Spokane Wolfpack dethrone defending champions for first league title

The Spokane Wolfpack’s season began with a loss to the team that had dominated the West Coast Pacific Minor League for three years.

Three months later, they were the ones celebrating a championship.

After opening the season with a 31-12 defeat against the Grit City Knights, the Wolfpack rattled off seven consecutive regular-season victories before edging the I-5 Cobras 12-11 in the semifinals. Then came the rematch.

Behind quarterback Jacob Taase’s four-touchdown performance, Spokane knocked off the defending champions 41-38 on June 27, ending Grit City’s reign and securing the first championship in the Wolfpack’s 17-year history.

“I thought I was in a dream,” owner and head coach Demetrius Palmer said. “The whole day felt like a movie. If I had to go back, it’s replaying in my head like it’s a movie.”

The victory carried added significance considering the opponent. Before the championship game, Grit City entered ranked No. 2 nationally on the National Bowl Series Events Tier 1 Top 25 poll. Spokane was No. 21, making the two teams the only West Coast Pacific Minor League programs to crack the rankings.

For Palmer, however, the championship represented more than defeating one of the country’s top semiprofessional teams.

It validated the culture he had spent years trying to build.

“Deep down, I think every team sees themselves as a championship contender,” Palmer said. “But with this one, I knew it was different. … There was no ego in the way. There were a couple of discussions and hard conversations that had to be had, but I knew once everyone was bought in, the mentality was set.”

That buy-in was a noticeable change from a season earlier.

Palmer acknowledged last year’s team dealt with personality conflicts that prevented players from fully coming together. This season, he intentionally built a roster around selflessness and accountability.

“There was a lot of conflict last year,” Palmer said. “This year, it was just the approach, getting guys that were on the same page with no egos. … It was team-first football.”

That chemistry extended beyond the field.

The Wolfpack featured multiple sets of brothers on the roster, and families routinely traveled across the state to attend games. Palmer said seeing players’ wives, children and relatives invested in the team’s success reinforced the brotherhood he envisioned when he became the team’s owner.

“It was just that culture that I’ve been yearning for,” Palmer said. “To see guys pour into their families and their kids and the brotherhood was true this year.”

The Wolfpack averaged 34 points per game during the regular season while allowing fewer than 11. The offense piled up more than 610 yards per game behind Taase, who accounted for more than 2,600 total yards and 31 touchdowns during the season.

The defense remained one of the league’s best, surrendering just 75 points in eight regular-season games.

Palmer pointed to a midseason victory over the I-5 Cobras as the moment he realized the Wolfpack had the pieces to compete for a title, specifically on the offensive side of the ball.

“We were put back against the wall four or five times, and the defense was able to really put together a clinic,” Palmer said. “We knew offensively we would get into a flow, but I think it was that game in particular that we noticed that we’re really a championship-caliber team.”

That confidence was tested again in the title game.

After leading by two touchdowns early, the Knights claimed the lead before halftime and briefly held a double-digit lead in the third quarter.

Rather than panic, Palmer watched his veteran leaders take control.

“All of our captains had the opportunity to speak, and I didn’t have to say much at all,” Palmer said. “All I said was, ‘In my soul, I feel that we’re going to come out on top of this game.’ ”

The way the team responded in the second half was something out of a movie. Taase engineered the comeback with his arm and his legs, finishing with 287 passing yards, 77 rushing yards and four total touchdowns. The game’s most valuable player, Vika Young, made several key catches during Spokane’s final scoring drive, which gave the Wolfpack a three-point lead with under a minute remaining.

As time expired, the Knights attempted a potential game-tying field goal. One last field-goal attempt by Grit City sailed wide left.

“It was nerve-racking, but it had a sense of cool,” Palmer said. “I felt like an actor in a classic football movie.”

For Palmer, the championship carried personal significance after years spent balancing ownership, coaching and family while trying to establish a lasting football culture in Spokane.

“It’s extremely rewarding,” Palmer said. “It made me reflect, humbly confident, in the type of leader I am. It’s not about winning everyone over. It’s about leading a group of individuals who know and understand your authenticity.”

Last summer, Palmer spoke about earning Spokane’s trust and restoring enthusiasm for local football. He believes the championship is another step toward that goal.

“It really opens the doors for a lot of different opportunities,” Palmer said. “We have at least 30 or 40 kids who attend every single game. I’d like to get that to hundreds. I want to take this championship and let that be the fuel to making that happen and passing it on for generations to come.”