Deep playoff runs aren’t accomplished in August and September, but the foundation for those runs are set during the season’s early days.
No team knows this more than Tumwater, which has made the state title game in four of the last five state tournaments, including both of the past two at Husky Stadium in Seattle.
The T-Birds, no doubt, have their eyes set on Seattle again this fall, but there is also a concerted effort on remaining focused on the here and now.
“We call it stacking days,” Tyler Briscoe said. “We just want to have better day after better day and continue to grow.”
Here are three takeaways from Wednesday’s practice:
Turnover in the front seven
Gone are Beckett Wall, Malijah Tucker, and Mekhi Richardson, who wrecked backfields all season long in 2024.
Tumwater coach William Garrow acknowledged that there are big shoes to fill for the players who are set to slide into those roles, but he’s confident that the rising juniors will do more than just hold their own.
That group was able to get pressure on the quarterback throughout the final team period of practice.
“So many of these young kids that were sophomores last year got a lot of experience playing in games,” Garrow said. “They have a lot of Friday night experience … The kids who are coming in as juniors, they have a pretty good understanding of the speed of varsity football and the physicality of it.”
The usual deep backfield
Like the defensive front, it’s reload and go at running back.
Jaylin Nixon and Cash Short are gone, but both Briscoe and Peyton Davis are back to headline the backfield. The pair combined for almost 1,100 yards and averaged nearly nine yards per carry last season.
Brett Heryford also got carries last fall, and his brother Blake should transition into the backfield after spending much of last season as a guard.
“We have kids that work really hard and they got a lot of experience last year,” Garrow said. “So we’re okay putting them in there.”
Year 2 of Jaxon Budd
Budd was excellent in his first season under center for the T-Birds, throwing for nearly 1,000 yards and 14 touchdowns while averaging nearly 13 yards per attempt. It was a bit of a limited sample size, as he threw the ball just 76 times.
With another summer under his belt to improve both physically and mentally, Garrow is excited to put more on his plate in 2025.
“Last year, there was a lot thrown at him as a first-time starter,” Garrow said. “He got better as the year went on last year … He does a nice job.”
