Tumwater police announced an increased security presence ahead of the Pioneer Bowl, the annual rivalry game between Tumwater and Black Hills high schools. Police cited threats from a former Tumwater Middle School student who no longer lived in the area. The game was later canceled.

The other cancellation came in Rochester, where Rochester was scheduled to play Centralia. The school districts said a credible threat had been reported. They also credited a student who alerted Centralia school administrators, emphasizing that student and community safety took priority over the game.

Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders said in a Facebook post that the person behind the Rochester-area threat claimed gang affiliation and threatened a specific student. Sanders described the suspect as a runaway who had not been located. The available information did not establish whether the two incidents were connected.

Residents interviewed in Tumwater expressed shock and disappointment at the cancellations. One said the games were community gatherings, while another called for a deeper response focused on treatment and support rather than relying solely on punishment.

The cancellations disrupted two local rivalry games, but school officials and police treated the reported threats as serious enough to keep spectators and students away while investigations continued.