No. 1 Puyallup steamrolls Skyline in 4A quarterfinals, sets up Sumner rematch

DJ Mims and the Vikings found themselves in unfamiliar territory, a place they’d almost forgotten in this dream season — trailing.

When visiting-Skyline marched down the field and scored on their opening drive in Saturday night’s 4A state quarterfinals, Puyallup fell behind in a game for the first time since Sept. 12, now more than 10 weeks ago. Spartans QB Ben Odom lofted a perfectly-placed, 22-yard touchdown pass to Bupe Chisanga into the end zone’s right corner, an early statement by the underdog aiming to upend the state’s top team.

“It gave us some adversity, but that’s good,” Puyallup linebacker Michael Pulalasi told The News Tribune. “I felt like that was good for us. We very much needed it.

“Everybody just had that pissed attitude. That’s unacceptable. Especially us, being the team that we are. That’s just not our standard, letting other teams score and drive on us like that.”

How would No. 1 Puyallup respond?

Like they always do.

The Vikings steamrolled their way to 49 unanswered points, a dominant stretch that began with QB Noah Smith’s 4-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter. They were faster in open space and stronger in the trenches, the definitively-better team on a clear night at Sparks Stadium. By the second half, Skyline’s opening touchdown was more of a distant memory than it was a statement.

Running back Malcolm Akuffo bullied his way to three touchdowns, and No. 1 Puyallup rolled No. 9 Skyline, 49-20, in Saturday night’s state quarterfinals. The Vikings (12-0) have won 11 consecutive games by four-plus possessions, a stat all the more impressive with three 4A SPSL teams reaching 4A’s Final Four (Puyallup, Sumner, Graham-Kapowsin). Puyallup beat the other two by a combined score of 101-36.

“We’ve put a lot of work in all offseason… but you’ve got to look ahead,” Akuffo said. “The job’s not done yet. We can’t really be celebrating.”

Akuffo missed the first four games of the season, abiding by the WIAA’s transfer rules after an offseason move from Emerald Ridge. He returned in time for Puyallup’s marquee matchup with Sumner in Week 5, only to injure his ankle. Saturday was his “first real game back,” head coach Mims said.

“(Malcolm) makes our offense that much more dynamic,” Mims continued. “I’m very proud of him tonight for all he’s had to endure this season, and for him to have three touchdowns. I’m excited for him.”

Akuffo’s first touchdown was his best. The 5-foot-10, 230-pound sophomore bounced an inside run to the left, shed a pair of Skyline tacklers, and rumbled 21 yards for the go-ahead score early in the second quarter. He pumped both fists crossing the goal line and Puyallup never looked back.

“I felt like I had to prove something, missing out on the first four games,” Akuffo said. “I just wanted to come out here and prove myself, and be one of the best running backs in the state.”

Vikings running backs Briytan Bailey (2-yard run) and Akuffo (1-yard run) added second-quarter touchdowns that ballooned the lead, 27-7, before halftime. Skyline was plagued by dropped passes that stalled promising drives, unable to recover as Puyallup poured it on.

Smith threw a pair of touchdown passes in the third quarter, delivering a 74-yard strike to Jayden Woodland on the first play of the second half before hitting Luke Parker on an 8-yard slant. Akuffo’s third touchdown, a 3-yard run, triggered the running clock before the fourth.

Skyline’s Colin Shamp (2-yard run) and Chisanga (38-yard catch) scored in the closing minutes. Too little, too late.

Rematch, anyone? The South Sound is set for one of the biggest games in recent memory: Sumner vs. Puyallup in the 4A semifinals next Saturday afternoon (1 p.m.) at Sparks Stadium, where the winner advances to the championship game at Husky Stadium in Seattle. The Vikings trounced their crosstown rivals in the regular season, 58-22.

“It’s what football is about to us,” Pulalasi said. “We just have so much love for the game, always competing with the best. We just can’t wait for it. It’s going to be a fun game.”

Akuffo agreed. “We’ve got to defend the territory. We already own the Valley. They’re going to try to (take it) back. We’ve got to fight.”