Old school, blue collar, ground-and-pound football at Enumclaw. Good luck stopping it

Having forged a decidedly Enumclaw identity, the Hornets now have the pieces in place to make them contenders in the Class 2A high school football ranks in 2022.

Coach Mark Gunderson describes it as “blue-collar.” The Hornets play a brand of football you might have seen 25 years ago on a regular basis, but unless you follow a team like Bellevue and its vaunted Wing-T running game, it is a brand of ball more relegated to the past than the present, pass-happy offenses.

“It fits around here,” said Gunderson, who enters his 11th season at the Enumclaw helm. “This community … we’ve got hard-working people out here, you know. Blue collar. That’s what they like to come see.”

What Hornets fans will see this season is a continuation of what made Enumclaw successful in 2021. Returning all-2A SPSL running back Emmit Otero will run the football behind 2A SPSL lineman of the year, center Zeke Luchi and mates that include guard Ryan Fehr and big tight end Austin Paulson.

“We’re a physical brand of football that wants to punch you in the face, and see how long you want that,” Gunderson said. “We don’t shy away from those that play that same style of football. Really, it is about ball control. Run first, throw when you want to not when you have to.”

“It starts with a whole mindset,” Luchi added. “You’ve got to go out there every play and say, ‘I’m going to punch this guy in the mouth’ instead of just holding him here for three seconds until the ball gets out.”

When the Hornets do choose to throw, they’ve got a tall and athletic guy to get the ball to the receiving corps in 6-foot-3 junior Gunnar Trachte.

“You don’t have to look to far (to notice Trachte),” Gunderson said. “He’s got the frame. So, yeah, we’re excited.”

Gunderson and his staff have hung this smash mouth identity on a framework he learned from his collegiate playing days not too far from where he currently coaches — Pacific Lutheran University. While there, Gunderson crossed the threshold between longtime Lutes coaches Frosty and Scott Westering.

Gunderson was a part of the PLU program over the elder Westering’s final four seasons coaching and Scott Westering’s first year as the head coach.

“Those that weren’t around Frosty might have misconstrued the competitive spirit that we had,” Gunderson said. “They think they see that winning is not the most important thing. But, being prepared to win and to demand a lot from yourself and your teammates, that’s what is going to equate to the double win. Winning was important, but we talked about some of those other things.”

The core ideals of building character, checking your ego at the door and working for the whole rather than yourself were lessons learned by the coach. And they have become core foundations at Enumclaw.

“It’s the old Frosty Westering,” Gunderson said. “Don’t beat yourself. There always were high expectations. It’s a lot of that stuff I’ve tried to bring with me, and it’s definitely molded my coaching philosophy, for sure.”

Gunderson brought that philosophy to the Hornets. And after 10 years, he now has enough pieces to make a run using an offense that some might see as out of date.

“Old habits never die,” Luchi said. “If it worked once, it will work again. Especially when you have a team that can do it. I think that’s why it works so well, because it’s tried and true.”

Again, personnel to execute must be present. With Luchi and company up front, it works.

“I just go where I’m supposed to go,” Otero said. “And they just take people out. I can hit the hole at full speed and it’s just wide open for me. I don’t have to slow down because there’s a guy where I’m supposed to be running.”

Enumclaw’s run-first offense took them as far as the state quarterfinals in 2021 before the Hornets fell to Tumwater, 55-21. The team went 9-3 overall, but had at least one accomplishment missing from the final resume — a league title. That went to Steilacoom.

“We did have a good year last year,” Gunderson said. “It’s kind of funny because we’ve won our league a few times. We didn’t even win our league last year. We definitely know that we have to take care of our league business first.

“We feel good about this group coming back. We know what’s at stake. We’re not shying away from it.”