Titans open season Wednesday at home
Talk about irony.
When the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association granted high school football programs a 10th regular season football game, the average observer would have expected to see the season extend another week.
The irony is this: the added 10th game comes at the beginning of the season for most programs.
For Mike Ganey and the University football program, that 10th game could not possibly come any sooner.
The Titans, a playoff team a year ago, open the season Wednesday at home against Lake City on the 13th day of fall practice. To be eligible for a game, players must have participated in a minimum of a dozen turnouts. That means, anyone who missed an August practice at U-Hi cannot play.
“We first scheduled the game for Friday, but moved it back to Thursday because of the Labor Day Weekend,” Ganey explained. “Then we realized that we would be playing the same night that Washington State and Idaho open up, so we moved it Wednesday.”
Good thing there were no conflicts with that date. A day earlier and the Titans would not have had a single eligible player for the contest.
With no margin for error, each football practice has taken on a greater meaning as the team prepares for the season opener.
“There’s a sense of urgency about each practice so far, but the kids have risen to the challenge,” Ganey said. “We’ve made good progress.”
When the opener kicks off, University will be a week removed from two-a-day practices
Adding a 10th game has a distinct advantage, especially for a young team like University. One extra game under a young player’s belt going into Greater Spokane League play can make a big difference.
“I think it’s a good idea to get them out and let them hit someone else at that point,” Ganey said. “That’s usually when we try to schedule a major scrimmage to get a look at where we are. Usually the kids are pretty tired of beating up on one another by then, so it will be good to line up against someone in a different colored jersey.”
The Titans will rely on a seasoned offensive and defensive line to give young skill-players a chance to get their feet wet and acclimate themselves to varsity play.
Quarterback J.D. Peterson and a squadron of receivers all graduated, as did running back Kris O’Connor. That means that just about everyone who touches the ball on offense after the snap will be a first-year starter.
Sophomore Danny Jordan steps into Peterson’s shoes as the team’s starting quarterback.
“He’s a wrestler and a baseball player, so he’s basically an athlete,” Ganey said. “He’s looking pretty good so far.
“There’s a sense of accountability that wrestlers develop, and that helps him. He worked with our receivers over the summer, and we all attended the Eastern Washington University camp together, so he’s developing a good sense of timing with our receivers so, hopefully, we can develop an effective passing game.”
To aid the passing game, Ganey and his coaching staff shifted senior offensive lineman Clint Moquist to tight end, giving Jordan a large target.
“We didn’t use the tight end as much last year as we usually would, but we had some receivers who were really good at going over the middle and catching the ball,” Ganey said. “Moquist will be an important part of the offense.”
Senior Mike Conrad returns at wide receiver, where he will be joined by seniors Blake Kenworthy, Joey Montez and Devin Malmoe.
Senior Nick Zumwalt leads a group vying for the starting job at running back, while seniors Nate Thompson, Dono Totten and Steele Campbell – along with Moquist – anchor the line on both sides of the ball.
Defensively, Ganey figures his team will be competitive, with his talented group of receivers doubling as his defensive backfield.