State football: Gonzaga Prep big plays can't keep up with Graham-Kapowsin's AJ Tuivaiave; Bullpups fall in 4A quarterfinal 42-35

Someday in the near future, Graham-Kapowsin quarterback AJ Tuivaiave will be playing quarterback for a major conference college football team. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound sophomore has the size, arm and skill at such a precocious age to entice programs like Washington and Oregon to offer him already.

Heck, he may even play on Sundays eventually.

But that’s little consolation to Gonzaga Prep right now.

The Bullpups defense was confounded by Tuivaiave and his contingent of receivers all day, and despite a furious comeback effort fueled by several long scoring plays, G-Prep saw its season end with a 42-35 loss in a State 4A quarterfinal at Bullpups Stadium on Saturday.

“The kids played their butts off. I’m proud of them,” Gonzaga Prep coach Nate Graham said. “They stuck together all year. (G-K) is a good football team and they were just better than us tonight.”

“So proud of all these guys,” senior quarterback Sam Kincaid said. “These guys are my brothers. No matter what the outcome is, we’re always going to love each other. We’re always going to be a team.”

Tuivaiave completed 30 of 34 pass attempts for 526 yards with three touchdowns. Kase Betz made 10 catches for 216 yards with a TD, and Jayce Halasz had 11 catches for 175 yards and a score.

Fullback Blake Pearson – a 6-1, 215-pound junior – carried 28 times for 84 yards and three TDs.

Gonzaga Prep was led by Jonah Keller, who carried six times for 133 yards with two TDs, and five catches for 90 yards and two more scores.

Kincaid went 13 of 24 for 184 yards with three TDs and senior receiver Isaiah Docken had five catches for 57 yards.

“He’s got so much heart,” Graham said of Keller. “He gives everything he’s got – just like every other kid on this field.”

G-K made 32 first downs and converted on 8 of 13 third and fourth down attempts. The Eagles held the ball more than 10 minutes longer than G-Prep, which hadn’t given up more than 23 points in a game all season.

“A good quarterback, and a good, well -coached team,” Graham said of G-K. “(The defense) was on the field a lot, and the offense didn’t help with that. I mean, we were kind of an all-or-nothing offense there until the very end. So yeah, they were on the field the whole game, which is hard.”

Graham-Kapowsin (11-1) has 12 players listed at more than 245 pounds on its roster. Greater Spokane League champion Gonzaga Prep (11-1) hadn’t seen a team that big all season.

“They’re physical,” Docken said. “They had a really good quarterback and really good receivers. Big up front. We got tested, and we didn’t come to perform like we should have.”

Pearson scored the first of his three TDs with 24 seconds left in the third quarter, and the extra point put the Eagles up 28-13.

Keller took the next play from scrimmage 68 yards for a touchdown and Jimmy Grainger plunged in for the 2-point conversion to make it 28-21.

“Jonah’s my brother. He’s been doing this since sophomore year,” Docken said. “People need to know more about him. He’s one of the best players in the state, and he’s one of the best teammates.”

Two long passes by Tuivaiave and another short Pearson TD run made it a two-score game again.

But on G-Prep’s next play, Kincaid found Keller on a 62-yard post route for another TD to make it 35-28.

“I can trust (Keller) to go up and get that ball whenever, and he played a hell of a game,” Kincaid said.

But Graham-Kapowsin answered with a 10-play, 63-yard drive, culminated with Pearson’s third TD run of the second half.

The Bullpups finally put together a long drive of their own, including converting a pair of fourth downs. On third-and-goal from the 18, Kincaid hit Keller with a turn-in route, then the elusive back broke a tackle and outraced a defender to the pylon to make it 42-35 with 2:13 left in the game.

G-K picked up a first down, then G-Prep used all of their time outs trying to extend the game. On fourth-and-4 from the G-Prep 41, Tuivaiave completed one last pass, a 26-yard gain to tight end Quinncey Ratteray to seal the Eagles’ victory.

“We worked for this the last three years. It’s been a journey,” Docken said. “And you know, even though we didn’t go out the way we wanted to, I wouldn’t change any of it. I love these guys. These guys are my brothers.”

Graham Kapowsin led 14-6 at halftime, but the Bullpups scored on their first possession of the second half, with Nikko Alexander taking a swing pass 21 yards for score to get within one point.

G-K answered back with two TDs on successive drives to make it a two-score game late in the period.

“We should have come out better in the first half. That’s on us, Docken said. “We can’t put everything on our defense. You know, our defense played well. It just wasn’t our day.”