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KELSO — Most coaches and players would be happy with three interceptions and allowing 20 points in a C2BL East opener.
Mike Christensen, Michael Croy, Mike Croy and JB Ewers aren’t your average coaches. And the 37-player Toledo High School football team isn't your average bunch.
“We would have breakdowns in our defensive plan overall,” Christensen said. “They were falling for fakes. That was a part of them wanting to do a little too much.”
Despite beating Toutle Lake comfortably 52-20, the feeling when the Riverhawks walked into the visiting locker room was not positive. Watching the film verified those vibes.
The message was clear.
“We got to start playing team defense and not our individual defense,” Christensen stated.
Over the last six weeks, Class 2B top-seeded Toledo has allowed just 33 points and one opponent has gotten into double figures, completely flipping the switch heading into Saturday’s All-C2BL quarterfinal showdown versus No. 8 Napavine.
Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Saturday night at Schroeder Field on the campus of Kelso High School.
“We’re more than ready,” C2BL East Defensive MVP Nico Acosta said. “Just make a point. No one is really nervous; we know what we’re capable of.”
Even with most of the starters back from its state team last fall, any questions surrounding Toledo weren’t on offense. Quarterback Eli Weeks in his third season with his full complement of skill position guys were expected to be high-flying.
Still, most of those players are two-way. Weeks, Kruger and Rohan Feigenbaum are in the secondary; Carter Swofford anchors the linebacking group; Acosta, Alex Vasquez and Masson Ruiz fuel the front-four.
The key similarity? All are upperclassmen.
“It starts with one person and everyone (is) ignited,” Swofford said.
Allowing 21 points to Adna wasn’t sharp in the Riverhawks’ mind. The Pirates – also still alive in the top half of the bracket – finished with over 250 yards of total offense and scored on special teams.
A lot has changed since Week 1. Even more since Week 4.
The Riverhawks’ big phrase is "trust your keys” within their scheme. Those three words have been the rallying cry in allowing 19 total points in their final five league contests. Shutouts versus Morton-White Pass and Onalaska in back-to-back weeks were sandwiched in between.
In what ended up being the league title matchup, Toledo suffocated the Loggers to the tune of 152 rushing yards.
“We had a game plan and we executed perfectly,” Swofford said. “That opened (my) eyes.”
“We’re now finally rounding into what we thought we could become, but it took a little longer than I thought,” Christensen added.
Napavine head coach Josh Fay acknowledged the challenge ahead in the days leading up to the showdown.
“They’ve been a lot better than people thought they would be,” Fay said of Toledo’s defense. “They do a really good job rallying to the ball. They’re pretty solid at each level defensively.”
Toledo grasps its own challenge.
The standard for 2B in SW Washington has been Napavine, trying to reach the semis for the 11th consecutive season. The Riverhawks haven’t been one game away from a state title since 2018.
It has been nearly six years to the day in the same round when these two last met on the gridiron, a 55-0 victory by the Tigers.
“We’ve all (sharpened) up and we’re solid all-around,” Acosta said.
With Grady Wilson still nursing his shoulder injury, Napavine’s offense has been centered around C2BL West Offensive MVP Caleb Von Pressentin. The featured running back is averaging north of 200 yards per game over the last handful of weeks.
Dean Hamilton and Pono Moniz-Taitague have been the complementary backs.
“Any team can beat any team at this point,” Christensen said. “Our guys know what’s at stake and they understand who Napavine is. It is going to be a tough situation for us. Their offense has enough deception to make it tough.”
Defensively, the Tigers struggled against the pass in the Round of 16 until a game-ending interception. Weeks and Kruger have been one of the most deadly QB-WR combos in the classification.
Even so, the Riverhawks aren’t counting their chickens before they hatch.
“It is going to come down to who wants it more,” Acosta said.
