High school football scores, roundup: Graham-Kapowsin QB AJ Tuivaiave throws 7 TD vs. Yelm
By Jon Manley, Tyler Wicke, Doug Drowley,
1 days ago
Results, recaps and more from Week 5 high school football contests around the South Sound will be posted on this page Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Looking for local scores? Find them at the bottom of this story.
FRIDAY’S RESULTS (OCT. 4)
GRAHAM-KAPOWSIN 57, YELM 36
Eagles QB AJ Tuivaiave has etched his name into Graham-Kapowsin’s history books — and his story is just beginning.
Praised by Division-I scouts before throwing a high-school pass, the 14-year-old signal caller earned Graham-Kapowsin’s starting job in training camp. And in the biggest game of his young career, Tuivaiave put on the performance of a lifetime.
It’s nearly unheard of – a freshman QB visiting a powerhouse and torching its secondary drive after drive. But that’s exactly what Tuivaiave did at Yelm High School in Friday night’s premier 4A SPSL matchup: 21-for-27, 418 yards, and seven touchdowns without a turnover in a 57-36 win at Yelm.
Four more years of this? We’d say the Eagles are in good hands.
“We talk to AJ… you’ve just got to give our kids a chance,” Graham-Kapowsin head coach Jeff Logan said. “If you overthrow them, we don’t have a chance. If you underthrow them, we still have a chance. We talk about putting some air under the football and letting our guys go and be big-time playmakers down the field.”
Poised beyond his years, Tuivaiave’s stoic pocket presence and cannon arm paid dividends in a matchup between two of the 4A SPSL’s top contenders, a new rivalry both squads certainly had marked on their calendars.
The chirping started back in August, when Graham-Kapowsin, Yelm, and the entire 4A SPSL converged for a first-of-its-kind Media Day at Ruston Way’s Ram Restaurant.
“It’s time to play some actual teams,” Yelm’s Jacob Tracy said almost two months ago. Tracy is a senior OT and Boise State commit.
“They’re some talkers,” Graham-Kapowsin TE Noah Flores said in August.
“Can’t wait to beat them, for sure,” added LB Caleb Braithwaite.
Tuivaiave put all of the noise to bed.
His first of seven touchdowns was perhaps the most improbable. Yelm deflected a Tuivaiave vertical deep-bomb before Eagles WR Kase Betz corralled the near-interception and dashed for a 69-yard touchdown in the closing minute of the first quarter.
Graham Kapowsin wide receiver Mazaia Roberson celebrates his touchdown catch with teammates during Friday night’s football game against the Yelm Tornados at Yelm High School in Yelm, Washington, on Oct. 4, 2024. Tony Overman/toverman@theolympian.com
Yelm RB Jacob Ford returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for an instant answer – the Tornados’ last lead of the game.
“At the end of the day, the loss is on me and our staff,” Yelm head coach Jason Ronquillo told reporters. “I want it to hurt. We should never get used to losing. It should never feel good. But at the same time, we don’t want to point fingers.
“If you’re going to point the finger at anybody else, you’re not going to grow.”
Tuivaiave’s second touchdown was perhaps his most impressive, a 40-yard dot to WR Khris Norris in stride. 21-15, Eagles.
Graham Kapowsin wide receiver Khristian Norris stretches for a pass over Yelm defensive back Jay Sumich during Friday night’s football game at Yelm High School in Yelm, Washington, on Oct. 4, 2024. Tony Overman/toverman@theolympian.com
Betz exploded for six receptions, 184 yards, and two touchdowns. Slot WR Mazaia Roberson grabbed three passes for 108 yards and three scores. Tuivaiave spread his seven touchdowns among four Eagles, including a 10-yard pass to Braithwaite to cap a career night.
The chemistry’s growing, Graham-Kapowsin’s QB said.
“When you build (team chemistry) like that up, it’s really fun,” he told reporters. “You play free-minded.”
Added Tuivaiave: “I’m really comfortable now. Having that bond with my teammates… It’s really good.”
Graham-Kapowsin established a physical, downhill run game with sophomore RB Blake Pearson, who handled 26 carries for 141 yards. RB Gavin Deaton carried six times for 15 yards and drew first blood with a one-yard touchdown rush in the first quarter.
Graham Kapowsin running back Blake Pearson breaks loose in front of Yelm defensive back Tonye Penn during Friday night’s football game at Yelm High School in Yelm, Washington, on Oct. 4, 2024. Tony Overman/toverman@theolympian.com
Dual-threat Yelm QB Parker Myers completed 13-of-22 passes for 212 yards and four touchdowns, but a disciplined Eagles defensive line eliminated the signal-caller’s legs from the equation.
Graham-Kapowsin hosts Bethel for more 4A SPSL action next Thursday.
THURSDAY’S RESULTS (OCT. 3)
SUMNER 17, PUYALLUP 14
Two teams whose seasons couldn’t have begun more differently collided on a bright but chilly night at Sunset Chev Stadium on Thursday.
But what might have been expected when the Top 10 Spartans hosted 1-3 Puyallup materialized into a nailbiter of a contest for the favored Sumner football squad. Nursing just a three-point lead with 2 minutes, 40 seconds to go, the Spartans needed a first down to secure a South Puget Sound League victory.
Israel Nabors obliged, spurting out the left side and going for seven yards on second down to put away Sumner’s 17-14 victory. Had there been a betting line before the game, the Vikings would have been huge underdogs.
“Rivalry game,” Sumner coach Keith Ross said. “Puyallup could have come in here 0-4 and we know they would have given us a game.”
The Spartans (4-1 overall, 2-0 SPSL) took the initial lead with 3:01 left in the first quarter, 7-0, when Steele Isaacs took it in from nine yards out. But Puyallup (1-4, 0-2) answered on the first of two long touchdown connections from Brayden Paulino to Kyson Douglas – this one a 41-yarder – to tie the game at 7-7 just 12 seconds into the second half.
At that point, the Vikings had held possession of the ball for 9:16 of the total 12:12 played. Puyallup’s game-opening drive took 6:03 off the clock but ultimately stalled after two penalties and a sack of Paulino set it back.
The teams went into the locker room at halftime with Sumner having regained the lead on Austin Ferencz’s 33-yard field goal with 1:14 left in the second quarter. Ferencz did go just 1-for-3 in attempts on Thursday, but quarterback Nate Donavan made up for it.
With both teams running the ball effectively, Donavan didn’t have to throw it as much as he had coming into the game. But his scramble roll out to the right on a third-and-goal from the six led to the decisive touchdown. Donavan squared his body near the numbers and found a crossing Ashton Pillard in the end zone to stake Sumner to a 17-7 lead with 1:53 left in the third quarter.
“I was trying to throw to my left, but they sent pressure,” Donavan said. “They were doing that all game. So I just used my legs to get to the right and kinda threaten them toward running the ball so it opened up my guy behind them.”
The teams played between the 20s for most of the fourth quarter, but after Ferencz missed a 37-yard field goal try with 3:20 to play, the Vikings got the ball back on the 20. A defensive holding call negated a Paulino interception and moved the ball to the 30.
On the next play, a great fake to the right left Douglas alone around the left end. Paulino found him and Douglas raced 70 yards to close the gap to just three, 17-14, with 2:40 left. Sumner needed a single first down to ice it and Nabors got it while starting back Isaacs sat on a training table on the sidelines.
Isaacs, who toted the ball 17 times for 79 yards, left the game with 3 ½ minutes to go in the third quarter. He suffered an apparent right hip bruise.
In his stead, Che Molina and then Nabors picked up the slack. The offense got the first down it needed. And the defense held the Vikings down save for the two Douglas catches. Douglas finished with 70 yards rushing on 18 carries and had five total receptions for 129 yards and those two scores.
FRANKLIN PIERCE 50, EATONVILLE 0
Cardinals head coach Trevor Hanson can install “stud” sophomore Jeremiah Orcutt just about anywhere on the gridiron and enjoy the show.
Want Franklin Pierce’s QB to lob a 70-yard touchdown pass? Check.
Need him to snag two interceptions in your secondary? No problem.
In Orcutt’s perfect world, he never leaves the field.
“I’ll go kick-return if I have to,” he told The News Tribune. “I just have to make my mark.”
Orcutt was all of the above on Thursday night, the guide for an undeniable 50-0 win over new-rival Eatonville. The ascending Cardinals signal-caller orchestrated methodical scoring drives and the two-headed rushing attack of RB Bryson Allen and RB Junior Teregeyo each tallied 100+ yards from scrimmage.
An impressive follow-up to last weekend’s 36-8 win over Orting, the presumptive league favorite, Franklin Pierce forced six Eatonville turnovers and won a fifth consecutive game to start the season, outscoring opponents 258-28 in that span.
“We just wanted to challenge, play strong coverage, and make the quarterback make tough decisions, and that’s why we were able to force some turnovers,” Hanson said. “It started up front with our defensive line, getting good pressure and forcing the ball to come out maybe sooner than they wanted, and then the back end doing their job when the ball came to them.”
Orcutt and senior cornerback Marvis Christian intercepted two Eatonville passes apiece. Franklin Pierce recovered two Cruiser fumbles.
Teregeyo erupted for multiple 70-yard plays, a first-half run and second-half reception that went for six points.
Up next – an intriguing home matchup with Steilacoom’s pass-heavy offense that starkly contrasts Franklin Pierce’s immortal Power-T run scheme. The winner could secure sole possession of the 2A SPSL lead, pending Friday night’s results.
“We had a big win last weekend, and that just showed everyone what we can really do,” Orcutt said. “And now that we all know that we have it together as a team, I think we’re unbeatable.”
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