HS Football: Puyallup Earns SPSL Upset, Stuns Curtis in OT

10/26/23

Puyallup 20, Curtis 17 (OT)

(Puyallup, WA) You never know what you’re going to get in high school football especially in the 4A South Puget Sound League. That was as evident as ever on Thursday night when the Curtis Vikings went to Puyallup to try to spoil the Puyallup Vikings senior night. While Curtis was locked into the #2 seed coming out of the SPSL 4A, Puyallup was still fighting for their playoff lives. The vibes were too good for Puyallup as they were able to survive an overtime thriller to upset Curtis, 20-17.

With the upset win, Puyallup locks up their spot in the crossover rounds next week with a final regular season record of 5-4 and the #5 seed out of the SPSL 4A. Curtis finishes with a record of 7-2 but remained in the #2 spot out of the SPSL 4A. Both teams will await their crossover opponents which should be named on Sunday.

Our Education as a Career MVP of the game was kicker Luke Faccone for the Puyallup Vikings. The senior kicker celebrated his senior night with a fantastic performance. The 5-star kicking recruit and Air Force Academy commit knocked in both of his extra point attempts and then went 2/3 on his field goal tries. The one miss was a 50-yard attempt that looked to have been blocked but he did hit kicks from 32 and 34 yards with the 34-yarder coming in OT to win the game. It is not too often that a kicker can be that much of a difference maker, but being one of the very best high school kickers in the nation, Luke Faccone ended his memorable night on the highest note possible.

Offensively for the Puyallup Vikings, the three-headed rushing attack of Kyson Douglas, Kaden Rolfsness and Brayden Paulino paced the offense all game long. The senior Douglas led the way on the ground with 17 carries for 67 yards and added four catches for 37 yards. Quarterback turned running back Kaden Rolfsness put up 13 carries for 40 yards and a touchdown and 1/2 passing for 10 yards while catching one pass for eight yards. The freshman Brayden Paulino added eight carries for 37 yards and then went 9/11 for 91 yards and a touchdown. The leading receiver was J’Isaiah Mitchell who tallied four catches for 56 yards and a touchdown. Josiah Goode tacked on a 10-yard reception as well. Puyallup’s defensive standouts were Dominick Buob, Tayven Collins, and Andrew Cody who were all over the field with consistent tackles. Isaac Norris forced the takeaway with an interception in the first quarter.

On the other side for Curtis, Rocco Koch was the focal point for the Vikings as he led the offensive in both the rushing and aerial attack. Koch went 13/18 for 142 yards and a touchdown passing while also running the ball 34 times for 111 yards and a touchdown. Jayden Rice-Claiborne carried the ball eight times for 19 yards and had a 10-yard catch while Parker Mady had two carries for 13 yards and five catches for 50 yards. Xavier Ahrens had a strong day with four catches for 37 yards and a touchdown and was a standout on defense for Curtis. Mataio Wilson tacked on a 35-yard catch and Micah Yanos had a six-yard catch and Joey Costanti had a four-yard reception. On defense along with Ahrens, Robby Lavata’i dominated up front as the sophomore used his speed and power to constantly cause havoc in the Puyallup backfield.

You can view the entire replay on-demand through the link below to the NFHS Network (Subscription Required)

Puyallup vs Curtis – Boys Varsity Football 10/26/2023 | Live & On Demand (nfhsnetwork.com)