‘Scary Good’: Coaches recall Vega Ioane’s dominance before NFL jump
South Sound high school coaches reflect on Vega Ioane’s dominance on the 2021 state champion Eagles.
Even as a teenager at Graham-Kapowsin High School, Vega Ioane was a mountain of a man. 6-foot-4, over 300 pounds. Hands like bear paws.
Legs like tree trunks. Ioane (full name Olaivavega Ioane) played left tackle for Eric Kurle’s Graham-Kapowsin, protecting quarterback Joshua Wood and leading the Eagles to the 2021 Class 4A state championship. Graham-Kapowsin went 14-0 that season, beating Lake Stevens 44-7 in the state championship game and winning its games in Washington by an average margin of 41 points.
He continued to dominate at Penn State and on Thursday night, was selected in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. The Baltimore Ravens took Ioane with the 14th pick. No one was able to slow down Graham-Kapowsin in 2021.
What do opposing coaches remember about Ioane from his days at G-K? Mostly, the impossible challenge of the matchup. Longtime Sumner coach Keith Ross, who said he was tuned into his TV and was “super excited” to see Ioane drafted on Thursday, remembers Ioane’s sheer size.