Comets and Mules ready for kick off

It's that time of year again. High school football is back, and both Wahkiakum and Naselle have been working hard this summer to ensure they hit the gridiron at a gallop this fall.

While the first meeting between the Mules and Comets will be this weekend in a preseason jamboree matchup, it won't be long until the KM Trophy is back up for grabs. The two programs will line up against each other on Friday, Sept. 12, a contest to which both coaches are looking forward.

As is the case at the start of any campaign, a new season brings fresh challenges. For Naselle, this year's squad is young but ready to grow. The Mules are returning a veteran-laden cast prepared to challenge this season.

Wahkiakum High School

Head Coach Ryan Lorenzo is excited about the outlook of this year's squad. After graduating just one player last year, Lorenzo is expecting the experience to show through, and it isn't just about one player.

"It's all of them,” said Lorenzo. “I expect them all to be bigger, faster, stronger than they were last year; play better and understand team concepts a little better."

Two of the big focuses for Lorenzo and the Mules this season are sportsmanship and overall physicality. In years past, Lorenzo has felt the program has lacked in physicality. This season, he wants to remedy that. One of the keys to building that toughness is instilling confidence in the squad through reps, practice, and positive reinforcement.

That positive mindset is something that is reflected in the team's leaders. Lorenzo and the other coaches want players to know that if they show up, do the right thing, and work hard, they will earn a spot in the rotation. It's not just about giving spots to the upperclassmen; everyone has a chance to earn a role.

"You give the young guys a little bit of hope, and you'd be surprised what they do," Lorenzo said.

One senior player the coach has high expectations for is quarterback Jayden Stoddard, who, with both his arms and legs, was at the heart of the Mules' success last season.

"He's actually a running back,” said Lorenzo. “He's the quarterback but, at heart, he's a running back. It just so happens that he can throw the ball. We want him to use his legs more, but he likes spreading the ball around. He'd rather throw the ball than run it because he wants his teammates to be successful."

While throwing it up to fellow seniors Parker Leitz and Gage Robinson may be tempting, Lorenzo hopes Stoddard will opt to take the "safe 20 or 30 yards." When asked what he's expecting of Stoddard, Lorenzo joked that he wants him to "double his stats."

With 29 players on the roster, 10 seniors, and all but one starter returning, Lorenzo is feeling good about the participation numbers. In preparation for game one, the team underwent intense training, including "Midnight Madness," a grueling workout designed to push athletes to their limits.

"It's a bunch of work,” said Lorenzo. “It's the hardest thing they're probably going to do until their first game. Basically, if you can make it through this, you can make it through the rest of it."

Midnight Madness happens on the first day back at practice for the Mules, and then come the four-hour "marathon practices," where the whole team goes through the fundamentals. The coaching staff tries to teach "the entire game to everybody every year."

Lorenzo said, "By the time they're sophomores or juniors, this is their second or third time going through the basics, again. This year, we're actually breaking out the offense, which is really weird because, normally, we don't do that. We don't need to teach these seniors the plays or how to run routes because we've been doing it for four years. We'll take the younger guys and teach them how to run routes and stuff like that. Then we'll take the older guys and let them actually go and run plays, which is pretty cool."

The first few days of the season are a lot of teaching and learning but, this season, the Mules are a bit ahead of the curve. Two of the games Lorenzo is looking forward to are the KM Trophy Game in week two and Waterville Mansfield in week three.

"Naselle, they have a great coaching staff,” said Lorenzo. “We want the trophy back. I graduated from here, and that was the first time I ever personally lost the KM Trophy to Naselle, so that hurt a little bit. Then we play Waterville-Mansfield from the east side in Tenino, so that'll be an interesting one, too."

Naselle High School

After seeing a perfect season come to an end in the state semifinals, Comets Head Coach Kevin McNulty is building with a younger squad this year. Over the summer, the weight room is open, and McNulty said there is a good mix of athletes taking advantage of the opportunity to get stronger.

"It was primarily our youngsters who took advantage of it, which bodes well for the future," McNulty said. "We have 21 kids, sophomore and below out. Right now, we should have a full JV schedule. Of course, varsity-wise, we have two juniors and eight or nine seniors, so we're going to count on younger guys getting in there and competing."

McNulty said that the squad will need to ramp up quickly because the first two games on the schedule promise to be challenging. The Comets open with Darrington, a veteran-laden team that McNulty expects to be resurgent. The second game is a showdown with Wahkiakum, who McNulty thinks will be one of the teams to watch this season.

"I believe they're going to be one of the top couple of teams in the state on the west side of the mountains," McNulty said. "You replace one starter, their upperclassmen dominated. In our league, they'll be the team."

Regarding the rivalry between Naselle and Wahkiakum, McNulty said the approach to the game won't be different from any other matchup. The goal every week is to win.

"The bottom line is, Coach Lorenzo or I, we want to win all the games,” said McNulty. “I'm not looking at any one game saying we gotta win that. I'll be happy if we run the table.”

However, the prospect of retaining the KM Trophy was still something McNulty admitted would be sweet.

"Coach Lorenzo and myself have a good relationship, but when we coach on Friday night against one another, we're both out there to compete,” said McNulty. “At the end of the game, we shake hands and, hopefully, the KM Trophy stays at Naselle. Then at least I'll be happy."

While the Comets have big dreams for the season, there will be some adjusting that needs to happen, as Naselle graduated four two-way starters. Two senior captains, Jack Strange and William Anderson, received All-State recognition. Naselle also graduated All-Conference players and captains Jacob Lindstrom and Caiden Burke and lost starting receiver/kicker Logan Quashnick.

Some of the players McNulty is excited about this season are sophomore Eli Gardner, senior Jason Gardner, sophomore Gus Burkhalter, sophomore Rylee Lozano, and returning former All-Conference senior Royce Hoff.

"Early in the season, I can't really make any predictions because it depends on how the youngsters come along," McNulty said.

Losing all four captains, McNulty said one of the hardest things to replace is the leadership those players brought.

"We've had leaders the last few years,” he said. “This year, we're waiting for those people to step forward. I think we have a couple. Carsen Bisbing and Leith Chadwick have shown some promise as leaders, and I think there's more coming.”

The Comets have been led by quiet confidence in the past few years, often motivated by a resolute "let's go" from the team's leaders. Now, Naselle will see who will carry on that tradition. While the squad doesn't have "rah-rah guys," this year's team still maintains that quiet, lead-by-example type disposition that has been passed down from last year's seniors.

On the field, McNulty wants his team to play a hard-nosed, physical game, while also showcasing the versatility of the roster.

"I want to be able to play physical,” said McNulty. “Run the ball, inside and outside, and throw the ball. Defensively, I want our kids rallying to the football. More than one body at the point of the tackle. We need to be there.[With] eight-man football, if you can't tackle, well, good luck. What people don't understand is that eight man means a lot of open-field tackles."

The Comets have been focusing on speed. While they always try to limit mistakes, McNulty says that speed can help make up for errors when they happen. Each week, the Comets will draw up game plans designed to hamper their opponents. And from there, "just play football."

That's one of the keys for the Comets this year. McNulty said that in eight-man football, being a utility player is critical. Many of the players on the roster will be shuffling through different positions throughout the year, even from one play to the next.

"In eight-man football, you can't just play one position,” said McNulty. “You've got to know a couple positions and be a football player. You're not a quarterback, you're not a receiver, you're a football player. Jason Gardner is a great example of that last year. He wanted to be in the backfield. We had some good backs in Jack Strange and Caiden Burke. Jason had an opportunity to start on the offensive line and helped us out immensely."

McNulty said this year, there will be another Jason Gardner; someone who sacrifices the position they want to play for the betterment of the team. However, there's one team rule.

"Don't let down your teammates,” said McNulty. “If we all abide by that, we're going to be fine. That means showing up at practices, keeping your grades up, buying in, and believing in one another. I think, towards the end of the season, we'll be in a position for the playoffs."