9/17/2026
Eastlake 24, Bethel 8
(Spanaway, WA) When Eastlake ran onto Art Crate Field they were looking to exercise some demons from the 2023 season. The last time they did, it was a heartbreaking semifinals loss to Graham-Kapowsin on a last second field goal. This time, the Wolves were coming in to face a different opponent and took the field with a fresh opportunity. When they did, they came into the contest with a 1-1 record getting thumped by Tahoma in their opener but coming back with a vengeance last week in their home opener beating Sunnyside 42-10.
The Bethel Bison were 0-2 but suffered two frustrating losses dropping their opener at Lakes 23-17 the losing the home opener last week to Skyline 28-27. Now, the battle tested Bison were hoping to be on the right side of another tightly contested game and get their first win of the 2026 season.
1st Half
Bethel received the opening kick of the game and looked to have a nice drive to start the day. Deron Williams would move the sticks but Bethel would punt a few plays later on fourth and short to play the field position game. Eastlake put together a very long and methodical drive that ate away at the 1st quarter clock. Junior quarterback Oliver Stiles was a dynamic duel threat for the Wolves and used his arm and legs to move the Wolves down the field. He would find Tyler Wood for a few nice passing plays that totaled 30 yards, but the Bison defense would come up with a third down stop. The Wolves had to settle for a field goal attempt but Colton Ewing buried the 37-yard try to give Eastlake a 3-0 lead after a quarter of play.
The second drive of the game for Bethel was over before it got going as a delay of game put them behind the sticks and forced a three-and-out just a few plays later. Eastlake’s offense was back on the field and Stiles started to show off his arm while Jack Steiner began to handle the running game for the Wolves. Connor Sarmiento led the Bethel defense and prevented any big plays, but Eastlake continued to take what the defense gave them. Another time-consuming drive saw Eastlake convert a handful of third downs while a 21-yard pass from Stiles to Brody Borup had the Wolves threatening. With a fourth-and-10 at the 12-yard line, coach Greg Herd elected to go for it and he made the right call. Oliver Stiles fired a slant pass to Connor Karch and he hauled it in for a 12-yard touchdown. Two drives and two scores had Eastlake feeling good with a 10-0 lead.
With things starting to really pile up against them, the Bethel Bison had to search for some positive momentum before this one got out of hand. Deron Williams would be the spark that Bethel so desperately needed. The sophomore running back would break a huge 40-yard run right after converting a third down. That set the Bison up inside the 10 and three plays later Williams was into the endzone. A surprise two-point conversion by Junior Uncangco was successful as well. The two teams traded quick possessions after that and we went to halftime with Eastlake leading Bethel 10-8.
2nd Half
Starting the second half with the ball, Eastlake was looking to get back to what was working in the first half and that was leaning on their offensive line. The boys up front were getting a push and Jack Steiner was starting to breakdown the defense of Bethel. A personal foul would push Eastlake back to almost the same spot they started the drive but it was Steiner once again moving them forward. The Wolves faced a third down and it would be Oliver Stiles trying to find Connor Karch. The ball was knocked away but ended up right in the hands of Jack Steiner and he was gone. A 54-yard touchdown was the result of the pass break-up and Eastlake caught a bit of a break to open their lead up to 17-8.
Eastlake’s defense was taking over in the second half and continued to swarm the Bethel offense and overwhelm them as they forced the Bison back off the field. Oliver Stiles was phenomenal with an aerial assault as the Wolves tried to put the game away. A couple of 14-yard completions to Brody Borup and Jack Steiner set up the Wolves yet again. On the first play of the 4th quarter, Stiles dropped a great ball to Tyler Wood who made a diving catch in the endzone for a 34-yard score. It was still a two-possession game but Eastlake’s lead was up to 16 with a 24-8 lead over Bethel.
The Bison offense continued to struggle in the second half but Gavin O’Malley was trying to will the team to a comeback. Some dropped passes certainly didn’t help Bethel but their defense continued to give them some hope. Eastlake looked for one more score as Aditya Sudhir had 26 receiving yards on the drive, but the shot to the endzone was picked off by Quentin Clark. That was followed by a nice drive for Bethel with Rayden Shanks getting involved in the ground game. Penalties and drops were too much to overcome however as a 38-yard gain on fourth down was taken off the board cause of an illegal motion. Instead of the big gain it was a turnover on downs and Eastlake killed the rest of the clock. The Wolves offense stayed consistent and ran 59 plays to just 37 for Bethel as Eastlake earned a solid 24-8 win on the road.
Sumner Holiday Inn Express MVP
We didn’t have just one Sumner Holiday Inn Express MVP, but we had five. The offensive line of Eastlake was outstanding in giving Jack Steiner all sorts on running lanes and allowed quarterback Oliver Stiles to stay in a clean pocket for most of the game. If Bethel rushed four, Stiles had all day to throw so the Bison had to bring extra rushers. When that happened, the line picked up the pressure and the receivers found the open space to move the ball right down the field. The offensive line consisted of Lincoln Winner, Jackson Reed, Jack Ort, Pax Jacobsen, and Logan Karch, along with some other subs. The line was dominant all night and led Eastlake to the win.
Stats
Oliver Stiles was terrific for Eastlake as the junior quarterback went 21/34 for 281 yards and three touchdowns to three different receivers. Tyler Wood was the leading receiver with six catches for 92 yards and a touchdown while Connor Karch had two catches for 21 yards and a touchdown. Brody Borup caught four passes for 45 yards and tight end James Ort had three catches for 23 yards. Aditya Sudhir got involved late with a couple of 4th quarter catches for 26 yards. Jack Steiner was a threat in the rushing attack and passing game as he had 18 carries for 76 yards and four catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. Stiles also carried the ball five times while Owen Johnson recorded an eight-yard carry. Colton Ewing was 3-3 on extra points and hit a 37-yard field goal.
For the Bethel Bison, Deron Williams was electric with 16 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown while catching three passes for 19 yards. Rayden Shanks had a couple of late carries for 26 yards while also recording a sack on defense. Gavin O’Malley would go 8/16 passing for 56 yards and added an eight-yard rush. Dylan Burton was the leading receiver with three catches for 20 yards while Mason Dutcher had a 19-yard reception. Junior Uncango caught two passes and ran the ball a couple of times while running in a two-point conversion. Connor Sarmiento was a menace on defense and had a tackle for a loss while Ashton Clark recorded a sack. Quentin Clark had two pass break-ups in the endzone as well as an interception in the endzone for Bethel.
What’s Next?
Eastlake has now won back-to-back games to move to 2-1 on the season as league play begins next week. The Wolves begin Kingo Crown play next week at home when they host Bellevue at 7pm on Friday. Bethel falls to 0-3 on the season with SPSL 4A play beginning next week. The Bison will begin league play at Bonney Lake on Friday night at 7pm.
Watch the full replay of this game on the NFHS Network (subscription required)
West 42 Postgame Show
Game Highlights
Williams 40-Yard Run Sets Up Bison TD
Batted Pass Turns into TD
Stiles Drops a Dime to Wood
www.West42Sports.com