three interceptions — a hat trick for the up-and-coming speedster. “Our defense played lights-out today,” Tuivaiave said. The Eagles visit Spokane next for a 4A quarterfinal with No. 3 Gonzaga Prep.
Puyallup (11-0) won their 10th consecutive game by at least four touchdowns, and Sumner (8-3) rolled Richland, 49-14, behind four first-half touchdowns by Spartans RB Lance McGee. He’s looked like one of the state’s best pure runners all season.
WHICH INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE STOOD OUT MOST IN WEEK 11?
Wicke: I’ll take two this week: Graham-Kapowsin freshman safety George Woods snagged three interceptions, all in the second half of Saturday’s 34-7 state win over Kennedy Catholic with 2.5 tackles and a pass deflection. If the visiting Lancers had any chance of mounting a comeback at Art Crate Field, Woods slammed that door shut. In 3A, Lincoln QB Sione Kaho and the Abes are scary enough through the air, but RB Jadeon Scranton was the difference-maker Friday night — assuming a bellcow role in a 28-19 road win at Rainier Beach. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound lead back took 28 carries for 123 yards and a touchdown, powering Lincoln into the 3A state quarterfinals. More on that in a moment.
WHICH WEEK 12 STATE QUARTERFINAL GAMES ARE THE MOST INTRIGUING?
Wicke: Tacoma couldn’t have asked for anything better: We’re getting a Mount Tahoma-Lincoln rematch. The No. 2 T-Birds and No. 10 Abes renew their rivalry in the 3A quarterfinals at Mount Tahoma Stadium on Saturday night. Head coach Keith Terry’s undefeated T-Birds (11-0) won the regular-season meeting at Lincoln Bowl, 28-7, in Week 5. Can the Abes defense find a way to stop a T-Birds run game featuring three versatile backs and dual-threat QB Mikkah Cordero? “It’s great for the city,” Terry said. “We’re going to enjoy today, but we know that that’s a really good program. … We know they’re going to come to play. The last game, we got the win, but that’s ancient history to us.” Another fun matchup in 2A: It’s Wing-T vs. Power T when No. 2 Tumwater hosts No. 7 Franklin Pierce in the state quarterfinals Saturday afternoon.
This story was originally published November 18, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
