High school football scores, roundup: Sumner beats reigning 4A state champ Lake Stevens

Results, recaps and more from Week 1 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.

SATURDAY’S RESULTS (SEPT. 7)

Gig Harbor 14, Peninsula 10

The only drama at Mount Tahoma High took place between the white lines on Saturday afternoon. That was a vast improvement from a year ago for the Gig Harbor and Peninsula football programs.

The Fish Bowl of 2023 devolved into a months-long investigation after a huge hit on Gig Harbor sophomore quarterback Koi Calhoun – incidentally, again the starting quarterback on Saturday for the Tides – sent him off the field in an ambulance. Parts of both schools’ staffs later took issue with each other and the school district got involved after the fact.

Fast forward to 2024. For the rivalry game that is now a non-conference matchup to even take place, the schools determined they would need to move it out of Purdy and away from Roy Anderson Field. Thus, the game was played in Tacoma at Mount Tahoma at 2 p.m. on a Saturday.

Still, the stadium was nearly full, and tension was present despite the venue keeping the fan bases apart by using different entrances.

“It’s there,” Gig Harbor coach Darrin Reeves said. “These kids know each other.”

“Absolutely there was tension,” Tides running back Ryland Gelderman said. “Between these two schools, there’s tension on and off the field, whether it’s Fish Bowl or not.”

But this year, a dramatic conclusion to the football game and nothing else fueled that tension. The Tides and Gelderman provided the climax as Gig Harbor came from behind for the second straight season to win the trophy.

Gelderman’s fourth-quarter touchdown run provided the difference in a 14-10 non-conference victory.

“He’s a stud,” Reeves said of his back. “We tried to hit that play a couple of times. And it just opened up.”

Just 7 minutes, 14 seconds remained when Gig Harbor got the ball back at its own 48-yard line after a Peninsula punt. Trailing 10-7, the Tides gave it to Gelderman for the 15^th time in the game.

The 5-foot-9 junior cut outside the left tackle and turned up field. He ran through an attempted arm tackle, and 15 yards later stepped out of an ankle tackle try. Once freed, nothing was in front of Gelderman but green turf. He accelerated for a 52-yard touchdown run that proved the game-winner.

“Respect to my line, you know,” Gelderman said. “I wouldn’t have been able to get there. I gotta treat them to a pancake dinner. I just saw the hole and I went through. I knew they had no chance to get me, but that’s all thanks to my receivers and our entire blocking core.”

Gelderman finished the game with 157 yards rushing on 16 carries to go with his game-winning touchdown. Gig Harbor scored both of its touchdowns in 1:04 of clock time.

The Tides closed a 10-0 deficit to 10-7 with 8:09 remaining when Sawyer Hayes, who came in at quarterback in the third quarter for the starter Calhoun, found Liam Green for 22 yards. That play came on a second-and-goal following an errant snap from the Peninsula 2 forced Hayes to fall on the ball 20 yards further from the end zone.

Gelderman then crossed the goal line with 7:05 left to play.

Peninsula broke the scoring drought with 1:01 left in the second quarter. Wyatt Abrigo scored the game’s first touchdown from nine yards away.

The Seahawks added a 28-yard field goal with 3:13 left in the third quarter before Gig Harbor mounted its comeback.

FRIDAY’S RESULTS (SEPT. 6)

Sumner 31, Lake Stevens 28 (OT)

Sumner football coach Keith Ross made a change earlier this week in practice, naming junior Aaron Black the new holder for field goals. Ross felt he had better hands.

A seemingly innocuous change, but on Friday night, when Sumner hosted the two-time defending 4A state champion Lake Stevens Vikings, it was one that paid off.

In overtime with a chance to win the game with a field goal, the snap went high. Way high. But Black corralled it, planted it into the turf and senior Austin Ferencz kicked the game-winning field goal, sending the team and crowd at Sunset Chev Stadium into a frenzy.

Sumner won, 31-28, an emphatic statement in Week 1: the Spartans are a legitimate 4A state championship contender.

For a moment, trying to find Ferencz in a sea of purple jerseys was like playing “Where’s Waldo?” until he was lifted onto the shoulders of his teammates after the win.

The kicker, the hero.

“I just love this place,” Ferencz said. “It’s a great moment. I want to play college ball one day and man, these guys just inspire me every day.”

About that snap and hold — Ferencz said he just tried to keep his rhythm.

“I was just calm,” he said. “Try to stay calm in moments like those.”

The game-winning attempt was set up by linebacker Austin Glivar intercepting a Kolton Matson pass in Lake Stevens’ turn during the first overtime period.

“He’s a great quarterback, but they’ve been throwing that route all year, last year. We’ve been watching film, we’ve been getting prepared. I knew that route was coming, I just sat on it and it came right to me.”

The game went back and forth. Sumner jumped out to a 21-10 halftime lead before Lake Stevens clawed back into the game. Matson, the reigning Gatorade state player of the year, still threw for over 300 yards. It was never going to be possible for Sumner to completely stifle what has been the state’s best offense in recent years, but the Spartans were more than up to the challenge of limiting the damage.

The big picture: this is an important win for a program that believed all offseason it was going to be a state contender. Consider Friday night validation of that belief.

“This just proves everything we’ve been saying,” Glivar said. “It proves everything that we’ve been working for all summer, all spring, all winter, all year.”

And not a bad way to kick off a tough non-league schedule, which includes a trip to Oregon power West Linn in Week 3.

“This is a huge win,” Ross said. “We had 11 weeks of studying their film. I’ve never studied someone so much in my life. … I’m proud of our guys. This is gonna put us on the path that we wanna get.”

TUMWATER 56, PUYALLUP 6

The Thunderbirds looked like, well, the Thunderbirds in their 2024 season-opener on Friday night. Puyallup, mostly, just looked lost.

Tumwater scored on all seven of its meaningful possessions in the first half en route to a 56-6 non-conference victory over the visitors from the 4A South Puget Sound League. The T-Birds equally balanced their scoring plays against the Vikings in the first half – getting four rushing touchdowns and three more through the air as quarterback Jaxon Budd completed three of four passes for 110 yards and those three scores.

“Our kids, they prepared really, really well this off-season,” Tumwater coach Willy Garrow said. “They’re tough. And they’re not intimidated by anybody, regardless of school size.”

He was matched by running back Peyton Davis, who scored three of the four TDs on the ground in the first 24 minutes. And the T-Birds did all of this even after kicking off to begin the game.

Even that initial kickoff turned in Tumwater’s favor, however. Kicker Dylan Stevens popped the kick up and it headed toward the sidelines. Instead of bouncing out of bounds, however, the ball hit on its point and veered left back into the field of play.

Mikah Parrish-Sederberg was the man on the spot, recovering the ball at the Puyallup 29-yard line. Four plays later, Davis took it in from 15 yards out and the T-Birds led 7-0 just two minutes into the contest.

The Vikings went 3-and-out on its first actual possession. Two plays after the punt, Budd connected with Jake Dillon for a 35-yard touchdown and Tumwater was rolling.

Tumwater forced turnovers on the Vikings next two possessions, turning both into quick scores, and led it 28-0 before the first quarter had ended. The Thunderbirds finished the half with 396 yards of total offense, 286 on the ground and Budd’s 110 passing.

“That’s great. We’ll take that,” Garrow said. “But also, our defense gave up six points to a team that’s explosive as heck. Their athletes are great. But our defense played so well, two early turnovers. Stole momentum. And those kids were flying to the football.”

Davis opened his senior year with a huge first two quarters, running for 180 yards on just eight carries and those three scores in the half. He finished with 10 carries for 197 yards.

“My blocking,” Davis said. “Without them, it wouldn’t be happening.”

Tumwater finished the game with 514 yards of total offense. All of its 118 yards in the second half came on the ground.

The last of the Davis TDs came with 1:16 remaining in the second quarter, when he cut up field just outside of the left tackle and raced 77 yards. That run made it 49-6 and when the Vikings didn’t score before the end of the first half triggered the mercy rule to start the third quarter – a running clock for the entire second half.

“We were prepared, more than anything. Just prepared,” Davis said. “We knew what we were capable of.”

Tumwater’s only non-scoring possession in the first half came when Budd took a knee with 5 seconds left in the half for the 2A Evergreen Conference defending champions to get the teams into the locker room at halftime.

And it doesn’t get easier for Tumwater over the next two weeks. The T-Birds welcome 3A Bainbridge to town in Week 2 then travel to 4A power Eastlake on Sept. 19.

“Tumwater kids, we’ll play anybody,” Garrow said. “It’s pretty fun to see that.”

THURSDAY’S RESULTS (SEPT. 5)

YELM 42, MOUNT TAHOMA 34

Compared to the past two years, when the Yelm Tornados played in back-to-back Class 3A state championship games, Thursday night’s brand of football looked virtually unrecognizable.

At least for a half. At home, Yelm trailed Mount Tahoma 21-7 at half and looked out of sorts on both sides of the ball. Mount Tahoma’s highly-touted receiver/corner recruit Elijah Durr showed why so many Power Four schools are vying for his services at the next level. He caught two passes in the first half. The total: 122 yards, two touchdowns.

At some point, it looked like Mount Tahoma might run away with it. Then Yelm woke up.

The third quarter featured a renewed commitment to running the football, particularly on the left side behind left tackle Jacob Tracy, a Boise State commit.

“We played our Yelm football,” Tracy said after the game. “That run game could not be stopped.”

Yelm outscored 28-0 in the third quarter, building a two touchdown lead in the blink of an eye.

“I said, ‘Follow me,’” Tracy said. “I told my (running) backs to follow me. … It made every difference. Our run game was clicking as soon as we hit the ground running. We came out of halftime just immediately running with the ball.”

Even with the losses of Brayden Platt (Oregon), Isaiah Patterson (UCLA), quarterback Damian Aalona and No. 1 receiver Marius Aalona, that was the type of football Ronquillo still expected to see.

“Our immaturity showed in the first half,” he said. “It just showed how young we are. It literally took us an entire quarter to lose some of our nerves, but until the second half, we finally calmed down and played some really good football.

“We got caught being undisciplined with our eyes, undisciplined with some of our coverages and they caught us at the right time. They had a really good gameplan and they caught us. So we needed that halftime.”

Nathan Ford led Yelm with 166 rushing yards and a touchdown, while freshman Marcus Ronquillo — yes, another Ronquillo — added 70 yards and a score on the ground.

Mount Tahoma quarterback Mikkah Cordero was effective, passing for 276 yards and three touchdowns. Durr led the T-Birds with 153 receiving yards and the two first-half touchdowns.

LAKES 21, AUBURN RIVERSIDE 13

When Thursday night’s opening kickoff fell into the arms of Lakes returner Ean Owens, the stars aligned. The Lancers sophomore couldn’t have scripted his first touch – his team’s first touch – of the season any better.

From his own 9-yard line, Owens juked multiple defenders and bolted for the right sideline. He found a gash and took off, earning several yards of separation and plenty of daylight. Then he was gone.

“When I caught the ball, there were like five people (in front of me),” Owens told The News Tribune. “I had to cut back. My team, they block very well.

“I just went through the hole, and I scored.”

Owens took the season-opening return for six, a touchdown that sparked the Lancers in a physical, defensively-dominant 21-13 win at 4A-Auburn Riverside on Thursday night. Lakes tailback Michael Pulalasi punched home a one-yard rushing score in the second quarter, and WR Bryce McCray took a 72-yard slant to the house in the third.

It wasn’t Lakes’ cleanest game; the Lancers fumbled two punts and threw a 40-yard pick six on a third-quarter possession that could have sealed Auburn Riverside’s fate.

But Lakes’ defense dazzled from start to finish, holding Ravens star RB Jonathan Epperson to two rushing yards on seven carries. Auburn Riverside mustered 34 yards on the ground (24 total carries) and relied heavily on third-year QB Andrew Wold, who completed 21 of 33 passes for 170 yards.

The Lancers leave behind a massive statement at Auburn Memorial Stadium – and played spoiler on Auburn Riverside’s senior night.

“Even though we didn’t play (our) best, we found a way to get out of here with a win,” longtime Lakes head coach Dave Miller said. “Our defense will definitely get the game ball tonight.

“A lot of mistakes. But our defense held.”

Owens stole the excitement from the home crowd with his first-play, 91-yard splash, but Auburn Riverside answered when Wold dashed up the middle for a 13-yard touchdown on 4th and Goal later in the first quarter.

The Ravens led, 7-6, but wouldn’t score another offensive point.

Pulalasi’s second-quarter touchdown returned the Lakes lead, and McCray’s 72-yard sprint widened it. The senior wideout’s only catch of the contest was long enough to make him the game’s leading receiver.

And time and time again, the Lancers defense forced turnovers on downs in their own territory. Several Ravens drives stalled in the red zone, swarmed by Lancers in the trenches. Both squads hit plenty hard, too.

Lakes QB Willie Nash completed 13-of-18 passes for 186 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Top-target Tristan Baker secured six catches for 59 yards.

The play that sealed it: Less than two minutes remaining, and Nash rolled to his right to hit the 6-foot Baker for a chunk gain on 4th and 3. The gutsy conversion paid off. Victory formation followed.

“It’s a big win,” Owens said. “It’s a great win to start our season, and I think we can carry it into the rest of the year.”

BOX SCORE

L: 6-8-7-0–21

AR: 7-0-6-0–13

SOUTH SOUND SCOREBOARD

THURSDAY (SEPT. 5)

NON-LEAGUE

Todd Beamer 37, Kentlake 0

Foss 12, Kingston 6

South Kitsap 54, Kentridge 14

Spanaway Lake 47, Stanwood 42

Eatonville 34, Cascade Christian 28

FRIDAY (SEPT. 6)

NON-LEAGUE

Auburn 44, Kent-Meridian 13

O’Dea 35, Graham-Kapowsin 28

Bellarmine Prep 41, Rogers 34

Fife 48, Hockinson 7

Bellevue 35, Bethel 7

Curtis 35, Mount Si 14

Orting 34, King’s 14

Sumner 31, Lake Stevens 28 (OT)

Issaquah 31, Tahoma 7

Steilacoom 19, Bremerton 7

Olympia 21, Capital 14

Tumwater 56, Puyallup 6

Stadium 33, Washington 6

Emerald Ridge 24, Kentwood 6

3A NPSL

Decatur 14, Enumclaw 7

White River 50, Thomas Jefferson 18