Graham-Kapowsin stifles Sumner’s run game, soars into 4A state semifinals

It couldn’t have started worse for Graham-Kapowsin on the road against 4A SPSL peer Sumner in the Class 4A state tournament quarterfinals on Friday night at Sunset Chev Stadium.

On the opening kickoff, Sumner’s kick bounced off the leg of a Graham-Kapowsin player and straight back to Sumner. The Spartans then went on an eight-play, 52-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a 1-yard rushing score from junior Matthew Spurbeck, this year’s 4A South Puget Sound League MVP.

Forgive the Graham-Kapowsin fans if they started having flashbacks at that point. Spurbeck gashed Graham-Kapowsin’s defense to the tune of 279 yards and two touchdowns in a Spartans’ win over the Eagles in late September, so after the first drive, it felt like a repeat performance might be in the works.

Turns out that red-hot start was an aberration, not a harbinger. From that point on, Graham-Kapowsin wrestled back control of the momentum and took a 14-point lead into the halftime break. Sumner made it interesting in the second half, tying the game at 21 apiece, but Graham-Kapowsin quarterback Daveon Superales orchestrated the game-winning drive, running in the deciding score on an option keeper from 27 yards out to seal the 28-21 win.

“I don’t think there was ever much doubt that we didn’t have enough firepower to come back and score with them,” said Graham-Kapowsin coach Jeff Logan about the start of the game.

Superales was surgical, completing 18-of-24 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for a pair of touchdowns, including the game-winning score. Receiver Jabez Woods led the Eagles with 128 yards and a touchdown on nine catches.

With three minutes and 16 seconds remaining in the game, after Sumner had tied the game, Superales showed poise, leading the Eagles on a seven-play, 65-yard scoring drive.

“Winners make the situation happen,” Superales said. “Stay cool, calm and collected, waited for the hole to open up, saw the hole and used my legs. Couldn’t be happier.”

The poise Superales showed on the drive reminded Logan of another Graham-Kapowsin quarterback: 2021 TNT All-Area player of the year Joshua Wood, now at Fresno State.

“The poise he plays with — he’s not Josh Wood — but I’ll tell you what, he’s pretty damn close,” Logan said. “He’s pretty damn close. He never really seems to get rattled and you just see the natural athlete in him. I mean, by God, he just puts every ball right where it should be caught by guys. So confident in what he’s doing, he’s making the right reads.

“I couldn’t be more proud of Daveon for the work he’s put in watching film and just getting better and just trying to learn and be a better quarterback, because he’s got the athleticism.”

Graham-Kapowsin’s defense turned in a monumental effort, holding Spurbeck to just 87 yards on 23 carries. Linebacker Jalen Davenport, who wasn’t able to play in the loss to Sumner in September because of an injury, was thrilled to be back on the field with his teammates this time around. He was antsy, to say the least, watching Sumner’s running back pile up nearly 300 yards on the ground in the first meeting.

“It was stressful,” Davenport said, laughing. “I was over there like jumping up and down, like, give me somebody’s pads, I need to get out there and do whatever I can. But I had faith in my guys and I told them, ‘Hey, we’re never gonna have this feeling again.’”

Logan deserves plenty of credit, too. While the cupboard was far from bare, there was a ton of graduated production to replace from last year’s historically dominant team.

“A lot of people doubted us in Week 1,” Superales said. “Since we lost all our starting seniors, they thought we were just gonna be a go-by team, but that’s not the case. We’re still here, still showing people that we can play and we’re trying to go all the way.”

Last year’s team was a group that G-K — and the entire state, for that matter — won’t soon forget. But Friday night’s win was validation for this group of players.

“This was their day to leave a stamp on their G-K legacy,” Logan said. “I know the season’s not over, but this is the one I thought would mean the most to them, getting a revenge game with Sumner down here in the valley where we know it’d be hostile. We expect to be here.”

Graham-Kapowsin, which won the 4A state title last year with an undefeated season, returns to the state semifinals for the second time in program history. The Eagles will face the winner of Saturday’s Lake Stevens vs. Gonzaga Prep game.