The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

The 2011 high school football season gets underway on Friday, and the Wahkiakum Mules have a tough match right at the start.

They'll travel to Adna to face the Pirates, ranked number one in the state by one westside daily newspaper, on the Pirates new field by their new high school.

Mule Coach Eric Hansen might rate the Napavine Tigers, the defending Central League champion a bit above Adna, but not by much.

"To me the defending league champion is the team to beat," he said this week. "Napavine is loaded for bear with the strength of their line.

"But Adna is right there: They lost only two seniors, and they have over 40 kids turning out."

The Mules currently have 30 players on the roster, one of the smaller Central teams. One is a transfer who won't be eligible for several weeks and who has no experience with the Mule system.

The Mules have five seniors, six juniors, 10 sophomores and nine freshmen on the squad, Hansen said.

"We're pretty young," he said. "Our sophomores will get a lot of playing time."

The Mules lost a large group of skilled players to graduation last year--running backs and wide receivers. They return their junior quarterback, Lars Blix, and a senior halfback, Wyatt Parker.

The coaches have shifted a lot of people around. The team went to its summer camp with one lineup and came home with another.

"There was lots of movement of players in positions," Hansen said. "We went in one day with one set of positions, and by the next day, we moved nine different guys around trying to find the combination that would make us successful."

Hansen said the team's offense will focus more on the running of the Wing T and less on the passing formations used last year because of personnel.

Coaches moved one lineman, Kohl Bergseng, to fullback, and another, Eli McElroy, out to tight end. The line will have two sophomores, two juniors and two seniors.

The Mules' first home game will be September 9 against Morton/White Pass.