Four eye-popping matchups to watch in 2024 NPSL season

With teams moving in and around the NPSL, some games have added intrigue.

By Benjamin Ray • September 4, 2024 5:00 pm
Auburn Riverside sophomore Harper Curnutt takes possession from a Mead player. Ben Ray / The Reporter
Auburn Riverside sophomore Harper Curnutt takes possession from a Mead player. Ben Ray / The Reporter

The 2024-25 school year is here and high school athletes are practicing. Let’s look at some of the most exciting matchups for teams here in the revamped NPSL. 3A and 4A will look a bit different over the next cycle, with the likes of Enumclaw and White River making the jump to 3A. At the 4A level, Stadium, Auburn and Auburn Riverside make their way to the highest classification in the state.

Enumclaw at Decatur, Football: Sept. 6

Last year was a revolution for Decatur football. Head Coach Matt Vaeena got Decatur one game away from its first state tournament appearance in school history. But the things he did achieve were just as special. Decatur beat Federal Way for the first time since the Bush administration and had their most wins in a regular season (8) since the turn of the century.

Enumclaw is back in the NPSL for the first time since 2018, and had one of the best football programs in the 2A SPSL while they were down there. Over the course of the 2019-24 window, the Hornets lost just six regular season games and have arguably never been hotter. The Hornets are coming off back-to-back state semifinals and haven’t lost a league game since 2021.

We get these two teams front and center week one, under the lights at Federal Way Memorial Field. For a season that is full of exciting matchups, this is one to look out for early.

Auburn Riverside at Tahoma, Volleyball: Sept. 12

Unlike the Ravens soccer squad, the volleyball team came in as the underdog. Head Coach Mike Tienda’s girls were the 12th seed and actually upset fifth seeded Seattle Prep in round one of the state tournament.

It has been a year since these teams have played each other, with Tahoma beating Riverside back in 2022 and the Ravens defeated Tahoma in 2021.

These two sides both have decorated trophy rooms in volleyball. The Ravens have a bit more hardware in recent history with two fourth-place finishes and a state championship back in 2018. The Bears, however, are just five years removed from a state championship in 2019.

The two sides will meet again on Oct. 7 with six games to follow, which puts the emphasis on that game even more.

Auburn Riverside at Kentridge, Girls Soccer: Sept. 23

Girls soccer in the 4A NPSL is going to be some of the best footy we will get all year. Auburn Riverside was the fifth seed in the state tournament a year ago. After a brutal defeat at the hands of Mead in the opening round, Riverside is going to be highly motivated this year.

Kentridge went on a late heater last year, winning two games in the district tournament to make state for the first time since 2018. The Chargers finished second in league play, closing the year on a 12-game unbeaten streak. But the Chargers did lose some key players — the likes of Jayda Sparks and Ella Schug will be missed in the green and yellow this season.

The two sides will see challenges against Kentwood and Tahoma this year, with Riverside being a game circled on the calendar for many teams.

Auburn at Kentwood, Football: Oct. 14

On the surface, this matchup might not look like much — a team in Auburn that played well a year ago, making the district tournament. But they lost their starting quarterback and tone setter in Luvens Valcin, among others. But moving up to 4A and battling schools like Tahoma and Kennedy Catholic, the two weeks prior will serve as tests to see where the Trojans are.

How they respond will be integral to the finish of their season. After Kentwood, Auburn closes out with Mount Rainier and rivals Auburn Riverside.

In the case of Kentwood, the Conks are playing an unfamiliar foe. Over the past couple of years, Kentwood football has been searching for a breakout year. Last year, Antoine Lee cemented himself as a Kentwood football legend.

Lee now has every rushing record possible for the Conks. The list includes rush attempts in a game (42), rush yards in a game (388), rush yards in a season (1,480), punt return (99 yards), career rush yards (3,722) and career rushing touchdowns (31). Heading into his senior season, Lee can take Kentwood to the next level.

Auburn is Kentwood’s fifth league game of the season, and will be a key matchup for both sides in mid-October.