Sumner’s ground game, solid QB play helps Spartans by Enumclaw, 35-7

Keith Ross knows this is the ideal time to break in a sophomore starting quarterback at Sumner High School.

It is even better that it is his son, Luke.

Unlike his father, Luke Ross is calm and difficult to read. And he is doing just enough to supplement the Spartans’ rushing attack, led by Josh Riley and Connor Wedington.

Ross threw a pair of first-half touchdown passes to Tre Weed — the last one a 27-yarder with two minutes remaining in the first half — and Sumner handled Enumclaw, 35-7, in its 3A SPSL home opener at Sunset Chev Stadium.

The Sumner defense also had a big say in the outcome, picking off Enumclaw quarterback Scotty Garvin twice and sacking him two times. The Hornets had only 104 rushing yards on 40 carries.

And those two star Spartans running backs? They were pretty OK, too — Riley rushed for 137 yards and a touchdown, and Wedington chipped in with 104 yards and a pair of scores.

But Ross gave Sumner a 7-0 lead when his 30-yard pass — a wobbly offering, the coach admitted — landed in the arms of Weed midway through the first quarter.

“Luke does not have to be fantastic, but he has to make some throws we need him to make,” Keith Ross said. “He has done everything we’ve asked so far.”

Everything?

Well, he does not say much to his father, at practice or at home.

“He is smart, like his mom,” Keith Ross said.

Luke Ross completed nine of 16 passes for 97 yards.

Wedington had two touchdown runs in the third quarter, of 10 and 34 yards, to give Sumner a 35-0 lead.

This was a rematch of the league mini-tiebreaker championship game from a year ago in which the Spartans edged Enumclaw at Franklin Pierce Stadium to get into the postseason.

4A SPSL SOUTH

Bethel 47, at Puyallup 41: The two quarterbacks — Bethel’s Bryce Missey (298 passing yards) and Puyallup’s Nathaniel Holcomb (175 yards) — combined for 10 touchdown passes and eight interceptions, but it was the Braves who pulled out a wild victory at Sparks Stadium.

Missey had six TD passes, and was trying to run out the clock — but fumbled with 35 seconds remaining. It was recovered by Puyallup’s Reupena Roberts for a turnover.

And Tallon Yerbury caught a 5-yard score from Holcomb seven seconds later for Puyallup, which cut the Bethel lead to 47-41.

The No. 9 Braves, who totaled 499 yards, recovered the onside kick to finally end the game.

4A SPSL NORTH

Kentlake 35, at Mount Rainier 0: The Falcons’ defense is now up to 10 consecutive shutout quarters as Kentlake won at Highline’s Memorial Stadium.

Cody Faulkner tossed a pair of touchdown passes, and Andrew Dixon added two short scoring runs for the Falcons.

Kentlake forced three turnovers.

4A NARROWS

At Bellarmine Prep 57, Stadium 29: Ahmad Lewis is becoming quite the workhorse running back for the Lions.

A week after rushing for 208 yards against Gonzaga Prep, the senior went for a career-high 250 yards and six touchdowns as Bellarmine Prep held off the Tigers at Memorial Field.

At Olympia 48, South Kitsap 7: Bears running back Scott Gunther rushed for 211 yards — his second consecutive 200-yard game — and four touchdowns, but it was the team’s defense and special teams that sparked a rout at Ingersoll Stadium.

Brett Thompson blocked two Wolves’ punts, one of which was returned 44 yards by Joel Jones for a touchdowns. And Olympia has now just allowed 14 points through three games.

3A SPSL

At Peninsula 24, Auburn 13: Ryder Johnson passed for 172 yards and a score, and the Seahawks extended their league winning streak to 22 games with a victory at Roy Anderson Field in Purdy.

Dawson Hallock had a 42-yard interception return for a touchdown to give the Seahawks a 21-7 lead in the third quarter.

Lakes 56, at Auburn Riverside 21: Andrew Bostic rushed for 203 yards and Jaiave Magalei threw four touchdown passes as eighth-ranked Lakes tuned up for next week’s showdown against Peninsula with a convincing victory at Memorial Stadium.

Bostic, a junior, caught a pair of 7-yard touchdown passes from Magalei as Lakes built a 14-0 first-quarter lead.

3A NARROWS

North Thurston 14, at Wilson 13: The Rams went 80 yards in 1:16 for the game-winning score — a Zion Kirk 1-yard pile-driver with 53 seconds remaining at Stadium Bowl.

The key pass was a Jake Harn 63-yard completion to Isaiah Loucks along the left sideline on third-and-10 to set up Kirk’s score.

Wilson reached its own 41 yard line in the final 30 seconds before Alex Motonaga threw four consecutive incompletions. Harn finished 11 of 23 for 160 yards.

Motonaga passed for 131 yards, and rushed for 100 in the loss.

2A SPSL

Steilacoom 28, at Washington 21: Isaiah Hampton and Anthony Leiato both had two interceptions, and the Sentinels roared back with three second-half touchdowns to edge the Patriots at Franklin Pierce District Stadium.

Marques Hampton rushed for 52 yards and a score, all in the second half, for Steilacoom.

Fife 45, at White River 0: Wes Nixon rushed for 105 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown scamper to open the scoring in the first quarter, and also added 100 receiving yards as the Trojans blanked the Hornets in Buckley.

NON-LEAGUE

Cascade Christian 42, at Nooksack Valley 8: Nathan Suiter’s blocked punt set up Josh Seaton’s 15-yard touchdown strike to Peyton Berry with seven seconds to go in the first half as the 10th-ranked Cougars rebounded from last week’s loss with a road victory.

Cascade Christian scored four touchdowns in the final 9:15 of the first half to take a 35-0 lead.

Berry also had a fumble recovery and an interception return for a score. The Cougars forced five turnovers.

This story was originally published September 18, 2015 at 11:35 PM with the headline "Sumner’s ground game, solid QB play helps Spartans by Enumclaw, 35-7."