After a breakout freshman season, Kennedy Catholic QB Sam Huard and his receivers are ready to chase titles

Kennedy Catholic High School football coach Sheldon Cross had a good idea about who he was getting last September. He knew his group of incoming freshman were talented and confident.

But, he needed to confirm the brilliance these young players showed in practice could carry over to games.

“Our first game was at Husky Stadium,” the third-year coach remembered Thursday afternoon, as the Lancers began their first outside preseason practice of 2018.

“I thought, ‘Well, if there’s ever a game where some guys might test whether they’re ready to go, test their confidence, it would be at UW, at Husky Stadium.’ “

For one player especially. That game against Seattle Prep, which was part of the 2017 Emerald City Kickoff Classic, was the debut of quarterback Sam Huard.

And the young lefty — the son of Damon Huard and nephew of Brock Huard, both UW legends — immediately impressed. Sam Huard threw for 391 yards and a touchdown, leading the Lancers to a win. Another freshman, Junior Alexander, hauled in a team-leading 13 catches for 209 yards.

“It was evident we were going to be really good, and they were going to do something special, and then we just had to keep going,” Cross said.

The Lancers finished 6-4 in 2017 on the shoulders of Huard and his group of young receivers, just missing the district playoffs.

Huard was named the National Freshman of the Year by MaxPreps after throwing for a state-leading 3,432 yards and 34 touchdowns as a freshman.

Leading receiver Jabez Tinae (59 catches, 1,278 yards, 12 touchdowns) was a first-team Class 4A NPSL Cascade selection, and honorable mention all-state selection by the Associated Press, while Alexander (60 catches, 859 yards, 10 touchdowns) nabbed second-team 4A NPSL Cascade honors.

“I feel like I definitely had a good connection with all of my receivers last year, but I feel like our team never really reached what we could have (accomplished), and I feel like part of it was just that we were all so young as a team in general,” Huard said.

Flash forward to August, and Kennedy Catholic’s explosive offense is a year older with a lot they want to prove.

“This year I’m a lot more confident,” Huard said. “We had a great offseason as a team.”

“Last year, I honestly feel like we came in just to play,” Alexander said. “It was our freshman year, our first year, (and we wanted to) get the hang of it, get used to it. I think we did very well doing that, and putting up the numbers we did. And I feel like this year we’re going to be way better.”

Cross says his young group, many of whom are now sophomores, are already playing like veterans.

“I feel like they’ve already been here for four years,” he said. “I feel like they’re only getting better by the day, and they want to be better, and they’re hungry to be better.”

Huard and some of his receivers spent the offseason traveling around the country and playing 7-on-7 ball together against some of the nation’s top talent, further solidifying an already strong connection.

“It didn’t really take us long to get along,” Tinae said. “From the jump, we were always down to get working together, whether it was coming to the field and running routes, or just working out. Even during school, we’d come to study hall and get our schoolwork done, and go get some field work.”

The breakout freshman season Huard, Tinae and Alexander had has also put them in the national recruiting spotlight.

Huard already has Division I offers from Florida, Washington State and Nevada.

“He is a seeker,” Cross said. “He is somebody that seeks how to be great. ... He just wants to get better every day and he wants to be great. He wants to lead us to multiple state championships. He wants to be a part of this special thing happening here, and wants to be a great teammate.”

Tinae has picked up offers from Oregon, Utah, Colorado and WSU, while Alexander has an offer from Sacramento State and interest from several Pac-12 programs.

“I think Jabez is one of the most explosive receivers in the country,” Cross said. “He’s good with the ball in his hands, he’s explosive on his routes. He’s sudden. He’s deceptively fast and he plays really fast.

“Junior is very talented and athletic, and has a very good knack to go catch the ball, and he has an innate ability to make plays.”

Another incoming sophomore receiver for the Lancers, Reed Shumpert, is also gaining interest from Pac-12 and Big Sky programs, while junior running back Justin Baker has an offer from Sacramento State.

But, while Kennedy Catholic’s offense projects to be one of the state’s best in years to come, the Lancers spent the offseason overhauling a defense that gave up nearly 30 points per game in 2017.

“We overhauled our defense,” Cross said. “We got a completely new defensive staff. We got a hungry group of energetic defensive coaches.”

Kennedy Catholic graduate Nolan Washington, who went on to play at WSU, and former Seattle Prep assistant Martez Johnson will act as co-defensive coordinators.

“Our defense is going to be simple,” Cross said. “Last year it was complicated. The kids were confused, and that led us to not playing well. This year, we’re going to line up and we’re going to play fast. We’re going to know what we have, and there’s going to be a better energy and confidence about it because of the leadership.”

The Lancers are considered by many in preseason polls The News Tribune has conducted to be a serious contender in the newly created 4A NPSL Mountain — the six-team top tier of a three-tier system — and a team to watch in all of 4A.

“I think we’re ready for it,” Tinae said. “We’ve got the guys, the plays, the coaches. Everything is just confidence, and trusting in the man next to you.”

“Our biggest goal is just to have a great run with the team, and try to go steal the state championship this year,” Alexander said. “One of our goals as a team is just to never break our bond when we’re in a tough situation in a game, and always just stay composed and be ready.”