Burien’s Kennedy Catholic High School’s football Lancers saw its postseason run come to an end Friday night, Nov. 14, as they fell 34–7 to Graham Kapowsin’s Eagles in the first round of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) 2025 Class 4A state football tournament.

Ranked ninth in the state entering the matchup at Art Crate Field in Spanaway, the Lancers hoped to advance beyond the opening round, but they could not keep pace with Graham Kapowsin’s offense.

The loss ended Kennedy Catholic’s 2025 season in the first round of the Washington State WIAA Championships.

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After dropping their first two non-league games, the Lancers surged through the rest of the schedule and dominated the North Puget Sound League. They closed the regular season 7-2 overall and 7-0 in league play to secure a postseason berth.

Kennedy Catholic’s early setbacks included a 33-28 loss to Bothell in Burien on Sept. 6 and a 28-0 loss at Sumner on Sept. 12.

Their season bounced back sharply after that point though – beginning Sept. 20, the Lancers won seven straight games, including decisive league victories over Tahoma, Kentwood, Auburn, Auburn Riverside, Stadium, Kentridge, and Mt. Rainier. Several of those wins came by wide margins, including a 74-6 win over Kentridge and a 70-26 win over Stadium.

Kennedy Catholic closed out its 2025 schedule with a 50-3 win against Mt. Rainier on Nov. 1, then shut out Lake Washington 30-0 in its opening playoff game Nov. 7.

The Lancers entered their Nov. 15 road matchup at Graham Kapowsin at 1st place in their division with an 8-2 record and an unbeaten league mark, and averaged an impressive 39.9 points per game during the 2025 season.

Pat Jones took over as Kennedy Catholic football coach in 2023 after Sheldon Cross stepped down, and he has since guided the Lancers to continued success. He earned 4A NPSL Coach of the Year honors for the 2024-2025 season.

#GoLancers

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Photos

Below are photos from Friday night’s game, courtesy Lainey Poelzer of Clover Laine Photography; click arrows or swipe images to view slideshow:

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