Cole Thornton repels the attack of Elijah McHenry during linemen drills at MWP practice on Thursday in Morton.
In his third year at the helm of Morton-White Pass football, coach Lee Metcalf finally feels like his offensive scheme has become ingrained in the minds of his players. With that familiarity comes some freedom to improvise a bit, and that’s exactly what the Timberwolves plan on doing this year as they seek to cope with the loss of some key personnel who graduated out of the program.
“We’ve gone more spread-wing. We have evolved to more of a spread wing than a traditional wing-T,” explained Metcalf.
Last year the Timberwolves finished with a 2-4 record in conference and a 4-5 mark overall.
In order to get a good jump on the season the Timberwolves took to the field at midnight the very first day that official practices were allowed. In the cool summer air, beneath the lights while the music boomed the Timberwolves began scratching out a new plan of attack.
“It’s fun. The kids love being out there under the lights the first night. It’s a big deal for them,” said Metcalf.
The Timberwolves had about 30 players in camp and participated in a preseason jamboree at Winlock the week before their first regular season contest.
One thing that will remain the same this season is the MWP offense will run through senior Kaleb Rashoff.
“He’ll be the guy,” said Metcalf when speaking about the team’s veteran quarterback. “With him it’s all about his rhythm. If he’s doing well and the team’s doing well, then he’s better across the board.”
Last year Rashoff threw for more than 1,100 yards and 16 touchdowns, thanks in large part to a pair of sticky fingered wideouts who have since graduated. This year his targets will be largely unproven, though. Metcalf expects Josh Morris, a senior, to claim one wide receiver spot but admits that the position is where the Timberwolves shed the most talent from last season’s team.
“We’re still kind of looking for the other guy. We lost (Matt) Poquette and (Kade) Gillispie and that’s a big hit,” said Metcalf. Last season that duo accounted for nearly 1,000 yards of ariel offense and 14 touchdowns.
Metcalf is hopeful that at least a few good hands will emerge from the new crop of wideouts.
“It’s just gaining trust. Getting familiar with a couple guys and then start going to them when it counts,” he said.
The offensive line will consist of Alex Sniezakk, Dylan Richards, Ethan Smathers, Jacob Mclynne, and center Mason Higdon. It’s a spirited group but overall they lack optimal size and depth for hand-to-hand line play.
Metcalf says he expects a relatively deep and talented tool of running backs will be the driving force for the Timberwolves offense. The most dynamic player in that group is Gavyn Higdon, who caught five passes last year and ran for 454 yards while leading the backfield with nine touchdowns. Metcalf says Higdon has the highest football IQ on the team and wouldn’t rule out possibly throwing the ball his way to get him a few touches in open space.
“He’ll be used in a variety of ways this year,” said Metcalf.
Other backs expecting a hefty dose of carries this season include Dylan Hamre and Jesse Urban. Urban led all MWP backs last season with 503 yards, while Hamre gained 476 yards. With a depleted receiver corp, and another year of experience and strength under his belt, it’s likely that Rashoff will wind up using his legs as much as his arm this year. Last year he racked up 318 rushing yards on 78 carries.
Metcalf says that having a stable of players capable of toting the pigskin will pay dividends late in games by keeping his backfield fresh.
“It keeps defense honest because you can’t just key on one guy,” noted Metcalf. “They are a good group. They can get out and they move well in space.”
The Timberwolves two main offensive threats, Rashoff and Higdon, both stated that securing a playoff berth is always the team’s goal and they sound primed to embrace the challenge of tuning up their offense to better fit their personnel.
“I know we have to play fast,” said Rashoff.
Higdon says the running backs are all supportive of one another and don’t get jealous when someone else gets carries. But they still strive to outperform their peers.
“Our coaches spread the carries out and that keeps us fresh,” Higdon noted. “We all like each other, but it’s a friendly competition.”
Defensively the Timberwolves will run a 3-5 defense anchored upfront by Richards, Sniezak, and Cole Thornton at noseguard. The inside linebackers will consist of Smathers, Higdon and his brother Mason. Josh Morris and Dylan Hamre will hold down the outside linebacker slots, while Urban and Rashoff will patrol the sidelines as cornerbacks. Last year Rashoff hauled in seven interceptions.
“I think we will be solid on both sides of the ball,” said Higdon.
Morton-White Pass will open the season with a non-league contest versus perennial 1B state title contender Neah Bay. Last year, MWP made the six hour trek to the tip of the Olympic Peninsula but the Timberwolves will host the Red Devils in Morton this year in the third annual meeting of the two teams. This year’s contest will feature a new twist as each team will use their home-rules while on offense. That means that the teams will use classic 11-man rules when MWP has the ball and the teams will switch to an 8-man format when Neah Bay has possession.
“They treated us so well last year. The tribe just rolled out the red carpet for us and it was a great experience for the kids so we wanted to make sure to keep that relationship renewed,” said Metcalf.
