ADNA — Whenever Aaron Cochran would wrap up a chat or an interview, he’d unleash his finisher.
No, nothing lethal like in Mortal Kombat or iconic like a Randy Orton RKO. It would be closely identified with coach-speak. Even he agreed.
“We have to keep getting better,” Cochran would say after games.
It might as well serve as the rallying cry around the Adna High School football team. While the Pirates reached a step not seen in a handful of years — an appearance in the Class 2B quarterfinals — the end result was less than optimal.
They were blown out by arch rival Napavine 46-6 in Centralia.
“They’re very cohesive,” Cochran said after a midnight practice that kicked off the 2025 football season. “This group really loves each other. We’re getting better athletically, getting better at football. We got some more (growing) to do.”
Just seven seniors depart from an 8-4 campaign, the first eight-win season since 2019, and the stars of the roster that earned all-league, all-area and all-state accolades are back.
So, how much better can Adna get?
It will find out in a hurry with a challenging non-league schedule that opens with fellow state qualifier Toledo on Friday night.
“This team, before he came here, we were pretty soft,” linemen Noah Hellem said of Cochran. “His emphasis is toughness and grit.”
Hellem and Jackson Knittle anchor an offensive line that returns another starter in junior Luigi Rodriguez. As the season progressed, it turned into a strength that allowed junior Beau Miller to score 20 touchdowns and finish with 1,700-plus rushing yards.
“Our run game is our backbone,” Hellem said. “You can’t have a run game without a good o-line. There is going to be a massive emphasis (on blocking).”
The passing game will go through some significant changes.
Trevin Salme takes over at quarterback and with Luke Mohney and Gavan Muller gone, a new cast of weapons will be at Salme’s disposal.
Grayson Humphrey, his guard partner in basketball, is back at receiver and Oryn Nelson could shift to either fullback or tight end.
“He’s done a good job, really improved in the weight room,” Cochran said of Salme. “He’s a competitive guy and the kids rally around him. Trevin has a lot of faith in the guys he’s around.”
One of the most energetic players returning to the Pirates’ defense is linebacker Steven O’Dell, who finished with 99 tackles. In between the two setbacks to Napavine, their defense allowed a grand total of 50 points over a six-game stretch, all victories.
Perhaps the most eye-opening performance was in the Round of 16 in the playoffs, Adna held a Liberty Bell offense that averaged over 40 points per game to just three points.
At home, no less.
“We got a lot of guys that are ready to hit,” O’Dell said.
While Mohney and Jack Smith leave two vacancies in the secondary, Cash Smith and Kannon Kephart return. Cochran and O’Dell stated they are incredibly confident in the back four.
“We got a lot of athletic dudes out there,” O’Dell stated.
The class of the C2BL West is Napavine and Adna knows it. The Pirates needed to win a Week 9 game versus Pe Ell/Willapa Valley to clinch the No. 2 spot and a home crossover game.
Home cooking won’t be much this year with three total this fall and four of the first five on the road.
“We have all the pieces,” O’Dell said. “We’re gonna be a pretty unstoppable force.”
Can Adna get better each week?
Cochran isn’t only banking on it, he expects it.
“Our kids have to maintain their work ethic,” he said. “Every single aspect of our program is getting better. The focus is what we did today to get better tomorrow.”
