Washington high school football previews
Great Northern League
Predicted order of finish: 1, Pullman. 2, Medical Lake. 3, Colville. 4, Chewelah. 5, Riverside. 6, Lakeside. 7, Deer Park.
Pullman
2003 record: 11-3, 6-1, second GNL and state
Coach: Bob Wollan
Years coaching, record: 8th (2nd in Pullman), 63-21
Starters, lettermen returning: 11, 19
Base offense, defense: Multiple, 4-3
Players to watch: Richard Hughes, sr., OL-DL, All-GNL; Kyle Hinrichs, sr., RB/DB, 2nd team All-GNL; Mike McCain, sr., OL/DL, 2nd team All-GNL. Top newcomer, Ashton Gant, jr., WR/DB who was injured last year.
Outlook: Speed and the experience of last year’s appearance in the Gridiron Classic 2A State finals will carry over for second-year coach Wollan’s program. “The league looks to be competitive and physical,” he said. “Teams, including us, will need to be able to handle strong running games.”
Medical Lake
2003 record: 10-1, 7-0 league champions.
Coach: Mike Henry
Years coaching, record: first, 0-0
Starters, lettermen returning: 5, 15
Base offense, defense: Multiple, 4-4
Players to watch: Richard Wilkie, sr., 6-3, 221, RB/LB, two-way 2nd team All-GNL; Josh Helm, sr., 6-2, 278, OL/DL 2nd team All-GNL; Zak Watts, sr., 6-0, 241, OL/DL; Garrett Raulston, sr., 5-10, 186, OL/DL; Wes Mason, sr., 6-0, 209, OL/DL. Top newcomer, Tim Morris, sr., 6-3, 206, RB.
Outlook: Coaches say that the Cardinals don’t rebuild, they reload. The powerful Wilkie and veteran line should make it easier for a new coach and new offense. “Maybe we’re the team to beat, maybe not,” Henry said. “We have a lot of good kids, but I also see they haven’t had a lot of experience.”
Colville
2003 record: 4-5, 3-4, 4th, tie.
Coach: Randy Cornwell
Years coaching, record: 8th, 24-41
Starters, lettermen returning: 16, 24
Base offense, defense: Double Wing, 4-3
Players to watch: Scotty Rice, sr., 6-0, 195, OL/LB, two-time All-GNL linebacker; Dan Bell, sr., 6-2, 170, WR/DB, 2nd team All-GNL; David Palumbo, sr., 5-10, 185, RB/DB; Brant Olson, sr., 5-11, 185, OL/LB; Travis Fox, sr., 5-11, 165, WR/DB.
Outlook: The Indians did not meet expectations last season, but, with most of their lineup returned, a finesse team will be in the playoff mix this season. “We weren’t ready to be good,” Cornwell said. “We were competitively not very mature. We have good speed, experience at key spots and experience on defense. It should keep us in games.”
Chewelah
2003 record: 4-6, 3-4, 4th tie.
Coach: Jim Fisk
Years coaching, record: 2nd, 4-6.
Starters, lettermen returning: 8, 20
Base offense, defense: Pro, split 4-4.
Players to watch: Eric Burrows, sr., 5-2, 220 OL/DE; Shane Collins, sr., 6-5, 265, OL/DL; Tim Davis, sr., 5-10, 175, FB; Clayton Becker, jr., 6-1, 185, RB; Devon Benedict, jr., 5-8, 175, LB; Cameron Stroyan, jr., 6-2, 200, LB: Austin Peatzer, sr., 6-2, 190, RB. Top newcomer, A.J. Proszek, sr., 6-6, 270, TE.
Outlook: The Cougars are huge, averaging 250 pounds across the front, and are a year more familiar with Fisk, who has been able to add depth to the program. “We’re not all that bad,” he said. “A couple of spots I thought would be weak this year looks like they’ll be strong with the kids who came out. I feel pretty good. I feel we can make a run.”
Lakeside
2003 record: 3-7, 2-5.
Coach: Brian Dunn
Years coaching, record: 13th (8th at Lakeside), 48-73
Starters, lettermen returning: 15, 23
Base offense, defense: Fly Option, 4-3.
Players to watch: Alex Stillar, sr., 6-0, 175, QB/DB; Zach Anyan, 6-3, 285 sr., OL/DL; Matt Dinsmore, sr., 5-8, 165, WR/DB; Joel Noland, jr., 6-0, 170, WR/DB; Tony Smith, jr., 6-1, 185, RB/LB. Top newcomers, Justin Dibble, sr., 6-0, 175, OL/LB (injured last year); Colton Lowery, sr., 6-3, 225, OL/DL (moved back from Arizona).
Outlook: The Eagles are a veteran, if still young, team whose strength is at the skill positions and is one that should bounce back from last year’s 3-7 season. “I think we should be right in the mix,” Dunn said. “We have a lot of kids who played quite a bit last year who are now a year older.”
Riverside
2003 record: 5-4, 4-3, third.
Coach: Allen Martin
Years coaching, record: 14th, 56-64
Starters, lettermen returning: 4, 16
Base offense, defense: I, 4-3.
Players to watch: Buddy Wood, sr., 6-3, 175, WR/DB, two-way All-GNL; Tyler Dornquast, sr., 6-1, 180, QB; Daren Lafayette, sr., 6-1, 195, MLB; Michael Stitt, sr., 6-0, 220, OL/DL; Adam Anderson, 5-9, 190, RB/DB.
Outlook: After graduating big back-to-back senior groups, having a small senior class will hurt the Rams who are particularly thin in the line. They must rely on speed and the multi-talented Wood more heavily as a result. “Obviously, as good an athlete as he is, we need to get the ball in his hands as much as we can,” Martin said.
Deer Park
2003 record: 1-8, 1-6, eighth.
Coach: Keith Stamps
Years coaching, record: first, 0-0.
Starters, lettermen returning: 8, 15
Base offense, defense: Pro Wing, Multiple
Players to watch: Nick Heywood, sr., 6-3, 250, OL/DL, 2nd team All-GNL; Tom Wolf, sr., 6-1, 195, QB/DB; Brandon White, sr., 5-10, 255, OL/DL; Matt Curtis, sr. 6-2, 180, WR/DB.
Outlook: Stags bring back most of their team for new coach Stamps and his new system which will keep them in games. “I’m pretty lucky in the sense a lot of this team played as juniors,” he said. “At the same time it’s a new system with new coaches. It depends on how well we coach ‘em up.”
Northeast A League
Predicted order of finish: 1, Freeman. 2, Colfax., 3. Kettle Falls. 4, Newport.
Freeman
2003 record: 11-1, 4-0, league champions
Coach: Jeff Smith
Years coaching, record: 6th, 31-18
Starters, lettermen returning: 4, 12
Base offense, defense: Veer, 4-4
Players to watch: Kevin Hatch, 5-9, 175, sr., RB/DB; Bryan Riggs, sr., 6-0, 180 TE/LB; Dan Sanders, 6-3, 220, sr., OL/LB; David Takisaki, 5-9, 175, sr., OL/DE. All four were All-NEA.
Outlook: The Scotties have several positions to fill, most notably at quarterback and in the line, if they are to repeat as league champions in what promises to be a wide-open league. “We graduated a pretty good chunk of kids,” Smith said. “But we have some kids coming back and I think this is a good team. I think we’ll be a title contender, absolutely.”
Colfax
2003 record: 6-3, 2-2, third.
Coach: Mike Morgan
Years coaching, record: 7th, 49-16
Starters, lettermen returning: 5, 25
Base offense, defense: I, 4-3
Players to watch: Kyle Doering, 6-0, 170, sr., QB; Josh Morse, 5-10, 200, sr., OL/DL; Brian Danaher, 6-4, 250, jr., OL/DL.
Outlook: The Bulldogs have only three seniors on a team that will play in an inordinately competitive league, if small in numbers of teams. “We have lots of young kids — lots!” said Morgan, whose team had a rare absence from the state playoffs last season. “We’ll be very competitive, but could make some mistakes based on inexperience.”
Kettle Falls
2003 record: 2-7, 0-4, fifth.
Coach: Don Fox
Years coaching, record: 10 (new this year), 40-39
Starters, lettermen returning: 8, 11
Base offense, defense: Pro set, 40
Players to watch: Eric Hill, sr., 6-4, 210, OL/DL; James Wilkin, sr., 6-2, 174, OL/DL; Cody Fox, sr., 5-2, 155, LB/RB; Brandon Hoover, soph., 5-10, 170, OL/DL; Dave Porath, sr., 6-1, 274, OL/DL; Jacobi Bradeen, soph., 6-1, 160, QB; Cameron King, jr,. 5-10, 170 RB; Top newcomer, Scott Bradeen, sr, 6-23, 200, TE/LB (transfer from Post Falls).
Outlook: Fox left football when WSU and pro player James Darling graduated. Now he’s back coaching two grandsons and he’s had to revise his old playbooks. Expect improvement from an experienced, if young team. “We were a very young team last year. Tracy had some freshman starting,” said Fox. “We want to get out there and prove we can play some football.”
Newport
2003 record: 3-6, 2-5, 6th, tie, GNL.
Coach: Tim Jurgens
Years coaching, record: Second, 3-6.
Starters, lettermen returning: 10, 22
Base offense, defense: Multiple Wing-T, 4-4
Players to watch: Myles Melendez, 5-10, 180, sr., RB/DB; Ryan Farmin, 5-11, 165, jr., QB/DB; Chance Hargrove, jr., 6-0, 175, Rec/LB; Jeremy Widener, sr., 5-10, 170 OL/DL; Josh Tiede, jr., 5-10, 175 RB; Ryan Miller, jr., 6-1, 235, OL/DL; Cory Flescher, 5-10, 180, OL/DL; Tony Yeaw, sr., 5-11, 165, RB/DB; Justin Emel, jr., 6-0, 170, RB/DB.
Outlook: New to the league, the Grizzlies are not big, but they are exceptionally quick, experienced and had a solid first year under Jurgens. “I’m extremely excited,” he said. “It’s going to be a serious day’s work and we better come to play. But we made some positive steps last year and we want to build on them.”
Class B Football
Northeast B 11
Predicted order of finish: 1, Lind-Ritzville. 2, Davenport. 3, Reardan. 4, Liberty. 5, Republic. 6, Odessa. 7, Wilbur-Creston. 8. Selkirk. 9, Almira/Coulee-Hartline. 10. Springdale.
2003 standings: 1, Reardan (12-0, state champions). 2, Davenport (9-4, state semifinals). 3, Wilbur-Creston (7-5). 4, Odessa (6-4). 5, Selkirk (4-4). 6, Republic (2-7). 7, Almira/Coulee-Hartline (1-8). 8, Springdale (0-8).
Look back: Reardan completed a perfect season with its second straight B-11 state title by beating injury-inflicted DeSales 13-3 at Gridiron Classic in long-time coach Dan Graham’s final year as coach. Davenport reached the semifinals, losing 27-16 to the Indians.
Outlook: Lind-Ritzville is back in familiar territory following a playoff Northeast A League season, although as coach Mike Lynch said the move is not necessarily that advantageous. “The worst beating we took was to Reardan, 55-7. They beat us like a drum and Davenport had a really, really good team.” Like the Broncos, Liberty is returning to its roots after five years as a Class A school. And, like two-time B-11 champ Reardan, the Lancers have a new coach, who inherits an experienced team from icon Rod Fletcher. “I’m excited,” said Rick Johnson. “I learned a lot working with coach Fletcher. He’s one of the best in state.”
Southeast B 11
Predicted order of finish: 1, DeSales. 2, Asotin. 3, Waitsburg. 4, Pomeroy. 5, Dayton. 6, Tekoa-Oakesdale/Rosalia.
2003 standings: 1, DeSales (11-1, state finalists). 2 (tie), Pomeroy (7-4) and Asotin (4-6). 4 (tie) Waitsburg (5-4) and Tekoa-Oakesdale/Rosalia (2-6).
Look back: The Irish lost star quarterback T.J. Conley to a broken leg in the Tacoma Dome and lost the state title game to Reardan after reaching it undefeated.
Outlook: Conley’s younger brother and favorite target, Nick, is the best player in league and one of eight returning starters at DeSales which will again be favored to win the Southeast League and perhaps advance to the championship again. Coach Kim Cox, in his 14th year as head coach, has compiled a 102-22 record winning 12 league titles and reaching the state finals five times, winning three. He’s also gone 442-87 in baseball with 13 state championships in 24 years. With most other teams hit by graduation, the league behind DeSales is wide open.
Southeast B 8
Predicted order of finish: 1, LaCrosse-Washtucna. 2, Touchet. 3, Prescott. 4, Jubilee Academy. 5, St. John-Endicott. 6, Garfield Palouse, 7, Colton-Pullman Christian. 8. Tri-Cities Prep. 9. Liberty Christian. (Garfield-Palouse has a B-11 enrollment, plays as an independent and is not eligible for the post-season).
2003 standings: 1, LaCrosse-Washtucna (12-0, state champions). 2, Touchet (7-3). 3, Jubilee Academy (9-3, second in state). 4, Prescott (4-6). 5, Tri Cities Prep (2-7). 6, Liberty Christian 1-8. Independents Garfield-Palouse and St. John-Endicott were both 5-4. Colton-Pullman Christian was 2-7.
Look back: It was an all-Southeast B-8 state final when LaCrosse-Washtucna won its second straight title and perfect season, 60-20 over Jubilee Academy, a school that takes in court wards from all over.
Outlook: Don’t expect things to change in an expanded league. Lac-Wash is odds-on favorite to go for a three-peat and perennial power Touchet will keep the Southeast strong. “You always have to say Touchet’s in there,” said coach Jeff Nelson. “Other than that you never know what you get out of (Jubilee), kids move in and out so much.” As for his team? “We should be as good if not better. Our practices are pretty scary to watch because of the physical size and speed of our players.” Linemen Michael Martin, Matt Martin and Kellen Hays all between 200 and 250 pounds and standout running back Kevin Dainty is one of four all-state returnees. And they’re all juniors.
Northeast B 8
Predicted order of finish: 1, Sprague-Harrington. 2, Columbia Hunters. 3, Inchelium. 4, Wellpinit. 5, Mansfield., 6, Cusick. 7, Curlew. (Wellpinit with a B-11 enrollment, is not eligible for post-season).
2003 standings: 1, Sprague-Harrington (9-3, state semifinalist). 2, Columbia-Hunters (9-2). 3, Inchelium (7-2). 4, Curlew (1-6). 5, Mansfield (2-6). Wellpinit (6-2) and Cusick (2-7) played independently.
Look back: Last year Inchelium went 7-2 but missed the playoffs by finishing behind Sprague-Harrington and Columbia (Hunters).
Outlook: Sprague-Harrington will find out where it stands regionally right away with Friday’s season-opening game against Touchet. The Falcons bring back five starters including much-honored Josh Adams, a running back/wide receiver who last year scored 36 touchdowns, rushed for 1,194 yards and caught 21 passes for 741 more. He now has 56 TDs for his career. He, linemen Damian Gulian and Scott Soderberg are two-way veterans. Columbia returns five starters, including Nick Kegel who has passed and rushed for more than 2,000 yards over the last two seasons. Lineman Joey Richardson and back Mitchell Hammond are three-year starters. Hammond and Shaun Hughes were all-league.