WesternWA notebook: Could state’s top 2027 football recruit return for playoff push?

If two-time reigning 4A champion Sumner reaches postseason, wide receiver Braylon Pope might be able to return for stretch run after shoulder surgery

After initially being declared out for his senior season in 2026 following late-June shoulder surgery, Sumner wide receiver Braylon Pope said there is a small possibility he could return for the postseason. (Lauren Smith / VarsityWA)

Keith Ross monitors two-time reigning Class 4A champion Sumner High School football practice daily, and he still sees that familiar gait - that signature burst.

Despite having late-June shoulder surgery, despite already declaring he was not in the Spartans’ 2026 season plans, wide receiver Braylon Pope still attends every workout, every meeting, every practice — and has been on the sideline for each of the team’s five victories.

“He runs around practice, catches balls and does everything,” Ross said.