You’ve had this scenario happen. Best bet, at least twice in your lifetime.
There’s this fuzzy feeling in your chest. Can’t quite put a finger on it, but behind that is a reason. Maybe you’ve fallen in love for the first time. Perhaps you feel good about something, like a job offer or a promotion.
Then there’s this option: You feel like you’re in the midst of watching a magical high school football season in front of your eyes.
That’s the vibe the W.F. West unit displays ahead of its Class 2A semifinal against perennial power Anacortes on Saturday afternoon at Oak Harbor High School.
Is it better than the group two years ago that also made the semifinal? Record-wise, it’s a push.
That team behind all-area quarterback Gavin Fugate and all-area MVP Daniel Matagi was a hot knife through butter en route to the No. 2 seed and won nine straight to meet up with North Kitsap in the semis.
The road ended there. North Kitsap triumphed 29-22 at Tumwater District Stadium.
“We all remember that feeling of losing,” senior quarterback Gage Brumfield said. “We just don’t ever want to feel like that again. We’re doing everything that we can to get (to Husky Stadium).”
Brumfield was a sophomore wide receiver two years ago. Carlos Vallejo was at Centralia, players like Tucker Land, Ross Kelley, Grady Westlund earned meaningful varsity snaps when they were underclassmen.
Two years older, is the 2024 W.F. West team different in the best ways?
Yes, 100 percent.
The phrase “team of destiny” gets thrown out like a damp rag, but every once in a while, it has meaning. There’s this sense that the Bearcats fit that title like a glove.
One can easily argue that the 52-0 shellacking they were dealt in Week 8 against Tumwater says otherwise, but take context into it.
Head coach Dan Hill took full blame for how the game prep was, emphasizing how he and his assistants threw too much at them and it caused a snowball effect.
That was a turning point. Now, Hill is letting his guys play free and the scouting/gameplan aspect is simplified.
Exhibit A: W.F. West trounced and dominated supposedly a frightening and unstoppable Power-T offense from Franklin Pierce to the tune of a 27-8 beatdown.
“It is the senior leadership that starts there,” Hill said. “We got great skill guys, we got an o-line that’s super smart and they can do so many things. Defensively, we’ve got a ton of speed. Lots of similarities.”
This isn’t to say that the Bearcats won’t get blown out on Saturday. Maybe they’ll lose again one game short of Husky Stadium for the second time in three years. Heck, you may not read this column until you get back from Oak Harbor if you’re an old-school newspaper type of person.
At the same time, would you doubt them?
Would you doubt them now, when they’re seemingly playing their best football?
Would you doubt them now, on an extra day of rest?
Would you doubt Brumfield, the Eastern Washington commit who might be the best player on the field when kickoff happens at 3 p.m.?
And would you doubt the senior class, who has grinded their way back to this point and put themselves in position to rewrite history?
If you want to, be my guest. W.F. West, clearly, is thriving as an underdog this postseason.
“It would be amazing,” Westlund said. “I love all these guys and they come out here and hustle. We’re good together.”
If the Bearcats pull off the win against the reigning and defending 2A champs, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
