State championships: High school football previews, predictions for South Sound programs

Read team previews and score predictions for every South Sound program in the WIAA state championship games at Husky Stadium on Friday and Saturday.

CLASS 4A

No. 5 Sumner Spartans (10-3) vs. No. 2 Lake Stevens Vikings (13-0)

7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6 at Husky Stadium (Seattle)

Defending state champion Sumner is back in the Class 4A title game after last week’s upset win over top-seeded Puyallup. Expect a heavy dose of running back Lance McGee, who rushed for 313 yards and five touchdowns against the Vikings. WR Braylon Pope has been unguardable in the passing game, the No. 1 option for senior QB Nate Donovan. This game likely comes down to how well Sumner can slow down the dual-threat junior QB, who has legit 4.4 speed and has been one of the state’s most electric playmakers this fall. Lake Stevens needed a last-second touchdown to beat Sumner in the regular season meeting in Week 1. We think the ball bounces Sumner’s way this time and Keith Ross gets back-to-back titles.

TNT pick: Sumner 28, Lake Stevens 27

CLASS 3A

No. 2 Mount Tahoma T-Birds (13-0) vs. No. 1 O’Dea Fighting Irish (12-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5 at Husky Stadium (Seattle)

It’ll be strength against strength as two of the state’s elite defenses face off at Husky Stadium on Friday. O’Dea has one of the best defensive fronts the state has seen in some time, highlighted by defensive ends David Schwerzel, Fameitau Siale and interior linemen Jeremiah Nonu and Tevita Nonu. Mount Tahoma doesn’t have the same name recognition and recruiting attention as O’Dea’s unit but the defense has played at the same level, evidenced by last week’s 21-6 win over Eastside Catholic in the semifinals. O’Dea’s early-season loss to Graham-Kapowsin showed there are plays to be made against the Irish secondary. We think UW signee Elijah Durr. a receiver and corner, will make a few on the perimeter on both sides of the ball. We’re rolling with the Tacoma squad in the program’s first state championship appearance since 1980.

TNT pick: Mount Tahoma 21, O’Dea 17

CLASS 2A

No. 2 Tumwater T-Birds (11-1) vs. No. 1 Archbishop Murphy Wildcats (12-0)

3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6 at Husky Stadium (Seattle)

Tumwater enters the 2A championship at Husky Stadium for a third-straight year, but this may be their toughest test of the bunch. Undefeated Archbishop Murphy has won every game on their schedule by at least 32 points — twice against two-time defending champion Anacortes — and steamrolled its way into Seattle as the tournament’s top seed. If there’s a defense in Class 2A capable of derailing the powerhouse, it’s Tumwater. Willie Garrow’s T-Birds have allowed 18 total points in four playoff wins, including a shutout of undefeated East Valley (Yakima) in the semifinals, 42-0, with the kind of roster depth most programs dream of. Expect plenty of deception on the ground in Tumwater’s tried-and-true Wing-T offense. Watch for Wildcats RB Isaiah Smith, too, who’s thrived in a busy role this postseason with a three-touchdown game over Anacortes last weekend. Tumwater has the personnel for an upset win and their first state title since 2019, but Archbishop Murphy has been simply dominant with a host of Division I recruits, including 6-foot-6 Arizona WR/DB commit Henry Gabalis, Wisconsin DE commit Jack Sievers and younger brother Cole Sievers, a running back and defensive back. Tumwater’s coaching staff will have the T-Birds prepared, but there’s a lot of firepower and size on the other side.

TNT pick: Archbishop Murphy 31, Tumwater 21