High school football season preview: 2A Evergreen Conference
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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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High school football is back in the South Sound. Practices are underway as programs across the state prepare for the beginning of the 2023 season.
The News Tribune will be visiting schools in the area and previewing local leagues as the first week of games approaches.
Follow along with us throughout the two-week preseason for previews on the 4A NPSL, 4A SPSL, 3A NPSL, 3A PCL, 3A SSC, 2A SPSL, 2A EvCo and more.
2A EVERGREEN CONFERENCE
Who’s the favorite?
Not often are the T-Birds denied entry to the state quarterfinals — in 2022, Tumwater’s season ended in the first round for the first time since 2011. Their trophy case lacks the league crown, in possession of reigning-champion W.F. West.
Those harsh realities have 15 returning starters hungry to return Tumwater atop the 2A EvCo. An imposing core of linebackers look to stuff opposing run games, and new quarterback Ethan Kastner’s versatility with his arm and feet bode well for a seamless infusion into the Wing-T offense.
But this group wants more than a league trophy — much, much more.
“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 missed much of his sophomore and junior seasons to unrelated knee injuries, but he returns healthy as the leader of T-Birds linebackers. Alongside him are Beckett Wall, Cash Short, Blake Heryford, Brett Heryford and Mikah Sederberg — Wall was a 2A EvCo first-team selection in 2022.
Kastner spent a busy offseason mastering Tumwater’s playbook, his top targets TE Jake Dillon and WR Brady Bryant. The program graduated star tailback Carlos Matheney, but the run game remains strong behind a committee of Logan Cole and Jaylin Nixon.
These T-Birds are ready to fly around the field. New coach William Garrow, in for the retired Bill Beattie, plans to “cut them loose.”
“They’re a good group,” he said. “They’re really good kids, they play really hard. They play the ‘Tumwater Way.’ They’re very selfless. And I’m proud of the way they’ve prepared.”
Tumwater’s only league defeat in 2022 came to undefeated W.F. West. The T-Birds’ other five league contests? Five victories by a combined score of 254-31.
A rematch with the Bearcats on Sept. 29 likely puts the winner in full control of its 2A EvCo destiny.
“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.”
Any other contenders?
They’re more of a co-favorite than a contender: W.F. West was the 2A EvCo’s best in 2022. A talented Bearcats’ senior class led by QB Gavin Fugate and MVP lineman Daniel Matagi reached the state semifinals following an undefeated campaign in the league.
Fugate and Matagi graudated — so did 12 others — and first-team wideout Gage Brumfield moves to quarterback. But coach Dan Hill has this junior-heavy group “picking up the torch and running with it,” which should keep the Bearcats very much in play for a repeat.
“Gage is a gamer,” Hill said, “and he’s going to make plays.”
With 27 total touchdowns across the 2021-22 seasons, Brumfield’s footwork translates to ultra-mobility at quarterback. He’ll escape collapsing pockets and distribute the football primarily to new faces, one of just three returning starters on offense.
The others are second-team tailback Tucker Land — who tallied 775 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2022 — and two-way all-league lineman Andrew Penland.
“We’ve got to keep getting better,” Hill said. “We’ve got to keep improving on a daily basis, and practice with high intensity.
“If we can do that, we should find ourselves in a position to maybe make a playoff run again.”
Aberdeen could surprise in 2023, Hill said, bolstered by towering offensive and defensive lines that could prove valuable in the trenches. Black Hills returns dual-threat QB Jaxsen Beck for a junior season, and Shelton aims to improve on a district round appearance in 2022.
Save the date
▪ Friday, Sept. 8 — W.F. West at Lynden, 7 p.m. at Lynden High School
▪ Friday, Sept. 8 — Tumwater at North Kitsap, 7 p.m. at North Kitsap High School
▪ Friday, Sept. 29 — Tumwater at W.F. West, 7 p.m. at Bearcat Stadium
▪ Friday, Oct. 20 — Black Hills vs. Shelton, 7 p.m. at Shelton High School
▪ Friday, Oct. 27 — Tumwater at Black Hills, 7 p.m. at Tumwater District Stadium
Did you know?
▪ On Sept. 8, both Tumwater and W.F. West have opportunities to knock off programs that appeared in last year’s state title game. The T-Birds visit defending runner-up North Kitsap, and W.F. West travels to Lynden for a contest with the two-time reigning champs.
“It’s always fun when you play against the best,” Hill said. “It’s the first time this program has gone up to Lynden to play up there. It’ll be fun.”
▪ The depth at Tumwater goes beyond the active roster — Garrow says the transition from T-Birds assistant to head coach was made possible by over a dozen assistants, many who’ve played and coached for the program across decades.
“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,” he said. “As a head coach, they make my life a lot easier. It was not as daunting a task, in that regard. ... It’s different. It’s unique.”
10 players to watch
QB Jaxsen Beck, Black Hills, jr.
OL JaBron Brooks, Aberdeen, sr.
QB/WR Gage Brumfield, W.F. West, jr.
WR/DB Maddox Hodge, Black Hills, sr.
LB Dane Iversen, Tumwater, sr.
QB Ethan Kastner, Tumwater, sr.
RB Tucker Land, W.F. West, jr.
OL/DL Andrew Penland, W.F. West, sr.
LB Beckett Wall, Tumwater, jr.
RB/DB Aidan Watkins, Aberdeen, sr.
Predicted order of finish
Tumwater, W.F. West, Aberdeen, Black Hills, Shelton, Rochester, Centralia
This story was originally published August 29, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
