HS Football: Lakes 4th Quarter Comeback Hands Curtis First Loss

9/19/25

(Lakewood, WA) Someone would taste their first loss of the season on Friday night in week 3 of the Washington state high school football season. A couple of 2-0 teams would attempt to keep the zero in the loss column in their final non-league matchup of the season. It would be the first time the Curtis Vikings had to play on the road away from Bob Lucey Field but would look to dominate defensively for the third week in a row. The test would be a tough one as the Lakes Lancers entered the game with a high flying offense and had only allowed a safety this season with their own dominant defense. Two fantastic defenses and very smart offenses led to quite the thriller at Harry E. Lang Stadium.

Lakes 21, Curtis 17

Lakes began the game with the football and got an explosive return by Ean Owens to give the Lancers offense great starting field position at their own 43. It would be a nice first drive with the Lancers mixing it up on offense with multiple ball carriers. Freshman quarterback Jadis Lefono was money to begin the game with three completions on 10+ yards on the first drive, including a 22-yarder to Ean Owens. A combination sack by Robby Lavatai and Jereme Scott Jr. would halt the drive and force Lakes to attempt a 33-yard field goal which was no good, keeping the game scoreless.

It remained scoreless for the entire 1st quarter as both defenses looked as advertised with a strong start to the game. Curtis had the ball and was marching to begin the 2nd quarter and on a 4th and 13 sophomore Sam Patterson took a shot deep and dropped a dime to Alijah Johnson for a 31-yard catch. That would be a huge play and led to a couple one-yard runs for Tyce Kinley with the second one ending in the endzone. Curtis would strike first and take a 7-0 lead.

Lakes would once again have a huge play on special teams from Ean Owens. A fantastic kick-return would get the Lancers out to midfield before the offense stepped onto the field. Toetu Moliga would find his groove with a 35-yard run on the first play of the drive to get Lakes to the 15 of Curtis. He would then gain 11 yards to get to the 4, but was injured on the run and had to leave the game for at least a play. Lakes would decide to go with the I Formation with Korben Reed as the deep back and Romeice Taviuni as the fullback. It would be Taviuni getting the carry and finding the endzone for the four-yard score to tie the game up at 7-7.

Curtis would respond nicely on the ensuing drive with a slow, methodical approach and short carries from Tyce Kinley. They would also get a couple of huge penalties against Lakes to help out but Sam Patterson also delivered. A 26-yard pass to Taylor Smith and a seven-yarder to Cole Yanos kept the drive moving as the Vikings got into field goal range. Luca Neibergall would step up and drilled a 31-yard kick to put Curtis back in front 10-7. Neither team could do anything else and we went to halftime with that same score.

To start the second half, Curtis would have possession and a chance to go make it a two-possession game. That dream would not be achieved as Corey Irish picked off a pass from Patterson to give Lakes the ball. The Lancers couldn’t finish drives in the 3rd quarter either despite Korben Reed stepping up as the primary ball carrier in the second half. The defensive front for the Vikings was too tough as Robby Lavatai, Rashaun Lavatai, and Jereme Scott all registered a sack and made life tough for Lefono. Defense was one again the story of the 3rd as the score remained 10-7 moving into the final 12 minutes.

Penalties were much better in the 2nd half for Lakes but on one drive they were a disaster. Two 15-yard penalties on a facemask and horse collar tackle helped Curtis fly down the field while a 25-yard completion from Patterson to Smith helped mightily as well. The Vikings were rolling but Tyce Kinley was still having a tough time getting going. That would all change on a third down from the 33. Great blocking up front sprung Kinley free and he was gone for a 33-yard touchdown. Just like that, Curtis had boosted their lead to two possessions with a 17-7 advantage.

Despite Ean Owens proving himself to be a very dangerous returner, Curtis kept kicking him the ball and finally he finished the job. He would take a kick from the three-yard line and bided himself some time for his blockers to open a hole and he was gone. Owens showed off his blazing speed and outran the last hurdle to the endzone for a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. It felt like it was only a matter of time until he broke one and this one would cut the deficit to 17-14.

A loss of four yard on a run play on the next drive killed the Curtis momentum and they would have to punt the ball back to Lakes. Owens didn’t have a chance to return this punt and the Lancers would start at their own 20. The rushing attack rolled for the Lancers on this drive as they pushed their way down the field behind Korben Reed and Toetu Moliga. Slow and steady runs kept the Lancers moving in the right direction with Lefono helping out as well. A huge fourth and three would be a hurdle for Lakes, but Lefono found Owens who barely got enough for the first down to keep the drive alive. A couple of plays later, Reed would break loose for a 16-yard touchdown run for his first of the day. Lakes had come all the way back with 2:21 to go to take their first lead of the game, 21-17.

Curtis still had plenty of time with one timeout left as they trotted out the return team. Jude Grape elected to go with a short pooch kick in the soft spot of the Curtis return team. Nobody went for the ball for the Vikings as Lakes coverage team flew down the field. The Lancers would recover the loose ball to take possession back and keep the Curtis offense on the sidelines. One first down later on runs from Moliga and Taviuni would seal the deal. A 10-point 4th quarter deficit couldn’t stop the Lakes Lancers as they stormed back to beat the Curtis Vikings 21-17.

Stats and MVP

Our Sumner Holiday Inn Express MVP of the game when to Ean Owens for the Lakes Lancers. Owens was electric in the return game for Lakes, setting the offense up with outstanding field position constantly. His kick return for a touchdown ignited the Lakes comeback and he finished the game with five touches on offense for 40 yards. He had the two biggest plays of the game with his return for a touchdown and a huge three-yard catch on 4th and 3 to keep the drive alive for what would be the game-winning touchdown. Every time Owens touched the ball, great things happened for the Lancers.

Elsewhere for the Lakes offense, Toetu Moliga was fantastic with 11 carries for 94 yards and a seven-yard reception for 101 yards of offense. Korben Reed filled in very nicely when Moliga needed a breather, tallying seven carries for 65 yards and a touchdown. Romeice Taviuni had a strong day with three carries for nine yards and a touchdown and a sack on defense. Jadis Lefono protected the ball in the passing game, going 9-14 through the air for 70 yards to give different receivers. Tristan Baker and Ean Owens had the most receptions (3) for six yards and 29 yards respectively. Corey Irish would catch two passes for 17 yards and had a six-yard carry while getting an interception on defense. Lee Snyder capped off the offense with a 12-yard catch.

For the Curtis Vikings, Tyce Kinley was the key piece offensively, carrying the ball 22 times for 80 yards and two touchdowns. Taylor Smith also had two carries for 16 yards and two catches for 51 yards. Sam Patterson only tallied two yards on five carries but did go 4-11 passing for 89 yards. Alijah Johnson hauled in a 31-yard reception while Cole Yanos had a seven-yard catch. On defense, Rashaun Lavatai had a sack, Jereme Scott Jr. had 1 1/2 sacks, and Robby Lavatai had 1 1/2 sacks and a pass breakup. Luca Neibergall would be successful on his lone field goal attempt from 31 yards out.

The comeback victory moves the Lakes Lancers to 3-0 on the season as they get things set for league play next week. Lakes will open up Puget Sound League play on Thursday at 7pm when they visit the North Thurston Rams. Curtis tastes defeat for the first time this season and drop to 2-1. The Vikings open up SPSL play on Friday at 7pm at home against the Rogers Rams.

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