HS Football: Sumner takes SPSL 4A Championship topping G-K

11/1/2024

Sumner 23, Graham-Kapowsin 11

(Sumner, WA) The Sumner Spartans came into this season with nothing but the State Championship game in their sights. The SPSL 4A added 2 more teams for a total of 12 and that opened the door to being able to play 3 non-leage games for the 1st time in decades as they split the league into 2 divisions of 6.

Head Coach Keith Ross asked AD Chris Paulsen to help him go out and get them games that would challenge this team. They figured why not start at the top with the 2 time defending 4A State Champs Lake Stevens to begin the year which they beat in OT. They also found 2 time 6A Oregon Champs West Linn along with the tough SPSL North schedule such as Emerald Ridge, Puyallup and Curtis.

Graham-Kapowsin Head Coach Jeffrey Logan is leading a program that has been to t least the quarterfinals or top 8 each year since 2017, winning it all in 2021 asa an assistant and has followed that up as the Head Coach with a semi-final appearance and was in the Title game last year falling to Lake Stevens in final game.

Coach Ross said he’s friends with Coach Logan and over this past summer they told each other they would see each other in the new SPSL 4A League Championship game after the regular season was completed which meant each would have to win their division.

That’s exactly what happened with Sumner’s only loss to West Linn of Oregon giving up a late lead to lose by a touchdown. They beat all 5 of their division opponents to come into the League title game with a 5-0 division mark and 7-1 overall. G-K dropped their 1st 2 games to 3A powerhouse O’Dea by 7 and to a very good 4A team in Skyview by 4 points. The Eagles had run the field since then coming in at 5-0 in division play and 6-2 overall.

This set up a very intriguing League Championship with the defending Champs G-K focused on getting back to the big game and finishing the job they started last year. Meanwhile, Sumner trying to get back to the State Championship game for the 1st time since 1977 and prove they belong among the elite programs they would love to cap off the regular league season with a win over G-K which would bookend their win over last year’s State Champ Lake Stevens in week 1 with a win over G-K who was the other team in last year’s title game.

Let’s just say anyone thinking that either coach weren’t all in on winning this game doesn’t follow high school sports very carefully and there was no talk of holding players out or taking a cautious approach to this game both sides were revved up and ready to get after it on the field.

ESN talking Heads prove they know nothing as 1st Half a 3-3 draw

In the Eli Sports Network pre-game show there was agreement that the pressure was on both defenses as the very talented offenses on both sides of the ball would be a huge challenge to contain. How would the Eagles slow down the Sumner running attack? How could they slow down all of their receivers and then there’s the big tightend to deal with as well.

The question was also put to the Sumner defense in how they are going to slow down the Eagles talented and huge freshman QB who is getting better and better each week with 4 or 5 receivers to deal with and their D1 college bound tightend?

An impossible task right? Wrong! Both defenses were smothering, attacking, aggressive and after the 1st 24 minutes of the game we had a 3-3 tie. G-K’s Caleb Braithwaite, Anthony Taula`i and Khris Norris kept the Spartans in check.

The Eagles would score 1st on their 2nd possession when Aiden Skolrud who made 1 of 2 field goals hit it from 31 yards out. Sumner’s amazing Austin Ferencz looked like he surprised the Eagle defense when he lined up a 50-yard field goal and knocked it through with 2:41 left to go in the 1st half to knot it up 3-3 and they would go to the break all even.

G-K 2nd half mistakes derail the Eagles

The Eagles defense had been tremendous in shutting down the high powered Spartan offense all 1st half and looked like it would continue early in the 3rd in fact on Sumner’s 1st possession. QB Nate Donavan tried to loft a pass deep but safety DJ Taape reach up in underneath coverage and picked it off.

Taape was off and bee-lined it to the far right corner of the endzone and only had to beat Che Molina who gave chase and was able to get to Taape at about the 3 yard line. This is where it went wrong for the Eagles, Taape trying to reach across the endzone inside the pylon lost the ball and it rolled through and out the side of the endzone. This resulted in a touchback and gave the ball back to Sumner on their 20 yard line and a fresh set of downs.

On the very next play Taape picks off the Sparts again and returns it to the Sumner 36 only to have a yellow flag on the play for roughing the passer and again the Eagles turnover is taken off the board and given back to Sumner. The Spartans didn’t waste the 3rd chance at this drive and would drive down the field with a big run from Israel Nabors for 42 yards setting up a 1 yard plunge from Steele Isaacs for the 1st TD of the game. Sumner would try a spread out 2 point play that didn’t fool the Eagles and so the score was 9-3 with 5:44 to go in the 3rd.

Sumner then got a big defensive play when Jayden Benson would grab his 1st of 2 interceptions deep in G-K territory and Sumner’s offense was set up on the Eagle 12. 3 plays later Isaacs had his 2nd Td from 2 yards out, Ferencz added the PAT and it was suddenly 16-3.

Sumner’s swarming defense led by the front of Shaun Griffith with a pair of big sacks, Elijah Thomas and linebackers Austin Glivar and Dillon Titialii and blitzing safeties Mason Thayer and Taylor Rebar got the ball back to their offense quickly again on their 3rd possession of the 2nd half. Forcing a punt from deep in their own territory Sumner took over on the Eagle 30.

The Spartans hammered away with the running attack and on the 6th play Steele Isaacs burst through a big hole in the middle of the line and walked into the endzone from 9 yards out, the PAT was good and Sumner led by 20, 23-3 with 11:50 left to play in the game.

After trading possessions with each stopped by a big sack, Shaun Griffith for Sumner and Quincey Ratteray for the Eagles G-K would take over on their own 7 yard line with 8:05 to play. It was clear they just wanted to finish strong and the G-K offense did just that going on a 15 play drive and would end it with a 22 yard TD pass from AJ Tuivaiave to Jayce Halasz, a freshman to freshman connection with about 90-seconds left on the clock. Gavin Deaton would run in the 2 point conversion to close within 23-11 but that would be the final score.

The Numbers

The numbers don’t lie so those who thought this was going to be an offensive shoot-out couldn’t have been more wrong, including us. Combined the offenses would be less than 400 total yards. G-K led with 216 but 93 of those on their last possession. The Eagles would finish with 62 rushing yards led by Blake Pearson with 56. Tuivaiave was 18 for 28 for 154 yards a touchdown and 3 ints. Khris Norris led the receivers with 4 catches for 40, Kase Betz 5 for 35, Noah Flores 4 for 31, DJ Taape 1 for 20 and Jayce Halasz 1 for 22 and the touchdown.

Sumner’s offense was limited by the Eagle defense but also from their own defense who gave the Spartan offense starting field position in the 2nd half after they got the ball back from the fumble through the endzone were the G-K 12, G-K 30 and their own 47.

The Spartans finished with 177 total yards, 66 on the ground led by Steele Isaacs who ran the ball 17 times for 67 yards and 3 TD’s. The Eagles defense racked up -50 yards for QB Donanvan with sacks to take a big bite out of the offense. Donavan finished 11 for 22 for 111 yards and an interception. Tight end Carter Cocke` led the receivers with 6 catches for 59, Braylon Pope had 2 for 34, Devin Caminong 2 for 10 and pono Borden 1 for 8.

The kickers saw Aiden Skolrud go 1 for 2 in field goals and Austin Ferencz 1 for 1 and 2 for 2 PATs.

What’s Next and Season Records

Both teams are headed to the round of 32. Sumner is the 2nd seed and will host the 31 seed Auburn while G-K was seeded 10th and will host Jackson. Sumner finished the regular season 6-0 in SPSL play and League Champs and 8-1 overall. The Eagles finished 5-1 in SPSL play and 6-3 overall.

This coming weekend’s games are winner to the opening round of the State Tournament or round of 16 and losers have their season come to an end.

The Eli Sports MVP

We had to break our own rules and we named 2 MVP’s from the winning team and both were also somewhat rewarded for a season where we kept thinking they would be an MVP both had several big games. Bout our selections were Steele Isaacs who scored all 3 Spartan touchdowns. And with the performance of the defense we had to have a defender in on this and we went with DE Shzun Griffith who had a couple of sacks and mulitple tackles for loss.