‘Scary Good’: Coaches recall Vega Ioane’s dominance before NFL jump

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.

Graham Kapowsin’s Alele Faapito-Leao (29) and Vega Ioane (73) relish in the cheers of the Eagle’s fans after helping their team to a 44-7 win over Lake Stevens in the State 4A championship game on Saturday afternoon at Mount Tahoma Stadium in Tacoma.

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.

“How big he was,” Ross told The News Tribune. “How sturdy he was. His balance, he was never out of balance, ever. You can get o-linemen leaning sometimes, but his base, he was so sturdy. Our rushers were like, ‘We can’t move him and can’t get around him.’

“To be that big, I said, ‘Oh, this kid is the real deal.’ Great technique and raw, natural genetic gifts. Scary good.”

Ross said most linemen of Ioane’s size are usually slow. The athleticism was what set Ioane apart. It’s why he’s NFL bound.

“Usually you can’t move your feet that well when you’re that big,” Ross said. “He was impressive.”