High school football teams across the state hit the field for the first day of practice on Wednesday.
Goals are being set: beat a rival, win a league title, reach the playoffs. At Lakes, the second-ranked Lancers are aiming high.
“Our goal is to win state,” senior running back Levonte Littlejohn said, “Anything less than that is a disappointment.”
With nine starters back on both offense and defense, including All-American offensive lineman Zach Banner and defensive back Cedric Dozier, Lakes could have enough experience and talent to reach the Tacoma Dome – site of the semifinals and final – for a fourth straight season.
Then, the rich got richer.
Charles Hall Jr., a fullback and outside linebacker/safety, enrolled at Lakes in April when his father was transferred to Joint Base Lewis-McChord from Fort Stewart, an Army post in Georgia. Hall was a three-year starter at Liberty County High School, a 3A school in Hinesville, Ga., where he developed a love for defense.
“I’m a hitter,” he said, “I like lighting people up.”
It didn’t take long for the Lancers to learn that about Hall, who participated in spring practice and summer camp with Lakes.
“He’s fearless,” Littlejohn said. “I’ve gotten hit by him a couple times. He hits pretty hard, and I’m glad he’s on my team.”
“That dude, that’s a baller,” Dozier said. “That’s all you can say, pretty much. He’ll knock your head off.”
CURTIS
Curtis coach Clay Angle doesn’t expect the rest of the SPSL South to shed any tears over his team’s graduation losses. Only seven starters – three offensive and four defensive – return from a team that rolled through the regular season undefeated and reached the Class 4A state semifinals last fall.
Of course, Angle expects the Vikings to remain competitive.
“We know we have a lot of holes to fill,” Angle said Wednesday morning. “We’ve been working hard. Our biggest strength is our work habits. We’re really happy with where we are.”
Angle cites a massive amount of depth and the successful seasons had by Curtis’ junior varsity and freshmen teams last fall as indicators the Vikings won’t free fall to the bottom of the standings.
“We think we have pieces that are quality players,” Angle said. “We have a solid line, that’s where our strength is with our depth.”
A pair of juniors – the 6-foot-4, 270-pound Chris Coffin and 6-foot-3, 265-pound Zach Budnick – will anchor the offensive line. Angle is optimistic about his unproven-yet-potential-laden skill players.
Senior Ty Saathoff takes over for Tyler Jamison at quarterback. Saathoff played sparingly last season, getting onto the field in blowouts and rarely threw a pass.
“Ty is technically sound, he might even throw the ball better than Tyler,” Angle said. “He just doesn’t have the game experience.”
The Vikings will rely mostly on juniors to run and catch the ball. E.J. Deveaux and O’Dea-transfer Rashad Carter will start the season as running backs, while Dom Jordan and Lincoln-transfer Anthony Davis will line up at receiver.
So, the faces and names are new, but Angle sees no reason why the Vikings should alter their goals.
“We think that the games will be a little different; instead of winning by 30 points we’re going to have to play deep in the fourth quarter and compete and not make many mistakes,” he said. “With the group we have, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t compete for our division.”
TIMBERLINE
Like the rest of the South Sound, the Timberline High practice field was bathed in a sunshine Wednesday morning for the first day of camp.
Coach Nick Mullen, never shy to raise his voice if the moment calls for it, stood over the team in a huddle. From afar, all a spectator could see was his shadow-lined face underneath a big, floppy, Crocodile Dundee-style hat.
In front of him at all times was a big, fat checklist – something he has compiled over his years with the Blazers. He reminded his players to complete their team registration, health forms and to hand over contact information such as cellphone numbers and email addresses.
“It’s my fifth year,” Mullen said. “I know what they are going to miss.”
Mullen and his staff immediately took note of who came to camp in shape – and who ate one too many hamburgers.
Generally, the players passed with flying colors, taking a business-like approach on their first day on the field.
“We are a good program now,” said Mullen, who played at Bethel High School and the University of Puget Sound. “We are not just a year-to-year team.”
James Segura-Mitchell takes over at quarterback, his first season playing the position.
“I’ve known the formations for a while,” Segura-Mitchell said. “I have been paying attention.”
In this offense, he will be asked to run as much as pass.
Meanwhile, Olympia had 115 players turn out; and Tumwater, defending 2A champ, had 100 players turnout for the first day of camp.
Staff writer Todd Milles contributed to this report.
Doug Pacey: 253-597-8271
doug.pacey@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/preps
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.