3 Washington high school football games you should not have missed from Week 2 (9/8/2023)

Oregon state contender Tualatin survives close-shave encounter with Lincoln of Tacoma; Curtis and Tumwater make statement wins

The second week of the 2023 Washington high school football season produced some intriguing matchups across the state.

• WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD

Here are three games you should not have missed.

TUALATIN HANGS ON TO BEAT LINCOLN

Until this week, Tualatin High School football coach Dom Ferraro knew nothing about the Lincoln Abes.

After watching the film of the Abes' first game, he still wasn't sure what his team was in for on the road Friday night.

He soon found out.

But the third-ranked Timberwolves of the Class 6A ranks in Oregon know a thing or two about how to play good teams - and rode an opportunistic defense to a 17-14 victory over the Abes, ranked No. 10 in Class 3A in Washington.

Antonio Russo and Carson Mullins scored on short touchdown runs, and Tualatin forced five turnovers, all fumbles, at Lincoln Bowl in Tacoma.

"Our defense was lights-out tonight," Ferraro said.

These two teams weren't on each other's radar at all - until the spring when Tualatin needed a second-week game, and Lincoln coach Masaki Matsumoto emailed him.

"We knew we were in for a tough battle," Ferraro said. "Coach (Matsumoto) does a great job. I've followed him a long time on social media."

After the Abes recovered a Nolan Keeney fumble inside their own 10-yard line at the 9:17 mark of the third quarter, they put together their best drive of the night, reaching the Tualatin red zone.

But after a mishandled handoff between quarterback Sione Kaho and running back Kelly Sio-Fetaui, the Timberwolves pounced on it for their fifth turnover at the 12-yard line.

And Tualatin drove 88 yards over the next 31/2 minutes for its final score - a 1-yard Mullins' touchdown with 1:12 to go in the third quarter to put its lead to 17-7.

The Abes cut it to 17-14 on Kaho's 24-yard touchdown pass to Kanoa Teplasy with 8:32 to go, but that was as close as they got.

Tualatin got a close tune-up triumph before it embarks on the gauntlet stretch of the 6A Three Rivers League - the top league in Oregon.

"You can tell the way (the Abes) play - they are disciplined, they are enthusiastic, they fly to the ball and they are physical," Ferraro said. "We knew they were good."

CURTIS A TRUE 4A SPSL CONTENDER?

Photo by Vince Miller

Darren McKay understands why so few people really thought his Curtis group was on the same level as the preseason co-favorites of the 4A SPSL.

The Vikings had never beaten Sumner, Emerald Ridge or Graham-Kapowsin while McKay was the coach.

Well, that changed Friday.

Led by a tremendous outing from quarterback Rocco Koch - 413 combined passing and rushing yards and five touchdowns - Curtis held off the seventh-ranked Spartans, 38-33, at Sunset Chev Stadium.

"We hadn't beaten those three schools," McKay said. "I felt like people were like, 'Right, Curtis is getting better, but it's still those three.'

"We felt we could go with them."

The Vikings took the lead for good - 31-27 - midway through the third quarter on Koch's 15-yard touchdown run.

Sumner drove deep into Curtis territory, but missed a field goal at the end of the third quarter.

The Vikings drove 75 yards, capped by Koch's 1-yard scoring plunge, to take a 38-27 lead with 8:40 to go.

"We can score points," McKay said. "And we are scoring points."

TUMWATER HANDLES NEW NO. 1 NORTH KITSAP

Photo by Todd Milles

Willie Garrow doesn't remember the last time Tumwater threw five touchdown passes in a game - but he doesn't want folks to get the wrong impression, either.

The Thunderbirds still want to pound defenses behind a stout Wing-T rushing attack.

They did both at will Friday.

Eighth-ranked Tumwater amassed more than 300 rushing yards, but got four touchdown passes from Ethan Kastner and a final one on a double pass in a 34-14 victory at North Kitsap, which just took over the No. 1 ranking in Class 2A earlier this week.

"Our kids ...understood the challenge," said Garrow, the first-year coach at Tumwater. "All the newspaper stories and rankings, as much as you don't want them to pay attention to the outside noise - they see that stuff."

After the Vikings cut it to 21-14 at the end of the third quarter, Tumwater answered on Kastner's 8-yard touchdown strike to Bryant, who missed all of last season at wide receiver because of a broken clavicle injury.

Four minutes later, Tumwater put the game away on a trick play - a double pass from Kastner to David Malroy to Bryant, covering 18 yards for a touchdown.

"Our kids work really hard, and they know the standard they have to uphold," Garrow said. "They are motivated."