Four local football players officially laced up their cleats for the final time as high school athletes on a frigid, foggy day at Sunset Stadium in Sumner Monday.
Tumwater’s Jaxon Budd and Vann Hannukaine, Oakville-North River’s Ben Kimbrel, and Rochester’s Xander Peterman were selected to participate in the Cleats vs. Cancer High School Senior All-Star Game, all suiting up for the South Team during the first of two games Monday.
Each of the four seniors spent at least four years within their respective football programs. While the white and pink uniforms, as well as their teammates on the field, were vastly different, they represented their schools on their helmets one last time.
The North Team defeated the South Team 24-7, with Budd throwing the lone touchdown for the South Team. Tumwater’s quarterback helped the T-Birds reach three straight state championship games and has been part of the Tumwater football pipeline since he was in third grade.
“It was fun to put the helmet on one more time and hang out with some high schoolers before I go off to college and play ball. It was fun to give it one more shot with these guys,” Budd said.
Budd has an offer from Pacific Lutheran University and plans to play quarterback for the Lutes after graduating from Tumwater.
He thanked the Tumwater community for their support over the past nine years during his football journey.
“They’re very supportive. They’ve taught me how to be gritty, to keep fighting no matter what and to never give up on anything,” Budd said.
His teammate Hannukaine joined him on the field in Sumner. Hannukaine, who earned first team all-EvCo honors and all-state recognition his senior year, played for the T-Birds all four years and was a crucial piece on the offensive and defensive lines.
Hannukaine holds four offers, including from Pacific University, Whitworth University, Pacific Lutheran University and the University of Puget Sound.
Peterman displayed the bright blue Rochester helmet and Warriors spear for the final time. The running back and linebacker played about half of the game’s snaps on defense and brought his signature contagious energy to the South Team.
Peterman actually lived in Sumner for a short time before moving to Rochester as a seventh grader, when he started competing in football within the Rochester pipeline. He played youth football games at Sunset Stadium and eventually competed in his final prep game on the same field.
Peterman, an all-area honoree and all-Evergreen selection, led Rochester’s defense with 97 tackles and also recorded five sacks and seven tackles for loss. He, along with Ethan Rodriguez and Maddox Rodgers, made up a three-headed monster at running back that was difficult for opponents to stop.
Now that his high school career has come to a close, Peterman was able to definitively declare his favorite football memory at Rochester.
“Definitely that playoff win [against Lakeside], and winning the league championship last year. We were able to go from a program that wasn’t always that great and then was able to do good. It was a great experience,” he said.
Peterman wants to play football at the next level and has a visit lined up to College of the Siskiyous in Northern California next month.
As for Kimbrel, he finished his prep career as a do-it-all player for a banged-up Oakville-North River Acorns team in 2025, playing running back, wide receiver, quarterback and linebacker. He rushed for 1,023 yards and 12 touchdowns on 145 carries while also catching two touchdowns and throwing for three more.
On defense, Kimbrel recorded 68 tackles, six tackles for loss, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. The Cleats vs. Cancer game gave him an opportunity to try his hand at 11-man football after playing eight-man at the 1B level at ONR.
“It was pretty different for me. There’s a lot more people and less room to move around,” he said. “It was a fun, new experience.”
Kimbrel’s favorite memory as an Acorn football player was scoring seven touchdowns in a win over Taholah, including five rushing and two passing.
“That was one heck of a memory,” he said.
Kimbrel hopes to work for the Department of Natural Resources or work in construction after high school.
Rochester’s Stanton Smith, Black Hills’ Maximus Whitehall and Tumwater’s Wyatt Chase were also selected to the South Team but were not listed on the roster on game day. Rochester head coach AJ Easley and Black Hills head coach Tom Spray served as coaches for the South Team.
Cleats vs. Cancer was founded in 2018 by former Washington State University running back Derek Sparks, who passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer in 2021. Proceeds benefit children and families battling cancer.
