W.F. West sophomore quarterback Gavin Fugate takes a snap during a 7-on-7 jamboree in January.
Centralia senior quarterback Cameron Erickson passes the ball during a jamboree in January.
Rochester’s Talon Betts makes a reception during a 7-on-7 scrimmage in December at Tiger Stadium in Centralia.
Rochester quarterback Landon Hawes hands the ball off during a jamboree in January.
If the pandemic wasn’t enough, the local 2A teams have another formidable opponent to deal with this season: reigning 2A state champion Tumwater.
Scorebook Live Washington has the Thunderbirds ranked No. 1 in its preseason poll, saying they may be even better than last season, when the T-Birds went 14-0, capped with a 48-34 win over Steilacoom in the state title game.
The Thunderbirds are loaded, with all four of their starting defensive linemen being Division-I recruits. Jacob Schuster is a 6-foot-2, 300-pound 3-star defensive tackle who signed with the University of Minnesota. Defensive end Cooper Wall is heading to Dixie State. Ryan Otton is a 6-foot-6 4-star tight end who also plays d-line and is being pursued by a slew of Division-I programs. Austin Terry is the fourth d-lineman who is also getting D-I looks.
“They’re going to be the favorite,” W.F. West coach Dan Hill said. “They’ve got a crew of tight guys up there.”
Tumwater’s biggest in-conference challenger last year will likely be their top foe this year as well. W.F. West reeled off six-straight wins to start the 2019 season, before falling 34-0 to Tumwater in week seven. The Bearcats trailed the T-Birds by one score before injuries to their quarterback and running back derailed the battle. The Bearcats finished 8-2 overall and 4-1 in league play after falling to Washougal in a district crossover playoff matchup.
The Bearcats are tasked with replacing all five of their lineman after losing them to graduation. They do return a ton of skill players, most notably Max Taylor, Cade Haller and Carter McCoy.
Haller, a first-team 2A EvCo defensive back, made 33 tackles while forcing two fumbles and hauling in one interception. On offensive he managed to snag seven passes for 177 yards (25.3 yard average) and two touchdowns.
Seniors McCoy (6-foot-4, 185-pounds) Taylor, were both first-team all-league wideouts last season, along with senior kicker Bryce Laufenberg and senior linebacker Evan Moon. Taking over at quarterback is 6-foot-3, 198-pound sophomore Gavin Fugate.
“He saw some quality varsity time last year and we’re excited about the opportunity he’s got coming up the next three years,” Hill said.
Hill, in his third year as head coach, doesn’t foresee any big changes to the offense scheme-wise, just a couple little tweaks here and there to accommodate personnel. The Bearcats will utilize a spread, single-back and two-back formations. They won’t be able to rely on the run as much this year compared to last season after replacing five lineman. Luckily, Fugate will have plenty of experienced weapons to throw to.
The Bearcats kick off their season opener at 2A EvCo foe Aberdeen at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13.
The Tigers saw a resurgence in 2019; a turnaround season in which they qualified for the district playoffs. That game, against two-time defending champion Hockinson, ended in a loss. It was still an encouraging season as the Tigers started off with a red-hot 5-2 start, before finishing 5-5. It was a huge step forward after finishing 2-7 in 2018. Coach Jeremy Thibault was pleased to see the progress his team made in just one year.
The Tigers could make an even bigger splash this year with a slew of crucial returners, including five on offense and six on defense. Back are senior first-team all-leaguers Benito Valencia, offensive line, and Jacob Halseth, linebacker.
Also returning are seven all-league honorable mention picks, including senior quarterback Cam Erickson, junior running back Chase Sobolesky and senior running back Brady Hoyt.
Sobolesky had a breakout sophomore season last year, rushing for 11 scores and nearly 1,000 yards. The speedy 5-foot-10, 165-pound back also finished with nearly 400 yards receiving. Thibualt, in his ninth year at Centralia, plans to run the Wing-T offense.
On the defensive side, senior lineman Paris Chavez was an honorable mention pick. The Tigers will operate out of the 4-3 formation on defense.
The Tigers kick their season off at home against Black Hills at 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 13.
While Centralia is likely to take a step forward, Rochester could see perhaps the biggest rebound of any team in West Region.
That change starts with first-year head coach A.J. Easley, who spent 11 years as the head girls basketball coach at Rochester from 2007-18.
It will be a tall task for Easley in turning around a program that’s coming off a 2-7 overall record while going 0-5 in the 2A Evergreen Conference. The Warriors have finished at the bottom of the league standing for four consecutive seasons. They scored an average of 12.6 points per game during the 2019-20 season while allowing 45.6 points per game last year.
Fortunately, he has the players to turn it around. One of his first missions was pumping up the turnout numbers, as the Warriors have been hovering around 30 varsity players each of the past two seasons. His in-school recruiting worked. The Warriors’ workout sessions in July saw as many as 75 kids turning out.
Leading the new batch of players is junior wideout Talon Betts, a 6-foot-1, 165-pound wideout, who was a first-team all-league selection after racking up 627 yards and catching four touchdowns as a sophomore in 2019. Betts placed third in a vertical-jump combine (31 feet, 6 inches) over the summer, runs a 4.5 40-yard dash and deadlifts 405 pounds.
Junior Landon Hawes is returning at quarterback after taking over midway through the season last year after starter Daniel May was injured. Hawes was a starting corner before Mays’ injury and was cast right into the fire at quarterback against eventual state champion Tumwater.
Some others who Easley expects to make an impact are sophomore Braden Hartley, a 6-foot, 165-pound sophomore who missed last year due to a back injury. Senior James Jimenez will see time at running back. Senior Garrett Glazer tallied 39 tackles, including six for loss last season. Nolan Eyles is a senior turning out for football for the first time and could see time at receiver. Senior linemen Caelen Christensen and Eddie Burkhardt have both started for three years.
Neighboring school Oakville is not fielding a team this year and four of its players were able to join the Warriors’ roster. The Warriors now have 10 players who are between 280 and 360 pounds, creating massive offensive and defensive lines.
“It just feels like a different culture and we’re getting better every day, which I love,” Betts said. “I think we have a good chance this season. A lot more positivity, the morale is up, we’re a lot more active and working hard every play.”
Rochester travels to take on defending state champion Tumwater in the season opener at 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 13.
