Landon Dahl attempts a one handed catch during practice Wednesday afternoon in Napavine.
The starting lineup’s different, but the attitude’s the same in Napavine — and even a bit exacerbated, given the daunting start the Tigers have to their 2018 football campaign.
“I don’t know when we’re going to get a chance to breathe,” Napavine coach Josh Fay, entering his 12th season, said. “We have a tough schedule, there’s no doubt, so I guess we’ll figure out what degree of bad we are.”
It’s a typical preseason assessment, despite the fact that Napavine (11-2 last year) has reached the state semifinals in each of the past four seasons. For the first time in that span, though, the Tigers might not be the favorite in their own league; Adna, with a load of returning talent and a new quarterback, likely gets the nod in a competitive SWW 2B League Mountain Division.
“It’s going to be a tough road,” Fay said. “Adna’s going to be a buzzsaw. Onalaska’s going to be a buzzsaw. Rainier’s not a slouch. It’ll be a tough task for us to see if we can get back to the playoffs.”
Napavine starts the season with a Saturday morning game in Cathlamet against Liberty — the state runner-up the last two years — and then play at defending State 2B champion Kalama, which happens to be the only team that beat the Tigers in 2017. Toledo and Wahkiakum round out the non-league slate before Napavine opens Mountain Division play at Adna in Week 5.
“For us, we just need to see if we can get better,” Fay said, “and we’re going to get tested, a lot, for a long time.”
Leading the way in his senior campaign is quarterback Dawson Stanley, the Mountain Division’s Offensive MVP last season. In his first season starting under center Stanley threw for 1,665 yards and 26 touchdowns, with another 1,076 yards and 13 TDs on the ground.
“Last year we felt like we had an athlete playing quarterback, and now we feel like we have an athletic quarterback,” Fay said. “He’s done a good job of understanding some windows as a passer, and he’s definitely matured that way.”
He’s also, as the numbers suggest, an accomplished ball carrier.
“I don’t know what kind of carries he’s going to get. If he has 15, that’d be a heavy load for him,” Fay said. “There’s a good chance he’ll lead our team in carries.”
He’ll be throwing to senior Alex Gaona, who’ll be out early in the season with a wrist injury; Ben Woodrum, a 6-foot-2 senior; and Draven Riddle, a speedy junior who saw plenty of action last year. Riddle, the defending State 2B triple jump champion, will run out of the slot in the Tigers’ fly sweep formation, as will sophomore Laythan Demarest.
Brett Bradshaw, a 5-foot-9 senior, sophomore Tanner Low and senior Seth Butler make up the running back committee. Bradshaw saw the most action last year.
“The thing we really like about Brett is he understands the offense and he’s always ready to go,” Fay said.
Low played primarily on the defensive side of the ball last year, while Butler has made an impression in his first stint with the team.
“Butler’s the kid so far that, through the summer, he’s probably the most dynamic guy we’ve had back there,” Fay said. “It’ll be interesting to see how it pans out.”
Hayden Lester, a senior who started all of last year, returns to anchor the offensive line, with part-time starter Frank Medina back at center. Sophomore Fernando Gaono and freshman Keith Olson — clocking in at 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds — give the Tigers a decent amount of size in the trenches.
Defensively, All-League first-teamer Jared McCollum returns to lead the defense from his middle linebacker spot.
“He’s got great instincts, he’s a good leader, and he just seems to be in the right spot all the time,” Fay said. “He’s slippery enough that with his size, he’s able to get things done.”
Low and Bradshaw will line up on either side of McCollum, with Riddle and Stanley playing hybrid strong safety roles.
Up front, meanwhile, Cade Evander is back on the line after an All-League second-team campaign as a freshman, along with veteran starter Lester. Butler slots in at nose guard to fill out the front line.
Woodrum returns at cornerback, and big things are expected of Demarest at safety.
“We bring back quite a bit,” Fay said. “(Defense) is probably where we’re going to be the most comfortable.”
