High School

'Washington represent!' Graham-Kapowsin grabs nation's attention with GEICO State Champions Bowl Series upset

The underdog Eagles took down a star-studded Collins Hill (Ga.) on ESPNU, sparking a chorus of support for quarterback Josh Wood.

Andy Buhler, SBLive Sports

'Washington represent!' Graham-Kapowsin grabs nation's attention with GEICO State Champions Bowl Series upset
'Washington represent!' Graham-Kapowsin grabs nation's attention with GEICO State Champions Bowl Series upset /

Hunter Hill deadpanned as he held the tall, gold trophy snug tight against his GEICO State Champs Bowl Series jacket and posed for a selfie, dropping it on Twitter with the message: "Goodmorning Washington!!"

Even Graham-Kapowsin coaches got in on the fun.

"It's all fun and games until the bullies get picked on," G-K assistant coach Jeff Logan

Soooooo who is going to pull the trigger on arguably THE most successful QB in WA state history in @Joshuawood02 ? I know everybody has their recruiting agenda’s, but me, I like to win, and this guy won every game he ever played in on WA’s biggest stage.

— Jeff Logan (@jml51190) December 19, 2021

">wrote on Twitter.

The Eagles won over fans from far beyond the state of Washington when the 4A WIAA state champions beat Collins Hill, 40-36, in epic late-game fashion in the ESPNU-televised national high school championship bowl series on Saturday.

The underdog Eagles took down a star-studded Collins Hill — No. 7 in the nation in SBLive's Power 25 — an upset made sweeter after head coach Lenny Gregory's tweet calling out top-ranked Mater Dei (Calif.) for its absence in the bowl series resurfaced during the game.

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Many pointed out the fact that the game's MVP, G-K quarterback Josh Wood, is without an FBS scholarship offer. The Eastern Washington commit went 15-for-24 for 274 passing yards and four touchdowns, including a go-ahead 57-yard touchdown strike to Julian Mason with three minutes left and the game-winner, a 32-yard pass to Stephen Mars in the final seconds.

He did not sign on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period.

Here is how social media reacted to Graham-Kapowsin's show-stopping win:

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SBLive's coverage from Las Vegas

Read:Underdog Graham-Kapowsin shocks No. 7 Collins Hill, 40-36, with final-second touchdown in GEICO State Champions Bowl Series thriller

Read:Joshua Wood stuns Collins Hill with last-second magic: ‘I am just so impressed with their quarterback’

Read:Top recruit Travis Hunter has big day in final game for No. 7 Collins Hill, but Graham-Kapowsin spoils his GEICO bowl victory bid

Photos: Graham-Kapowsin (Washington) stuns Collins Hill (Georgia) 40-36 in GEICO State Champions Bowl Series in Las Vegas

(Lead photo by Jann Hendry)

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Andy Buhler, SBLive Sports
ANDY BUHLER, SBLIVE SPORTS

Andy Buhler is a Regional Editor of Texas and the national breaking news desk. He brings more than five years of experience covering high school sports across the state of Washington and beyond, where he covered the likes of Paolo Banchero and Tari Eason served on state tournament seeding committees. He works on the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings. He has covered everything from the Final Four, MLS in Atlanta to local velodrome before diving into the world of preps. His bylines can be found in The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), The Associated Press, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), The Oregonian and more. He holds a degree from Gonzaga and is based out of Portland, Oregon.

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