5 things to watch for in high school football

Tackling for dummies

His Orting defense’s hitting had gotten so poor that coach Marty Parkhurst finally sent out for Seattle Seahawks and Washington Huskies tackling tutorial videos. And this season, it is a big reason the Cardinals are off to their first 3-0 start since 2012. Orting has forced 10 turnovers so far.

A ram-tough ‘natural’

In 46 seasons of coaching football, Don Clegg has never started a ninth-grader as the varsity tailback — until this year at Wilson. Ezra Adams is 5-foot-7, 155 pounds, but he is tough for his size. Adams has scored in his past two games. “He is a natural football player,” Clegg said.

Room service

Every once in a while in Sid Otton’s 48 seasons as a high school football coach, he gets to treat his Tumwater squad like a college team. This weekend, the No. 1 Thunderbirds travel to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, to play powerhouse Lake City. They will leave Friday and stay overnight.

Lion’s share

In three games, senior Ahmad Lewis has a whopping 108 carries (for 635 yards) for Bellarmine Prep. Coach Brian Jensen says his tailback learned plenty while backing up Nathan Goltermann-Doyle last year. “He saw Nate do it … and understands this is what we do,” Jensen said.

Cruisin’ along

Last season, Eatonville went 7-0 to run the table in its first season in the 1A EvCo. One of those wins was 19-14 at Hoquiam. The rematch is Friday at B.W. Lyon Field. “We are going to have to try and outscore them. Their skill kids are very good,” Eatonville coach George Fairhart said.

This story was originally published September 24, 2015 at 9:24 PM with the headline "5 things to watch for in high school football."