It’s not often that schools with an entire county and change separating them meet six times in a decade, but that’s exactly what Lake Stevens football and Graham-Kapowsin have done since 2015.
The No. 2 Vikings (12-0) and No. 6 Eagles (11-1) have played some of their highest-stakes football against each other, with Lake Stevens beating GK in the semifinals and championship games of their 2022 and 2023 state title seasons. The Eagles got the best of Vikings head coach Tom Tri’s squad in the 2021 state title game, a loss that pushed Lake Stevens to new heights by instilling “hunger,” by Tri’s accounts.
“They have a system that works,” Tri said of the Eagles’ consistency after Tuesday’s practice. “I’m sure they have high expectations and they expect to win, just like we do … I think that’s why we keep crossing paths with them.”
All told, Lake Stevens has won four of the six meetings, all in state playoff action.
The two squads will renew the unlikely rivalry on Saturday afternoon in Lake Stevens in the 4A state semifinal.
For this year’s edition of Graham-Kapowsin football, the calling card has been a consistent offense. The Eagles have averaged 34 points per game this season, with their only loss coming against No. 1 Puyallup in a 43-14 Halloween drubbing. Since then, Graham-Kapowsin has managed three straight postseason wins — a 48-12 win over Stadium, a 34-7 opening-round win over No. 11 Kennedy Catholic, and a thrilling 42-35 upset win over No. 3 Gonzaga Prep in the quarterfinals.
The offense is run by sophomore QB AJ Tuivaiave (2,685 passing yards, 28 TDs, 1 INT), with their leading rusher being junior Blake Pearson (999 rushing yards, 13 rushing TDs). Tuivaiave, standing at 6-foot-4, is more of a pocket passer in Tri’s evaluation. The Eagles dominate the air, though, with junior Kase Betz’s 1,119 receiving yards landing him among the state’s most productive receivers. Sophomore Jayce Halasz (852 receiving yards) and freshman Keh’ano Corpuz (617 receiving yards) don’t lag far behind.
With these weapons in mind, the Eagles throw the ball decently more than they run it, putting the onus on the Vikings’ pass rush to come up big on Saturday.
Last week wasn’t a great sign in that regard, as the Vikings had their roughest showing of the season. No. 7 Moses Lake’s three-star QB Brady Jay slung six TDs en route to a 41-point game, though the Vikings offense scored on every real chance it had to put the game out of reach.
Tri’s unit allows 14 points per game, and emphasized that the typically disruptive unit with stars like junior Ty Tautolo will need to get to Tuivaiave early and often on Saturday — the sophomore rarely holds onto the ball for long.
“We gotta find a way to get pressure, whether we need to blitz or do some more stunting or twisting up front,” Tri said. “We can’t let (Tuivaiave) sit in the pocket and find open receivers — you can tell that’s his specialty.”
If the Vikings defense can’t shore up the issues, however, these two rivals may be in for an old-fashioned shootout for a spot in the championship game on Dec. 6 at Husky Stadium in Seattle. Given the Eagles’ propensity to give up large totals to the state’s top teams (38 to O’Dea, 43 to Puyallup, 35 to Gonzaga Prep), the potent Lake Stevens offense should be set for more fireworks of their own.
Led by QB Blake Moser, who has thrown for over 2,000 yards and 36 TDs and ran for well over 500 yards and 10 scores, the Vikings have averaged a whopping 50 points per game in 2025. On the ground, junior RB Jayvian Ferrell is up to 23 scores and 1,587 yards as the Vikings are coming off a 359-rushing-yard game against Moses Lake in a 76-41 win.
The Vikings receiving corps is led by junior Seth Price (45 receptions, 730 yards, 12 TDs), while sophomore Max Cook (29 receptions, 494 yards, 10 TDs) has come into his own lately. In the Vikings’ two state wins, Cook has 232 yards and two scores through the air.
Moser and company have rarely had to play all four quarters this season, but that doesn’t mean this team isn’t battle-tested. The win over Moses Lake adds to a Lake Stevens resume that includes a last-second win over defending 4A champion Sumner and a close win over defending 3A champion Bellevue a week later to start the season.
Expect fireworks as the Vikings trek toward a third state title in four years.
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