Graham-Kapowsin Defeats Travis Hunter's # 3 Ranked HS FB Team In Las Vegas (40-36)

All the talk was about Collins Hill in Saturday afternoon’s nationally televised GEICO series bowl game against Washington’s own Graham-Kapowsin at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. Their star power, led by the No. 1 recruit in the country, Travis Hunter. Their 7A classification in Georgia, one of the toughest in the country. The rest of their loaded class: Four-star quarterback Sam Horn, A Missouri signee. Four-star junior tight end Ethan Davis, a Tennesse commit. West Virginia commit Asani Redwood. The list goes on.

If you were a neutral fan, you’d think this was David vs. Goliath, some insurmountable challenge for the little team from Washington.

But with the game on the line with eight seconds to go and Graham-Kapowsin trailing, it was Graham-Kapowsin’s star who shined the brightest. Senior quarterback Joshua Wood, an Eastern Washington commit, threw a 32-yard dart into the back of the end zone, finding receiver Stephen Mars for the game-winning score, leaving just one second left on the clock. Graham-Kapowsin held on for the 40-36 win.

Collins Hill had scored the go-ahead touchdown just moments earlier, taking the lead with just 28 seconds to go in the fourth quarter. It came on a pass to Hunter, who showed his immense athleticism, making several Graham-Kapowsin defenders miss before scampering into the end zone.

But Wood, praised often by coach Eric Kurle for his cool and calm demeanor, led the Eagles down the field methodically with what little time remained before connecting with Mars for the game-winning touchdown.

It caps off a perfect season for Graham-Kapowsin, which finishes with a 15-0 record after posting a 14-0 record during the season in Washington. It was one of the most dominant high school football seasons in Washington in recent memory, with Graham-Kapowsin beating Lake Stevens in the Class 4A state championship game, 44-7.

In fact, Saturday’s win over Collins Hill was the first time the Eagles even played in a competitive game this season. Prior to Saturday, Graham-Kapowsin had won its 14 games by an average margin of 41 points.

Graham-Kapowsin had to hang on defensively after the team’s top linebacker, Jalen Davenport, left with an apparent left leg or ankle injury in the first half. He was later shown on the sideline on crutches in the second half.

Graham-Kapowsin got a dream start to the game, forcing a Collins Hill fumble and capitalizing when Wood found tight end Andrew Savaiinaea for the game’s opening score. Hunter, the nation’s No. 1 high school player, showed his ridiculous athleticism with a high-leaping touchdown grab to re-take the lead. Graham-Kapowsin scored twice more in the half: Wood rolled out and found Jabez Woods for a long touchdown pass and Michael Toa ran for a short rushing touchdown behind Graham-Kapowsin’s monster offensive line.

Much was made by the ESPNU commentators of Collins Hill’s star power, notably at the skill positions. But Graham-Kapowsin’s dominant offensive line, led by starters Vega Ioane, Austin Siitia, Joshua Holder, Curtis Hill and Hunter Hill, was paid scant attention. Ioane recently decommitted from UW, while the Hill twins are both Idaho State commits. The line was as good as its best all season once again on Saturday, even against a level of competition G-K hasn’t seen all year.

WILL JOSHUA WOOD FINALLY GET SOME POWER-5 LOVE?

On the biggest stage yet, Wood showed it all, making plays in the running game, the passing game, extending plays outside the pocket with his legs and with under 30 seconds to go, showed considerable poise, leading his team down the field for the unlikely game-winner.

There’s a sense among people who follow high school football in Washington that Wood has been under-recruited for some time. The only knock that college coaches have on Wood’s skillset — which was mentioned multiple times on the ESPNU broadcast — is Wood’s apparent lack of elite arm strength.

A) That sure didn’t seem to be an issue on the game-winning touchdown pass, which was a dart and Even if it is a weakness, it’s one that could be easily addressed in a college weight room with a dedicated strength staff.

247sports.com national recruiting director Brandon Huffman tweeted after the game, “Tell me with a straight face that Joshua Wood cannot play in the Pac-12.”

Since Saturday’s game was televised nationally, Wood might have just seen his stock rise sharply. We wouldn’t be surprised to see his phone ringing off the hook in the coming days. If he ends up sticking with his Eastern commitment, the Eagles will seemingly be getting a steal.