EVERETT — First, Dylan Stevens squatted near midfield. Then he hugged his teammates before going to talk to family and friends on the sideline. He walked over to the Tumwater High School bench and patted head coach John Hayes on the shoulders.
They shared a hug for the final time as coach and player.
“Just been fun being with all the guys,” Stevens said.
Alongside nine other seniors, the Thunderbirds reached the state tournament once again, but just like the last three years, their stay was short-lived.
Fourth-seeded Archbishop Murphy dissected 13th-seeded Tumwater’s defense to the tune of three first half goals on its way to a 4-1 triumph on its home field in a Class 2A Round of 16 tilt on Tuesday night.
Stevens kept things in perspective following the final whistle.
“We wanted to make it count and no one believed in us,” he said. “This was the end result we wanted.”
Tumwater (12-8) capped the season with an Evergreen Conference title and a third place finish in the District 4 tournament. It battled through a difficult non-league schedule and fought through some inconsistencies finishing chances.
Still, to get into the final 16 teams in 2A isn’t something that Hayes will let skirt by the wayside.
“They battled,” he said. “I’m super proud of them all. It is really tough (to get to state) in our district.”
The Wildcats – who will play either North Kitsap or Quincy in a state quarterfinal later this week – came out firing with a second minute goal scored by Corvan Lara on a counter-attack down the left side.
It stayed 1-0 until the 31st minute when Archbishop Murphy scored on a corner kick, but Hayes the T-Birds sideline challenged the call to the central referee. After the fourth ref and the central ref discussed, they waved off the goal.
It didn’t end up mattering.
Two minutes later, Henry Fahey found the head of Jason Angel again on a corner kick and this time it counted for the 2-0 cushion. Zach Mohr added a penalty kick in the 40th minute to send the Wildcats into half up comfortably.
“Ball doesn’t lie,” Stevens said of the corner kick goal. “They possess and eventually, they’ll score. We put everything out there.”
Gavin Cuoio prevented the shutout with a 25-yard laser to the back of the net. The EvCo’s Co-MVP alongside Stevens and one of Tumwater’s captains ended his career with the final goal of the season.
Cuoio and Stevens were the primary goal-scorers that will need to be replaced for the 2026 Thunderbirds. Defenders Nathan Agabi, Dylan Salapu and Avery Hartzell will depart as will starting goalkeeper Davyn McGilvrey.
Angel Cea Benites, Perry Lower, Nolan Larson and Sam Brandon Fagbemi round out the senior class.
“They showed these younger guys this is how Tumwater plays,” Hayes said. “Big shoes to fill.”
Stevens will head to Portland State to continue his football career as a kicker. He leaves the game of soccer grateful for what it has done for him.
“It’s been five days for 10 years and I’m gonna miss it a lot,” Stevens said. “Football isn’t something I saw myself doing two years ago.”
And he believes the next rendition of Tumwater will continue the tradition of state tourney appearances.
“It takes a lot of work and a lot of countless hours,” he said.
