High school football: 2023 South Sound preseason practice tour
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High school football is back
The News Tribune is visiting schools in the area and previewing local leagues as the first week of games approaches.
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Welcome back to high school football season.
For two weeks before games begin, The News Tribune will visit local programs across the South Sound, providing photos, videos and insight on what to expect during the 2023 season.
Follow high school sports reporters Jon Manley (@manley_tnt), Lauren Smith (@smithlm12) and Tyler Wicke (@WickeTyler) for updates on social media.
Staff photographers Pete Caster (@pete_caster), Tony Overman (@tonyoverman) and Brian Hayes (@_Brian_ICT) will also be out around the South Sound in the days ahead.
BELLARMINE PREP LIONS
There’s a lot of optimism at Bellarmine these days. The school’s enrollment numbers are up post-covid and the athletics facilities have been upgraded across the board in recent years. On the football field, it translates to something ninth year head coach Brian Jensen hasn’t had in recent years: depth. The Lions are carrying around 70 players on the roster this year.
“It’s a lot,” Jensen said. “It’s a healthy 70, just numbers wise. We’ve got some depth in some spots that — especially in this conference — (you need) some guys up front. We’ve got a little depth with some bigs.”
Depth, coupled with experience, could be a winning formula for Bellarmine, which hopes to earn a playoff bid in the 4A SPSL, the state’s toughest league. The Lions return a handful of three and four-year starters, including WR/DB Drew Johnson and twins Cole and Drake Johnston, who will set the tone on defense.
“We’ve been in the weight room since January, getting stronger, bigger, faster,” Drew Johnson said. “I think that we’ve got a lot of experience. I think we’ve been a younger team the last couple of years. Now that we’ve got our experience, we’ve got our brotherhood, we’re ready to go full speed. I think we’re really well-rounded this year.”
The Lions return junior quarterback Dawson Hedrick, who started most of Bellarmine’s games last season. Senior Joey Bambrick, a Notre Dame lacrosse commit, doesn’t shy away from contact.
There’s no soft landing to start the season. Bellarmine opens against reigning 4A SPSL champion Sumner at home on Friday, Sept. 1.
“We’re going to focus on each play,” Johnson said. “We’re not looking ahead to week four. We’re at week one, we’re looking at opponent X right now. A lot of people have us projected in the bottom half of the league. We take that with a grain of salt. We’re ready to prove a lot of people wrong and we’re excited.”
CURTIS VIKINGS
Curtis was a team on the rise last year, capable of playing spoiler on any given week in the 4A SPSL. This year, the Vikings won’t be flying under anyone’s radar.
Curtis features two of the area’s most dynamic athletes in senior quarterback Rocco Koch — the league’s co-offensive player of the year and TNT All-Area selection in 2022 — and all-league selection Xavier Ahrens, a 6-foot-4 receiver and defensive back who led the league with 11 receiving touchdowns and had four interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns last season. Koch, a bruising dual-threat quarterback, passed for 1,460 yards and 21 TDs and rushed for 1,076 and nine more scores in 2022.
“We like the ball in their hands,” Curtis coach Darren McKay said at practice on Wednesday, grinning.
Curtis made the playoffs last season but couldn’t slow down Federal Way in districts, losing 37-17 and falling one game short of reaching the 4A state tournament. This year, Koch is expecting a different story.
“(We have to) beat the teams that we’re supposed to beat, like the Sumner’s,” he said. “(Emerald Ridge) and (Graham-Kapowsin) are only gonna be the two most difficult teams to play. I feel like it’s just us, E-R and G-K for sure. We just can’t quit during the last 15 minutes of the game. We’ve gotta push through. I feel like we can definitely beat some of those teams.”
Receivers Parker Mady and defensive back Jayden Rice-Claiborne both have playmaking ability, and Curtis returns three starters from its offensive line in Nick Keown, Greg Keown and Brooks Kiguru.
“Just the fact that some of these kids have been playing since they were freshmen and sophomores, and now they’ve got a couple years,” McKay said. “Some of them have over 25 starts. That’s nice to know they have that game experience.”
AUBURN RIVERSIDE RAVENS
Jonathan Epperson certainly did not plan to gloat — but he had to, asked to describe Auburn Riverside’s core of unrelenting linebackers.
It may be the Ravens’ best positional group, now amid a season where Auburn Riverside believes it can contend for the postseason. And Epperson is the lead dog, a junior already with five Division-I offers (including Oregon).
“I don’t mean to gloat,” he began Wednesday afternoon, at the team’s first official practice. “But we’ve got some dawgs at linebacker.”
The Ravens return hungry for an improvement of its third-place finish in the 3A NPSL in 2022. To get there, coach Greg Herd is preaching consistency and discipline daily.
That should help avoid Auburn Riverside’s roller coaster that was 2022. The Ravens lost their first two, won their next four, then finished the 2022 season on a three-game losing streak.
“It’s not huge jumps you’re going to take per day… just one percent better with everything,” Herd said.
Thyrou Umi-Tuato’o, Kyree Wright, and Lucas Lemalu round out Auburn Riverside’s “hard-nosed” linebacking core. None are seniors.
Neither is Epperson, who can line up at tailback and receiver as Auburn Riverside’s ultimate dual-threat. He’s noticed more energy in the team’s opening meetings, now a leader in the locker room.
“I think (Jonathan) is an awesome football player,” Herd said. “I think he’s a better person.”
Junior quarterback Andrew Wold returns for another season. So does the two-way Umi-Tuato’o, the starting tailback.
Auburn Riverside hosts non-league Lincoln to kick off the campaign at Auburn Memorial Stadium. Rivalry games conclude the regular season on Oct. 20 (at Auburn Mountainview) and Oct. 27 (vs. Auburn).
“Physically, we can do what we need to do,” Epperson said. “It just comes down to the mental (side).”
AUBURN TROJANS
The Trojans put it all together in 2022, the 3A NPSL’s undefeated league champions after a sparkling 6-0 finish. Coach Aaron Chantler’s longtime mantra of “process over product” paid dividends, and a freshman class from 2019 began their high-school career 2-8 and finished it with a state-tournament appearance.
To repeat, Auburn will have to topple the league without quarterback Amari Goodfellow, the reigning 3A NPSL Player of the Year. Also gone are Kaiden O’Neal — the NPSL’s defensive lineman of the year in 2022 — and Lateibreon Chandler, one of Goodfellow’s top receiving targets.
“We had a talk the other day,” Chantler said Wednesday. “I said, ‘you guys have got to close the book from last year, but you’ve got to learn from last year. … You can’t be Amari. You can’t be Kaiden. You’ve got to be the best version of you.”
17 seniors graduated last year’s group, in total. But Luvens Valcin wasn’t one of them, now a senior and former NPSL offensive back of the year (eight touchdowns in 2022).
“I feel like we improved a lot,” Valcin said. “A lot of different guys can showcase their talent now on the field. We’ve been working.”
There’s a very-real quarterback competition between DJ Bielza (senior) and Baylen Erdmann (sophomore) in the absence of Goodfellow. Both should appear in 2023, though Chantler has yet to name the starter for Auburn’s season opener at Prairie on Sep. 1.
Auburn — along with Auburn Mountainview and Auburn Riverside — formed a city-wide trio atop last season’s league NPSL standings. They very well could again.
“We’re bitter rivals, and there’s nothing we want to do (more) than beat each other,” Chantler said. “But I do believe we honestly root for each other when we don’t play each other. … Whether you’re a Trojan or a Lion or a Raven, you’ve got to look at the city of Auburn and say, ‘hey, that’s pretty cool. They’re doing something right over there.’”
EMERALD RIDGE JAGUARS
Emerald Ridge posted the best season in program history last fall, advancing to the state playoffs for the first time and eventually making an appearance in the 4A semifinals.
This season, with several key playmakers returning, new talent and postseason experience, the Jaguars are ready to make another run.
“We know what it takes now to get there, and I think we’ve just added more talent, so I think our mindset going into this year is just focus,” said senior receiver Tony Harste, an Idaho commit and TNT All-Area pick in 2022.
“We don’t want to let any outside distractions get to us. We’re worried about us and our team and one week at a time.”
Emerald Ridge posted a 10-3 record last fall, including finishing 7-2 in 4A SPSL play.
Following a season-opening, one-point loss to school district rival Puyallup, the Jaguars won their next six games before their only other league loss to perennial power Graham-Kapowsin.
Emerald Ridge won four more contests after that, including routing Bothell (41-14) in the district playoffs and besting Eastlake (21-9) in the first round of the state bracket and Chiawana (40-37) on the road in Pasco in the quarterfinals.
The program’s historic season ended just short of the title game with a loss to 4A NPSL champion Kennedy Catholic (42-28) in the semifinals in late November.
Emerald Ridge graduated last season’s 4A SPSL defensive lineman of the year and a TNT All-Area and all-state pick in Jacob Lane — now at UW — but bring back several of the playmakers that paced last year’s group.
“I think we’re even more hungry than last year, because we know what we can do as a team,” Jaguars senior quarterback Jake Schakel said.
Schakel, an Eastern Washington commit who was the 4A SPSL co-offensive player of the year and a TNT All-Area selection last fall, enters his fourth season as the program’s starter after completing 72.9 percent of his passes for 3,287 yards and 37 touchdowns as a junior.
Both of Schakel’s top targets — Harste (80 catches, 1,166 yards, 13 TDs) and senior Gio Kafentzis (66 catches, 970, 11 TDs), a three-star recruit and 4A SPSL first-teamer at receiver and defensive back — return.
The Jaguars have also added two more playmakers with state playoffs experience in running back Navarre Dixon and receiver Isaac Syph, as well as three-star defensive back Isaiah Jennings.
Dixon was a 3A PCL first-teamer in 2022 for a Lincoln program that reached the 3A state quarterfinals, and piled up 81.5 rushing yards per game and 14 total touchdowns while adding 39 tackles on defense. He also won a Mat Classic title in February. Syph was a 4A NPSL second-team pick for a Kennedy Catholic group that advanced to the 4A championship game last fall.
Following last year’s historic run, the Jaguars returned to the field for the first day of practices on Aug. 16, looking to build on their impressive season in 2022.
“The goal is to go to the state championship and win,” Schakel said. “We’re preparing every day. We’ve worked hard this offseason.”
GRAHAM-KAPOWSIN EAGLES
Graham-Kapowsin won the program’s first 4A state title in 2021.
The Eagles followed up that historic season with a trip to the state semifinals last fall.
Can they reach the state bracket for the ninth consecutive time this fall and make another run at a championship?
The perennial 4A SPSL and state power could be a contender again, returning several players that led the 2022 group.
“We’ve been working all offseason and our first practice today has been looking great, and I’m really excited to see how we all perform on game nights,” second-year starting quarterback Daveon Superales said as the Eagles opened practices on Aug. 16.
Graham-Kapowsin, which has often been paced by a consistent rushing attack through the years, sets up to be a top passing program this fall.
“It’s going to be electrifying,” Superales said.
Superales, a senior, is back after completing 69.3 percent of his passes for 2,367 yards and 21 touchdowns last fall, while also rushing for 362 yards and four touchdowns on the way to 4A SPSL second-team honors.
His top two receivers in senior Jabez Woods, a three-star recruit, and junior Khris Norris also return. Woods, a 4A SPSL first-teamer and TNT All-Area and all-state pick in 2022, hauled in 70 catches for 976 yards and 10 scores last season. Norris added 53 catches for 630 yards and four touchdowns.
The Eagles also bring back junior and three-star tight end Noah Flores, who missed much of last season due to injury, but added 17 catches for 160 yards and two scores.
Graham-Kapowsin also added another playmaker on offense in Oregon State commit Malachi Durant. A senior and three-star recruit, Durant hauled in 58 catches for 789 yards and eight touchdowns last season at Puyallup.
“We have so much talent on our offense,” Woods said.
Graham-Kapowsin ended the 2022 season with a 10-3 record, including finishing 7-2 in 4A SPSL play.
After early losses to league rivals Puyallup and Sumner in September, the Eagles posted seven consecutive wins — including topping Mount Si (35-14) in the district playoffs, Skyview (42-28) in the state opening round and Sumner (28-21) in the quarterfinals — before eventual champion Lake Stevens ended their season with a 42-28 win in the 4A state semifinals.
This fall? The Eagles hope to build on last season’s run.
“It’s really just all of us buying in and playing together as a team,” Superales said.
SUMNER SPARTANS
The 4A SPSL title defense begins Sept. 1.
After posting an 8-1 record in league play — securing the program’s first league title since 2016 — and advancing to the 4A state quarterfinals last fall, the Spartans are ready for another run in 2023.
“Mindset into this season is we just need to keep working hard, and get everything down, like know our assignments and know our jobs,” senior running back and linebacker Matthew Spurbeck said. “And once we get responsibility built in for everybody, we know we can go far. We know that we can just push teams to their limits and make them break down.”
Sumner returns several playmakers from the team that finished 10-2 last season, and posted eight consecutive wins between the program’s only two losses to league rivals Emerald Ridge in early September and Graham-Kapowsin in the state playoffs. Seven of those victories were by multiple touchdowns.
Spurbeck is the league’s reigning MVP, and was a TNT All-Area and all-state selection after piling up 1,946 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns in 2022, and is also set to start at middle linebacker for Sumner this fall.
The Spartans also return junior running back Steele Isaacs to the backfield, as well as three of their five starting offensive linemen.
Left tackle Dylan Sikorski — a 4A SPSL first-teamer on both offense and defense last fall, and a TNT All-Area pick — enters his fourth season starting for the Spartans. The Oregon State commit anchors a line that also brings back Rayvoughn Vernado (now at left guard) and Burak Bowers (right tackle).
Sumner graduated a pair of all-league linemen in Kyle Martin — last year’s 4A SPSL offensive lineman of the year — and Karson Starr, but add sophomore Luke Richardson and senior Tanner Hart on the line, with sophomore tight end Carter Cocke’ also set to play a key role in the rushing attack.
“Our O-line is going to be good this year,” Sikorski said. “I’m confident in my guys and everyone to come together.”
Sumner opens the season on the road Sept. 1 at Bellarmine Prep, looking to extend a regular season league winning streak currently at six games, and eventually make a return trip to the state bracket this November.
“If we keep working hard and working together, we’re going to make it really far,” Spurbeck said.
TIMBERLINE BLAZERS
It all starts up front for the Blazers, who will boast one of the best defensive front seven units in the 3A South Sound Conference this fall. Defensive lineman Ty Evans racked up four sacks and 17 tackles for loss last season and senior linebacker Darrell Gipson (19 TFLs in 2022) should live in opposing backfields this fall.
“We’re looking really good,” Gipson said after practice on Thursday. “We’re just going to dominate. We’re going to go out every night and just dominate. We added some pieces to our front seven, so I’m really excited to see what we can do.”
One of those pieces is senior linebacker King Luafutu, a transfer from Oregon. Freshman Kataferu “Feru” Galoia has a good chance at starting at nose tackle in his first high school season.
Offensively, senior receiver Cedric Ragland is a big play machine and figures to be the top target for junior quarterback Jacob Nadeau, who is also a standout baseball player for Timberline. Nadeau broke his collarbone in a Week 4 game against Central Kitsap last season. His return and dual-threat ability should be a boost for Timberline.
“Jake has taken that next step as a QB and as a leader,” Gipson said. “I’m really excited for our offense and what we can do this year.”
Timberline — and everyone else, frankly — faces an uphill battle for a league championship in the 3A SSC, with defending league and state champion Yelm bringing back several key players from last year’s title team. Still, the Blazers are optimistic they can contend for the league title.
“I think it will just take us being us, being ourselves,” Gipson said. “We have the talent, all we have to do is just put in the work. With our discipline, we’ll be able to do those things and get those things done.”
PENINSULA SEAHAWKS
Injuries derailed hope for a deep postseason run in 2022 — the Seahawks were without 15 starters in last year’s 3A state tournament — but Peninsula is once again healthy and ready to soar.
Head coach Ross Filkins said “without a doubt” that last season’s injury bug was the worst seen in his 28 years as head coach. He also believes this 2023 club could be his best. Many have already contributed valuable minutes at the varsity level, paired with the return of Peninsula’s core.
In the words of star senior Levi Semler, “we’ve got all our boys back.”
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound dual threat expects a “rude awakening” in a 3A SSC that was dominated by Yelm in 2022. Semler clocked an “electric” 4.56-second 40-yard dash and can line up on either side, a trusted tackle or menacing defensive end.
He joins Kaden Munkres and Conner Burton as senior co-captains. The latter missed the entirety of 2022, and Munkres now finds himself in a quarterback competition with junior Mana Smythe.
No decision has been made on a week-one starter – but Filkins believes both can win varsity games.
Peninsula graduated 13 seniors but welcomed 50 freshmen, returning Filkins’ roster back to a pre-COVID size. Burton, though, says the team is even closer.
“We seem more of a tight-knit team. Everybody gets along,” Burton said. “(We’re) keeping the focus dialed in, and keeping the energy up.”
Munkres agreed. “Energy is the biggest thing we’re working on right now,” he said.
Up first on the schedule – a trip to Enumclaw on Sep. 1 to open the season against the presumed 2A favorites. The Hornets opened their 2022 campaign at Roy Anderson Field and staved off a late Peninsula comeback, 29-27, making this non-league contest all the more meaningful.
“Enumclaw is a revenge game,” Burton said.
“That’s gonna be a brawl,” Semler said.
PUYALLUP VIKINGS
For the second consecutive season, the Vikings have a series of 4A SPSL powers on their schedule in September.
They face three returning state tournament programs in Emerald Ridge, Graham-Kapowsin and Sumner in the first four weeks.
In 2022, they opened with a one-point win over their school district rivals in the Jaguars in Week 1, and upended the defending 4A state champion Eagles on the road the following week. Then they added another win over South Kitsap before the eventual league champion Spartans finally ended their 3-0 stretch in Week 4.
This fall, Puyallup is gearing up to open the season with another impressive start.
“That’s why we’re here getting the work in, and we’re going to be ready to go,” Vikings junior quarterback Kaden Rolfsness said.
Rolfsness, entering his second season as Puyallup’s starter, piled up 1,139 passing yards, 351 rushing yards and 12 total touchdowns last season as a sophomore on the way to 4A SPSL honorable mention honors, and is one of six returning starters for the Vikings on offense.
“We have a lot of contributors on the line coming back, we have a lot of contributors at running back, we have a lot of contributors on the outside and we have an experienced quarterback,” Vikings coach Brian Grout said.
Junior running back Ty Balzarini — who reached the podium in the 300 hurdles at the 4A state track and field meet last spring — returns to the Vikings’ backfield, while juniors Nick Neil and Kyson Douglas pace the receivers group.
Senior tight end Kai Richardson is a key on both sides of the ball, also playing defensive end for a Vikings defense that brings back six starters after graduating last year’s 4A SPSL defensive player of the year and a TNT All-Area pick in Wyatt Gordon, and 4A SPSL first-teamer Dane Parker.
Both Richardson and senior defensive back Josiah Goode, an Eastern Washington commit, also earned 4A SPSL honorable mention nods on defense last fall.
Senior kicker Luke Faccone, an Air Force commit and returning 4A SPSL first-teamer, is also back.
Puyallup opens the season against Emerald Ridge on Sept. 1 and will look to build on last season’s 6-3 finish in league play, which earned the program a trip to the district playoffs.
“We’ve just got to be put together as a team,” Rolfsness said. “We’ve got to be firing on all cylinders. We’ve got to be able to do everything, and that’s why I think that we can get it done — because we’re a balanced team.”
YELM TORNADOS
Kyler Ronquillo ripped the ball out of the Eastside Catholic defender’s hands in the fourth quarter of the Class 3A state championship game at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup last fall and scampered into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. It sealed a dominant, perfect 14-0 season for the Tornados and the first state championship in program history.
Ronquillo, a TNT All-Area and all-state selection, has graduated, but the cupboard is far from bare. Once again, Yelm is the 3A SSC favorite and among a handful of teams expected to contend for the 3A state title this fall.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt returning 6-foot-2 running back/linebacker Brayden Platt, the state’s top-rated recruit in the 2024 class. He was one of the state’s top two-way players last fall, earning TNT All-Area and all-state honors after rushing for 1,242 yards and 24 TDs and tallying 69 tackles at linebacker.
The Tornados are on top and know they’ll get everyone’s best shot. That’s music to Platt’s ears.
“You’ve gotta work harder to stay on the top, so we’ve kept that in mind, kept working and trying to do our best.”
It remains to be seen how Yelm will replace Ronquillo’s offensive production, but even if the offense takes a small step back, Yelm’s defense figures to be among the state’s best, with Platt and UCLA commit Isaiah Patterson leading the charge. Yelm also returns 6-foot-2, 305-pound lineman Landen Barger, the 3A SSC’s lineman of the year last fall, and defensive end Onyx Carter. Quarterback Damian Aalona returns for his senior year, as well.
One thing stands out watching Yelm’s defense: team speed.
“Definitely team speed is one of the main things. It helps us so much in the run game, pass game, but especially in the run game with everyone going to the ball,” Platt said.
Yelm opens the season on the road against Camas on Friday, Sept. 1.
GIG HARBOR TIDES
There’s a plain-and-simple mantra floating around Gig Harbor, appropriate for the team’s hard-nosed reputation: Run the ball, stop the run.
The Tides graduated a deep, talented senior class in 2022, but returnees have no plans of slowing down fresh off a fourth-place finish in the 3A SSC (6-4, 4-3). By January, head coach Darrin Reeves set an offseason plan centered around speed and strength, and Gig Harbor got to work.
Aforementioned exits open several starting spots on both sides of the football as “a lot of new faces” look to keep the Tides rolling.
“If you want to be a championship team, you have to run the ball,” Reeves said. “It’s a focus, a big point of emphasis.”
The Tides return just three offensive starters: TE Benji Park, plus its pair of senior receivers in Ben Stevens and Drake Matthies. Park was a second-team All-SSC tight end in 2022, but could challenge Tyler Stowers for the starting quarterback role.
Reeves has yet to name a week-one quarterback, though his plan has the Tides stronger and faster in his second season at the helm of the program. 25 have already joined the 1,000-pound club – a one-rep maximum squat, deadlift, and bench press totaling 1,000 pounds or more – and 15 of them are sophomores.
“The numbers don’t lie,” Stevens said.
They’re in greater overall numbers, too. Over 130 student-athletes joined the squad, and 125 were in attendance for Thursday’s practice.
“Every job’s open, but we’re still the same team,” Reeves said. “We’re competing with one another, we’re trying to make one another better, but at the end of the day, we’re the same team.
“They care about each other. They’re always there for each other, no matter what grade they’re in. That’s cool to see.”
LAKES LANCERS
Legend Galeai’s arm talent and athleticism led longtime Lakes coach Dave Miller to name him the starting quarterback as a freshman last season. There were times when Galeai played great. Other times, there were predictable growing pains.
In terms of poise, it’s night and day for Galeai this year, according to Miller — he’s stronger, faster, more in control of the offense, more vocal in the huddle, more confident.
“I feel very comfortable now,” Galeai said after practice on Friday. “Last year, I was just getting the hang of it. … It’s just getting chemistry with your teammates and everything.”
Lakes posted a 6-3 record last year, dropping league games to Spanaway Lake and 3A PCL champion Lincoln, before losing 28-20 on the road against Stanwood in the playoffs. The Lancers will have to replace the production of running back Leo Pulalasi (WSU) and receiver David Wells (Oregon State) this season.
“I think we’re doing pretty good on that,” Galeai said. “Our receivers are stepping up.”
Galeai mentioned 6-foot sophomore Tristan Baker and 6-foor-2 senior E’Lijah McChristian as two players who figure to rack up plenty of receiving yards in the passing game this fall. Lakes’ linebacker room looks strong, led by sophomore Ta’u Mareko, senior Chris Macon and freshman Michael Pulalasi.
Lakes, as it does every year, will battle with Lincoln for the league title. Mount Tahoma may factor into the race this year, too, and Spanaway Lake has been a contender in recent years.
“Just focusing on our game and everything, that’s all,” Galeai said.
Lakes opens the season with a nonleague home game against Kentwood on Friday, Sept. 1.
TUMWATER T-BIRDS
With a new head coach and starting quarterback, the same hefty title aspirations live on at Tumwater.
The perennially-great T-Birds went without the 2A Evergreen title in 2022, a league trophy they’re very much accustomed to hoisting. And its state-title bid ended in the Round of 16, perhaps earlier than expected.
There’s no shortage of motivation in 2023.
“We’ve been eager to get back after it,” senior linebacker Dane Iversen said. “The coaches have been on us. We’ve been on each other.”
Iversen is the leader of an intimidating linebacking core, arguably Tumwater’s strongest defensive unit. He missed the majorities of his sophomore and junior seasons to unrelated knee injuries, but is again healthy and joins Beckett Wall and Cash Short at the position.
Former head coach Bill Beattie, a longtime coach at Elma, Olympia, and Tumwater, retired after the 2022 season, paving the way for new coach William Garrow.
“I know we have good players and I know we have a good program, but I also know that I have 14 assistant coaches who are incredibly good at what they do,” Garrow said Friday. “As a head coach, they make my life a lot easier. It was not as daunting a task, in that regard.”
Meanwhile, senior quarterback Ethan Kastner takes over for the graduated Alex Overbay. He’s the latest in a line of Tumwater signal-callers waiting their turn to be QB1.
A strong arm and mobility are why Garrow expects a strong showing from Kastner, who spent the offseason mastering the T-Birds’ notorious Wing-T.
“(Ethan’s) arm is good. His feet are really good,” Garrow said. “And in the Wing-T, you have to be able to fake and make it believable. He’s done a really good job of buying into that piece.”
Tumwater returns 15 starters, in total, plus a deep rotation of tailbacks to fill the void of graduated-star running back Carlos Matheney.
“The standard here is so high that the kids expect to play well,” Garrow said. “They expect to win. Every year, we think we should. We’ve got to prove it though, right?
“We’re just gonna cut ‘em loose.”
OLYMPIA BEARS
A typical offseason workout in Olympia’s weight room took a surprising turn for Drew Carlson, the 4A SPSL’s best receiver that posted 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2022.
Called into head coach Nick Mullen’s office, Carlson was still unaware of the news that would drastically alter his senior season.
“I need you to play quarterback,” Mullen told his all-league receiver.
Carlson replied without hesitation. “I got you, Coach. Let’s go.”
Why? Presumed quarterback Cameron Downing tore his ACL in the fifth week of spring practices, leaving Mullen and the Olympia staff to name a signal-caller.
They landed on Carlson, the team’s unquestioned leader. In Mullen’s words, there’s no doubt “he’s going to make things happen.”
“You can never have enough Drew Carlson,” Mullen said. “If you say ‘Drew Carlson,’ everyone’s face lights up. The first word that comes out of everyone’s mouth is ‘competitor’ or ‘leader.’ He’s a dawg.”
Carlson has impressed coaches so far – both mastering the playbook and reading defenses – and Mullen sees no reason why he can’t take the Bears well beyond last year’s seventh-place finish (3-6, 4-6) in an ultra-competitive 4A SPSL. Improvement is well within reach; Olympia lost three games by one score or less in 2022.
“Last year, we showed that we can compete with anybody. We can play in this league,” Mullen said. “Now, we’ve got to start taking wins. Instead of giving stuff away, we’ve got to take it.”
Olympia is faster, stronger, and more consistent, Carlson said. He likes the look of the run game behind him, headlined by senior tailback Cale Allen (six touchdowns in 2022).
And when Carlson isn’t under center, he’s in Olympia’s secondary, part of a defense he said has never been faster.
“Dudes are flying around.”
MOUNT TAHOMA T-BIRDS
There’s a buzz surrounding the Mount Tahoma High School football program this fall. Walk through the main gates into the pristine south Tacoma football stadium and there’s an energy at practice that hasn’t always been there in recent years — an expectation of winning.
Is this the year the T-Birds win the 3A Pierce County League?
The pieces are in place, starting with 6-foot-5, 315-pound senior left tackle Marquise Thorpe-Taylor, who recently committed to UCLA.
“It’s exciting,” the hulking Thorpe-Taylor said at practice on Friday afternoon. “It’s just fun to see everyone come together, just finally accepting that we’ve got a chance. Everything is just exciting to be around.”
Dynamic senior receiver Jah Jah Abdullah returns and Mount Tahoma welcomes a pair of transfers from Tacoma Public Schools peers: former Silas quarterback Tre Walker and former Lincoln receiver DJ Ervin. Add senior running back Brison Bailey back into the mix — he missed most of 2022 with an injury — and Mount Tahoma believes it has what it takes to get on top this fall.
“This offense is ridiculous,” Thorpe-Taylor said. “You’ve gotta load the box with nine guys but then at the same time, you’ve gotta watch out for Jah Jah, DJ, all those playmakers on the outside. You’re gonna have to figure out something.”
Thorpe-Taylor offered a prediction, too.
“I say we go undefeated in league and we’re gonna go into playoffs hot and ready to go,” he said. “Whoever is lined up on us Week 10, we’re ready.”
Perennial league powers Lincoln and Lakes will likely have something to say about that, but it illustrates the confidence at Mount Tahoma. When Thorpe-Taylor was a freshman in 2022, the T-Birds went winless. Over the course of his high school career, Mount Tahoma has gradually improved.
Mount Tahoma’s first two weeks will be a good litmus test. The T-Birds face 2A state power North Kitsap in Week 1 before a matchup against Eastlake (Sammamish) in Week 2. Asked about the aggressive non-conference scheduling, second-year head coach Keith Terry was clear.
“We don’t want cupcakes,” he said. “We want to earn everything at Mount Tahoma.”
LINCOLN ABES
Lincoln graduated several playmakers from the team that rolled to an undefeated 3A PCL title last season, advanced to the state quarterfinals and finished with an 11-1 record, but the perennial 3A PCL football power is ready to contend again in 2023.
“We’re definitely a younger group overall,” Abes coach Masaki Matsumoto said. “We lost a good senior class — 10 kids went to go play college ball — so we’re going to miss them, but this is a good group. They’re really hard-working. They’re very committed. They had a great offseason.”
“Coming into this new season, we’re trying to build a strong chemistry so when that first game comes — go all out, start with a good tone,” senior running back and linebacker Kelly Sio-Fetaui said.
Reigning 3A PCL MVP Gabarri Johnson, defensive player of the year ZyZy Sayavong, offensive lineman of the year Trey Meredith, co-defensive lineman of the year Riley Sareth and first-team selections Drake Granberry, Tapuloa Tusi, Eillyt Fualaau, John John Nelson and Stephon Pugh all wrapped up their final high school seasons last fall.
Johnson — last season’s TNT All-Area player of the year and an all-state quarterback who finished his career with 8,903 total yards and 111 total touchdowns — is now at Missouri after starting three seasons for Lincoln, and leading the program in both passing and rushing in 2022.
Granberry was Lincoln’s top receiver, and Sayavong the team leader in tackles and interceptions, and Fualaau the team leader in sacks.
But, the Abes still return plenty of experience from last season’s state run.
Lincoln brings back six starters on offense, including Sio-Fetaui, who was a first-team 3A PCL selection at fullback last full, and second-team selections in senior receiver Jemani Teplasy and sophomore lineman Anthony Mancao.
Freshman Sione Kaho is set to start at quarterback in his first high school season.
“He’s already stepping into the role of being a leader,” Matsumoto said.
The Abes also return six starters on defense, including junior Dre Sio-Fetaui, who led the program in tackles for loss last season and was a 3A PCL first-teamer at linebacker.
“We feel good about our team, and we’re excited,” Matsumoto said.
Lincoln opens the season on Sept. 1 at Auburn Riverside.
BETHEL BISON
Few teams are going to relish the opportunity to line up against Bethel this season. The Bison are big up front and will feature one of the league’s nastiest defensive front seven units, led by four-star junior linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, an explosive, imposing presence.
Just how good could this front seven be this fall?
“The best in Washington,” Rainey-Sale said at practice on Monday. “I promise you, the best in Washington. … All of them are big. And they’re pushing weight, too. They gonna have to see us on the front seven. It’s gonna be a dog fight.”
Bethel’s defense was among the best in the 4A SPSL last season, but the Bison struggled to consistently move the ball and put points on the board, averaging just 10.5 points per game scoring.
Sophomore Evan Barnes and junior Vashon Igitol are competing for the starting quarterback position, each bringing a different skillet to the table. Barnes, also a baseball player at Bethel, is more of a pocket passer, while Igitol is a dual-threat and can make things happen outside the pocket.
Regardless of who starts at quarterback, Bethel wants to run the football with tailback Roy Lockley III behind its big offensive line, which features four players over 300 pounds, including juniors Jaymar and Jubilee Tasi.
“I see us going far with it,” Rainey-Sale said. “Our offense is gonna be nice.”
Bethel welcomes a new head coach this year: Travis Domser, an Eatonville native who spent the past 10 years as the head coach at Lake Chelan.
WASHINGTON PATRIOTS
Parkland was rocking last year, thanks to a 2A state tournament run from the Washington Patriots. Washington’s turnaround was one of the best stories of the 2022 football season.
After starting 0-3 — including a 41-7 loss to eventual 2A SPSL champion Enumclaw — the Patriots won their next seven games and beat league peer Steilacoom in the district playoffs, 36-8, to advance to the state tournament.
Washington’s season ended in the tournament first round against Othello, but the season created some positive momentum that this year’s team hopes will carry over into 2023.
“I feel like the bar was set pretty high,” said TE/OLB Dan Novak. “I feel like that’s the standard now. We just start from there and go up.”
Junior Kai Kai Hale takes over at quarterback, replacing Luke Elliott, who graduated. Washington returns a veteran offensive line, led by seniors Jordan Pelupelu, Karlin Milisuki and Moses Moana. And if he can stay healthy, the Patriots have one of the area’s most explosive players in running back Unterrio Latin-Henley.
With Hale bringing a more dual-threat approach than Elliott and Latin-Henley back in the fold with an experienced offensive line, expect a heavier dose of the run game this season for the Patriots.
“Kai Kai has definitely been showing out,” Novak said. “You can tell every practice, he’s getting better and better. Our receivers are helping him out, he’s helping our receivers out. We’re just building a connection and he’s definitely on that same level as Luke.”
Could this Washington team contend for the league title this fall?
“We can definitely surprise some people,” Novak said. “Come out, watch, and you’ll see what happens.”
AUBURN MOUNTAINVIEW LIONS
The Lions ran the ball plenty in 2022 – some 65 percent of the time – and to much success. It earned them a runner-up finish in the 3A NPSL and, for the first time since 2015, a trip to the state bracket.
But junior quarterback and second-year starter Elijah Baird has given Auburn Mountainview reason to air it out. Head coach Kent Rodseth wants more consistency from the second-team all-NPSL selection – but flashes of athletic brilliance and improved decision-making has Baird on the precipice of a breakout.
“(Elijah’s) one of the best athletes not just at the school and the city, but the entire league,” Rodseth said Tuesday. “He’s an 11.4-second kid in the 100 meters. He’s a high-jumper. He dunks the basketball. He’s strong. He’s a 265-pound power cleaner.
“We’re just asking him to be more of a leader, and just be ‘you.’”
The Lions lost both starting tailbacks from 2022 (one graduated and one moved), though Baird keeps his top pair of receiving options. Isaiah Wallis-Caw returns; so does second-team receiver Mande Wanlemvo, also an all-league forward for Auburn Mountainview’s basketball program.
The Baird-Mande connection, specifically, is what Rodseth believes can unlock a rise to a league title. A healthy offensive line provides Baird added protection, headlined by reigning second-team tackle Michael Mailoto and 6-foot-5 tight end Jalen Hicks.
“We’ve been able to fix a lot,” Wanlemvo said. “We’re looking a lot better.”
Wanlemvo is equally feared on defense, a game-changing free safety that Rodseth wants to start at outside linebacker, at times.
“We’re gonna move him around to put him in position to make a lot of plays for us,” Rodseth said.
Auburn Riverside was the only NPSL squad to knock off Auburn Mountainview in 2022. The Lions will need to wait until Oct. 20 for their chance at revenge, the final league contest of their regular season.
What’s Baird’s key to contention?
“Dedication,” he said, “and not messing around.”
ORTING CARDINALS
There’s plenty of optimism in Orting, a “senior-dominated” group replenished by 14 total returning starters. The Cardinals unperformed expectations in 2022 (3-4, sixth in 2A SPSL) but believe there’s nowhere else to go but up.
The Cardinals lost four games by a single score in 2022, a script Orting plans to quickly rewrite. Four starting offensive linemen return from 2022, second-team center Lane Thomas included.
The wide receiver room remains unscathed. Starting tailback Carson McCall earned a second-team nod in 2022 as a freshman – he’s back, too.
Zach Gemar enters as the first-year starting quarterback, but Orting’s core is in place for what should be a smooth transition.
“We had a lot of ‘individuals’ last year,” head coach Tom Bannan said. “Our big focus has been trying to figure out how to get these guys to gel together as a group. … Now, it’s all about us.”
Bannan’s defense returns seven starters, and opposing quarterbacks face a new test in 2023 – a fourth lineman staring back, part of Orting’s new 4-3 formation.
“All four of our front guys can run. They can all run,” Bannan said, smiling. “It’s gonna be fun.”
Underneath the senior-heavy class are an exciting group of freshmen, one of which has already earned varsity playing time. Tailback Shiron Seniours will split time with McCall in the backfield, thanks to coach-wowing speed and 365-pound squats.
Orting is tested early on – they meet rival Fife in the season opener on Aug. 31 and powerhouse-Enumclaw on Sep. 22.
The first contest brings a reunion: Fife head coach Kent Nevin was an assistant coach under Bannan for Thunder Mountain Middle School’s wrestling team in the 90s.
“Way, way, way back in the day,” Bannan said. “And then he left from there, and he went to Fife, and he’s never looked back.”
BONNEY LAKE PANTHERS
Bonney Lake is ready to compete for a postseason spot in the 3A PCL this fall, looking to advance to the district round for the first time since the program made back-to-back appearances in the 3A state quarterfinals in 2015 and 2016.
Will 2023 be the season they make their return to the playoffs?
“I think this will be one of the better teams we’ve had,” said longtime coach Jason Silbaugh, who is entering his 12th season leading the program. “We return a lot of kids in a lot of spots.”
The Panthers bring back an experienced group, including seven starters on offense and five on defense from the team that posted a 5-4 regular season record in 2022, and will look to build on last season’s finish in the months ahead.
“It takes our whole team,” senior quarterback Brayden Palmer said. “We’ve all got to be in it together.”
Palmer returns as Bonney Lake’s starter for the second season after piling up 1,000-plus passing yards, 700-plus rushing yards and 20 touchdowns in 2022.
Senior Marcus Lloyd, a two-way starter who lines up at both running back and receiver for the Panthers on offense and cornerback on defense, and was a 3A PCL first-teamer last season, is also back.
Senior tight end Riley Sanderson returns after being sidelined throughout the 2022 season with a hand injury, and will also be a two-way starter, leading the Panthers’ defense at middle linebacker.
Three of Bonney Lake’s five starting offensive lineman — left guard Gavin Ruggenberg, center Micah Courneyor and right guard Fenix Avila — also return.
“We have the largest group of O-linemen we’ve had in a long time,” Silbaugh said. “We have almost 30 offensive linemen. Anybody knows in high school football you go the way of your O-line.”
Bonney Lake opens the season with a nonleague contest on Aug. 31, hosting 4A NPSL program Tahoma on the new turf at Bonney Lake High School.
“It’s going to be pretty cool,” Silbaugh said.
ENUMCLAW HORNETS
Enumclaw made program history last fall, rolling to an undefeated 2A SPSL title and 12-0 record before losing to perennial state powerhouse Lynden — which went on to repeat as 2A championships — in the semifinals.
League MVP Emmit Otero graduated. So did two-time 2A SPSL offensive lineman of the year Zeke Luchi, defensive player of the year Austin Paulson and defensive lineman of the year Keanu Lafaele.
But, the Hornets have reloaded, and are ready to defend their league title and contend in the state playoffs again this fall.
“In relation to last year, I would say I don’t think that we’re missing a beat,” coach Mark Gunderson said. “I think we’re picking up right where we left off. We hit pause, and now we’re hitting play again.”
“We’re definitely looking to build off of last season and what we did,” senior quarterback Gunnar Trachte said. “We had a great year last year. Didn’t finish the way we want it to — obviously we want to finish on top in that state championship — but just looking to build off of what we did last year, and continue that into this season.”
The Hornets return six starters on offense and seven on defense, and several players who played significant snaps during last year’s postseason run.
“I think any time you can even get to the postseason, that really helps those underclassmen,” Gunderson said. “And to have a little run like we did, and not have it end the way that we felt good about, these guys have been hungry. So, we’re excited to get things going.”
Trachte enters his second season leading Enumclaw’s offense, while the Hornets also bring back four 2A SPSL first-teamers from last season, including seniors Ryan Fehr and Karson Holt and juniors Seamus Twohey and Fernando Reyes.
Enumclaw opens the season on Aug. 31, hosting 3A SSC power Peninsula at Pete’s Pool, then plays eight consecutive 2A SPSL contests before the postseason begins in November.
“We’re really excited to kick off this year and win some games and hopefully get back there,” Trachte said.
STEILACOOM SENTINELS
If the Sentinels can stay healthy, Steilacoom has the pieces to contend for a league title in the 2A SPSL this fall. Particularly, the skill position pieces, returning reigning 2A SPSL offensive player of the year and senior RB Jaycion Cain and all-league receivers Jaydus Green and Vincent Foster. Junior quarterback Drew Macdonald returns as second-year starter and has made significant progress.
“We’re looking better than last year,” Cain said at practice Wednesday. “We’ve improved on our running, our route running ability and our team chemistry.”
Green is returning from an ACL injury and Steilacoom coach Kyle Haller is hopeful he’ll be available to return early in the season. Green led the entire South Sound with 13 receiving touchdowns in the regular season. With everyone in the fold, Steilacoom’s offense figures to be explosive.
“We could be a dangerous team,” Cain said. “When we get going, it’s hard to stop us.”
Steilacoom’s defense was its liability a season ago, but Haller attributes that mostly to youth. The defense returns eight starters from last year’s team and should take a step forward.
“Maturing,” Cain said. “We’ve been putting our heads down, getting in the weight room, working on the field, working off the field, trying to get to know each other a little better.”
Steilacoom jumps straight into league play to open the season, facing Washington on the road on Friday, Sept. 1.
SPANAWAY LAKE SENTINELS
Spanaway Lake’s gameplan isn’t going to surprise anyone this year: feed junior running back and three-star recruit D’Aryhian Clemons the ball early and often. Clemons, one of the state’s most electric backs, is going to run over, through, around and past teams in the 3A Pierce County League all fall.
“I really like how our chemistry is coming together,” Clemons said. “We’re looking like a team, bonding. People are really doubting us this year but we’re gonna show up and show out.”
Spanaway Lake will have to replace the production of WR/DB Jasiah Wagoner (Oklahoma) and some other team leaders who have since graduated, but the Sentinels feel they have a sneaky-good group, led by Clemons. Sophomore WR/DB Jasiah Denmark is already a Power Five recruit and is poised for a breakout season.
Laron Paige and De’Arius Hawkins complement them to form what looks like one of the league’s top defensive backs units. As for the doubters?
“We actually love it,” Clemons said. “We love coming at it as the underdog and showing people and proving them wrong.”
Junior Chase Best takes over at quarterback, replacing since-graduated Dempsy James. Spanaway Lake opens its season at home (Art Crate Field) against 3A South Sound Conference opponent Gig Harbor on Thursday, Aug. 31.
CASCADE CHRISTIAN COUGARS
Cascade Christian swept the 1A Nisqually League last season and advanced to the state playoffs, and the Cougars are ready to make another run this fall with an experienced group returning.
“We’re senior-heavy for the first time in a while, and that’s exciting for us,” Cascade Christian coach Devin Snyder said. “Lots of multi-year starters, so we’ve got a good group of guys coming back that know expectations and want to get back to the history that is Cougar football.”
The Cougars return eight starters on offense and seven on defense — including several all-league performers — from the team that finished with a 7-4 record in 2022 and reached the opening round of the state tournament before losing to eventual three-time defending champion Royal.
Senior Jackson Almond, who piled up 58 catches for 1,213 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, is the reigning the 1A Nisqually offensive player of the year, and also earned first-team honors on defense after tallying 71 tackles and six interceptions at safety.
Two-way starter Byson Vasquez led Cascade Christian in rushing (105 carries, 563 yards, seven TDs) and tackles (144) last season as a junior on the way to first-team honors as both an all-purpose player and linebacker.
Senior Jack Tangen, a 1A Nisqually first-teamer at running back last fall, and Torin Carpenter, a first-team selection on the defensive line, also return, along with several more all-league performers.
The Cougars graduated starting quarterback Cade Sando (163-of-234 passing, 2,787 yards, 26 TDs), a 1A Nisqually first-team selection last season, but return junior Grant Johnson, who took snaps at the position in 2022 as the Cougars’ backup.
“He’s learning and pushing,” Snyder said. “He’s got great guys around him that can support him, and he’s up for the challenge.”
Cascade Christian opens the season on the road against Cedar Park Christian on Sept. 2.
“We’ve got big aspirations for this year, but we want to take it one week at a time,” Snyder said.
FIFE TROJANS
Fife has made back-to-back appearances in the 2A state playoffs the past two seasons. Will the program return to the bracket for a third consecutive season this fall?
“We’re going to be young, but tough,” longtime coach Kent Nevin said. “We have a lot of strength in the middle, we have some speed as well … so it’s a good combination.”
Fife graduated several all-league performers — including co-offensive player of the year Beau Fualaau (team-leading 916 rushing yards and 15 TDs) — after posting a 7-4 record and advancing to the 2A state first round last fall, but the program’s hybrid Wing-T offense has reloaded for 2023, bringing back six starters.
Seniors Zach Robertson, a returning 2A SPSL first-team selection, Gavin Schneider and Anthony Duran all return to the backfield.
“I think we can really open the edge, we can run it up the middle, our passing game is coming together, we have a young quarterback who is looking good,” Robertson said. “So I’m excited for our offense.”
The Trojans also bring back a pair of starting offensive linemen in senior center Shea Sherman and junior guard Vincent Esau, as well as several more linemen who played rotational roles last season.
“I think our line will be our backbone,” Nevin said. “Traditionally we have a good line, and this year will be no exception. We have five guys squatting over 500 pounds. We hit the weight room hard, and our kids really have pushed the weight room, so they’re coming out really feeling confident.”
Fife also returns seven starters on defense this fall, including several all-league performers.
The Trojans host league rival Orting in their season-opener on Aug. 31.
FRANKLIN PIERCE CARDINALS
As the Cardinals forge headlong into their second season of an offensive transformation, coach Trevor Hanson managed to bring in an expert in what they’re trying to do to help the process along. After he stepped down in early July as the Tenino head coach, Cary Nagel was brought back to be the new offensive coordinator at Franklin Pierce.
“Are you familiar with Tenino?” Hanson asked during a visit to Cardinals practice this week. “The offense we’re running, basically, is the Tenino offense. Cary averaged like 500 yards a game with it. We’re looking to have two 1,000-yard rushers this season.”
Who exactly those rushers might be, the Cardinals are still working out. Hanson says several backs are making bids to be featured in this offense that plays right into one of the major strengths of the Franklin Pierce offense, its front line.
Running the ball with what the Cardinals hope will be great efficiency will control the ball and keep opponents in a place where they will need to play into one of Franklin Pierce’s greatest defensive strengths — its defensive backfield — by forcing opponents to have to throw the ball around to make up time and ground.
Several seniors are out this fall to lead that backfield, including strong safety Caiden Isaacson.
“It’s made a big difference having seniors in our secondary,” Hanson said. “We want to shut down the pass and let our defensive line, which is one of our strengths, work.”
Hanson said he’s already seen steadier execution in practice than they did most of last year after first implementing this new offensive philosophy. Better execution naturally leads to more opportunity to compete for things like a postseason berth or maybe even to challenge Enumclaw for a league title.
“This kind of feels like the rebuild has happened,” Hanson said. “Now it’s just kind of the belief in what we’re doing. The chemistry is there. The character is there. The players are there. Now it’s just the belief to take that step and not be afraid to be successful.”
EATONVILLE CRUISERS
An established 1A power and perennial Evergreen-Conference contender, Eatonville cruised to a runner-up finish (2021) and quarterfinal appearance (2022) in consecutive state tournaments. Reigning league co-MVP and QB1 Job Kralik graduated – and new starter Hunter Klumpar is in – but a slew of returnees at skill positions and a powerful defensive front seven should again keep the Cruisers within striking distance.
“We’re putting an athlete at quarterback,” new head coach Rex Norris said, the longtime coach at Kentwood and Eatonville’s defensive coordinator for each of the past three seasons. And Klumpar fits the bill, sporting a prototypical quarterback-build with speed for his size.
Last year’s Cruiser core was perhaps stronger, or “more physically matured,” in the words of Norris. But Eatonville has spent its offseason in the weight room to close that gap.
They’re faster, too. “We’re very young, but we’re also very fast,” said returning first-team tailback Dylan Norman. He’s joined by returning wideouts Ky Nation and Rylie Hill – surefire aids for Klumpar in his first go-around as QB1.
Expect an imposing defensive front seven, which features senior linebacking duo Payton Hanley and Max Henley.
The 1A Evergreen featured a three-way tie atop the standings in 2022 – but tiebreakers yielded Eatonville a third-place finish beneath Tenino and Montesano. All three appeared in the state bracket, and Norris expects another dogfight.
“I think you have guys on this team that are fighters,” Norris said. “But they’re going to have to do more with what they got than the other guys did.
“We’re going to be a different team. A completely different team with a different identity. Different leadership styles. But I do think if we prepare right, and the kids focus right, we can maximize what we’ve got.”
SILAS RAMS
There is an enthusiasm surrounding the practice field with the Rams this fall. A year after Silas may not have fulfilled the expectations that accompanied the 2022 season, guys are asking to run “one more play” during drills as Silas gets ready to begin 2023.
“I think the big thing is, just the culture is changing, it’s evolving,” second-year Rams coach Cameron Rogers said. “It’s always tough when a new coach comes in. It’s tough for the kids. They’ve got to get used to a new set of norms, a new coaching style and a different set of expectations.
“We had a bunch of great talent that really surprised us last year. Now, going from where we were last year to where we were this year, I just think there’s more cultural buy-in.”
With still just 18 seniors Silas will be young and talented yet again. But sophomores have become juniors and juniors have become seniors with another year of experience under their belts.
“We have no shortage of talent at the skill positions,” Rogers said. “One of our strengths, though, is our offensive line. We played a lot of those guys last year. A lot of them are back.”
The Rams expect defensively to accomplish things as a whole, and therein lies the strength on that side of the ball, Rogers said.
“We returned a lot more guys on the defensive side of the ball,” Rogers said. “The energy level is high. And I think that games are won with passion and energy. We have a definite store of that returning and I’m excited to see that fire on Friday nights.”
Rogers hopes, of course, that the passion turns to wins this season. To take that next step program-wise and compete with the perennial powers in the Pierce County League will come down to belief, the coach said.
“They key is to not lose the game in the locker room,” Rogers said. “Knowing that we can compete with anybody. Those guys (Lincoln, Lakes, etc.) are going to put a good product on the field no matter what. Just knowing that we can do the same thing and not show up and think that we’re inferior every single week. That’s the big thing. We’re all Tacoma guys.”
STADIUM TIGERS
As the season progressed last fall, new Tigers coach Pat Johnson began to see some progress in his football team. It didn’t translate into a lot of victories in Year 1 of the new program, but it laid a foundation for the off-season.
Stadium will hope to reap the benefits of efforts that have brought new old faces into the fold as the team prepares for the 2023 season.
“Depth,” Johnson said. “I’m a teacher in the building and I was able to really work hard on guys that maybe had chosen not to play. We had three O-linemen that were starters as sophomores, chose not to play their junior year when I got the job, and then now they’re back.”
Stadium finished the 2022 season with 63 guys on the roster. There currently are 78 out for fall camp.
Those three seniors – Max Wiese, Jahvon Dickinson and D.J. Whobrey – instantly have made the offensive line one of the strengths on that side of the ball, adding to a group up front that got a ton of experience for younger players a year ago with, at times, five sophomores playing there.
The other strength?
Junior quarterback Donovan Gill.
“Yeah, we’ve got a calm, cool quarterback in Donovan,” Johnson said. “He started as a freshman and last year. He keeps everything calm. That and we actually have some skill guys who move pretty well.”
Defensively, the Tigers are experienced at the linebacker position with soon-to-be four-year starters Avery Coleman and Dom Fualaau.
“Those guys are the leaders of our defense and I think with the bodies we now have in front of them, I think they’re going to be pretty good for us,” Johnson said.
It all leads to optimism in Year 2 of the Johnson era in the Bowl. Still, it’s a tough PCL to move up in.
“Every team I’ve ever taken over, you’ve got to start with being in the fight,” Johnson said. “Being in the fourth quarter and you’re not playing against somebody else’s JVs. I think Bobby Bowden said, ‘First year lose big, second year lose small, win small, win big.’ So just that progression and getting them to see we’re progressing.”
FEDERAL WAY EAGLES
It might be hard to fathom the confidence that’s building around the Federal Way Eagles as the 2023 football season approaches. Just 12 months ago, Federal Way had expectations.
The Eagles had four experienced, college-bound defensive backs and a promising freshman in their defensive backfield. And they had a senior quarterback to get those guys (all but one of whom are gone this fall) the ball offensively.
Yet a visit to Federal Way practice yielded a one-word answer from coach Marcus Izaguirre when the inquiry came – where did this team get better between then and now?
“Everywhere,” Izaguirre said. “These guys went against the best of the best every single day. D-I athletes day in and day out. There’s no better preparation than that.”
Yes, Roman Hutchinson, Jaylen Jenkins and Andre Jordan are gone and off to college. Rahshawn Clark transferred to Garfield for his senior year. But Zamarie Tellez, that freshman that had three interceptions a season ago, returns.
Tellez will be joined by a cadre of young, talented compatriots in juniors Pana Tupatala and Xavier Garms, along with senior Jayshon Calhoun.
“I felt like our kids took light to that every day this summer,” Izaguirre said. “They were like, ‘shoot, I had to go against ‘Dre every day.’”
Iron sharpens iron, as it were. And for Federal Way, this new crop should continue the tradition of the “No Fly Zone” that the Eagles started calling the secondary a year ago.
Those guys also lend their talents on the offensive side of the ball, making the Federal Way receiving core a formidable one.
Just how far the Eagles will go in 2023 is yet to be seen, of course. Many have discussed them alongside Kentwood and Tahoma as those vying for second place in the NPSL behind Kennedy. But Izaguirre isn’t giving up on a league title just yet, despite the fact that the Lancers haven’t lost a league game since 2018.
“We like what we have,” the coach said.
This story will be updated.
This story was originally published August 16, 2023 at 7:02 PM.
