3 takeaways from Sumner vs. Graham-Kapowsin: Spartans take care of young Eagles for 4A SPSL championship

Sumner flusters newcomer quarterback AJ Tuivaiave, gets three second-half touchdowns to pull away for 23-11 victory at Sunset Chev Stadium

Sumner's defense forced three turnovers, and rode three Steele Isaacs' second-half touchdowns to a 23-11 victory over Graham-Kapowsin to win the 4A SPSL. / Photo by Todd Milles

SUMNER, Wash. - Longtime Sumner High School football coach Keith Ross isn't much for decorations this time of year - just winning football game.

He would have been overjoyed if the Spartans had won the 4A SPSL championship on a tie-breaking safety.

"I told the kids, 'It is a league championship against (Graham-Kapowsin)! We might win 5-3 and we are going to be jacked,' " Ross said.

Well, it wasn't that low-scoring of an outcome. Steele Isaacs scored on three touchdowns runs in a six-minute span in the second half, and the second-ranked Spartans clinched the league crown with a 23-11 victory Friday over the No. 7 Eagles at Sunset Chev Stadium.

The win snapped a two-game skid in the series. In fact, the Eagles had won seven of the past eight games coming into the game Friday night.

Here are three takeaways from the Sumner-Graham-Kapowsin game:

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'LET'S GET HIM NOW'

Ross' first live game-action glimpse of Graham-Kapowsin ninth grader A.J. Tuivaiave was in Yelm when the quarterback set a program record for touchdown passes.

So, Ross was ready with a message for his team this week: "Let's get him now when he is a freshman."

"I have to coaches against him for three more years," Ross said.

Sumner's defense picked him off three times, sacked him three more times - and sent him dizzy on a hit in the first half that not only drew a penalty, it drew the ire of Eagles' coach Jeff Logan, who yelled over to Ross and his staff.

"Dangerous play," Logan said.

Even though Tuivaiave finished a respectable 20-of-30 for 153 yards and a touchdown, the totality of impact favored the Spartans, who celebrated a win against their big-armed rival.

"We wanted to give him some different looks," Ross said. "I told our kids, 'He is 14 (now 15 as of a couple weeks ago) still, so let's move our line and get him off his spot because we know he can make all kinds of throws. ... He's their guy."

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ODD DRIVE CHANGES GAME

With the game tied 3-3, and Sumner taking over for its first possession of the second half, the Eagles drew first blood when safety D.J. Ta'ape picked off Sumner quarterback Nate Donavan in the middle flat and dashed toward the right pylon.

With Isaacs trying to cut him off, Ta'ape dove toward the end zone while reaching the football toward the goal-line - and he fumbled the ball out of the end zone for a touchback.

"You can never fault a kid for making a play," Logan said.

With Sumner getting the ball back at its own 20-yard line, Donavan went deep - and Ta'ape made an over-the-shoulder interception. But the play was wiped out by a hands-to-the-face penalty.

Six plays later, Isaacs scored the game's first touchdown on a 2-yard run with 5:44 remaining in the third quarter, triggering a run of three consecutive scores in a six-minute span for the Spartans.

"Sometimes that is just the way the ball bounces," Logan said. "We got a couple of those bounces last year (in making the WIAA championship game), and maybe it's a little bit of karma going the other way."

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SUMNER READY FOR DEEP PLAYOFF RUN

All signs - and criteria metrics - point to Sumner claiming the No. 2 seed in Class 4A behind Camas when the brackets are revealed over the next couple of weeks.

Is this the Ross-led squad that can finally make a serious run at a WIAA championship.

He's got all the pieces on offense, led by Isaacs, who can wear out defenses with his rugged running style, and tight end Carter Cocke, who is a mismatch problem in the pass game.

And the defense is flying around while playing sound.

"Defensively, we are set up for a great run in the playoffs," Ross said. "And our offense is explosive enough that we can get a few explosive touchdowns and win 17-10.

"I told our kids (Friday), we are in the playoffs now. We are not looking for stats. We are not looking for 40-point games. We are looking to win."

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