PORT ANGELES — High school football practices herald the arrival of a new school year, and Wednesday, when schools around the state don helmets for the first time, that axiom once again holds true.
A COVID-delayed and condensed football season began in February — when COVID cases reached 55 for the month in Clallam County and 31 in Jefferson — far more benign conditions than the present delta variant-inspired case counts in either locale.
But damn the torpedos, it’s full-speed ahead right?
Of course, there is a more effective remedy available to all older than 12 this time around, and the coaching staffs and teams that recognize this potential competitive advantage will likely see fewer disruptions and enjoy a smoother fall than those who choose a different path.
Here are some storylines to watch as prep football unfolds this fall:
New coaches
Port Angeles looked resurgent in home victories over East Jefferson and Kingston at Stevens Middle School last spring, but blowout road losses to Bremerton and especially Shelton were a bit perplexing.
The apple cart has been overturned once again with former coach Brent Wasche moving on after a year in charge, but the Roughriders made a slick coaching hire this summer in tapping boys basketball assistant Dustin Clark.
Clark has the bonafides to earn his players’ respect as a former state football and basketball champion at Elma and The Associated Press State Player of the Year as a senior.
And he has some weapons at his disposal in bruising running back Jaziel Livingston, speedy back Daniel Cable and sophomore quarterback Parker Nickerson, who showed some deft touch on his passes in the home wins.
East Jefferson has had a little more time to gel since Port Townsend and Chimacum quickly decided to combine due to lower enrollment and lower interest in athletics in those two districts.
Picking longtime Chimacum assistant football coach Tony Haddenham, who also was an East Jefferson assistant last season, is a move that should continue to unite the two neighboring communities.
Haddenham had concerns over fairness and equity for Chimacum athletes before the combine was formed, but after three sports seasons, Haddenham had a different opinion when he spoke at an online forum for the two districts in May.
“Going into the combine, I was very apprehensive about everything,” Haddenham said. “How our kids would be treated, how I would be received as a coach.
“I can’t say anything bad about the experience I had as a coach with the combine. And as a parent of a player, to see how well the Chimacum boys were received in Port Townsend was awesome. These kids have played with and against each other since they were pee-wees. To see them on the same team was one of those cool experiences as a coach that you want to see happen.”
Rebuild or reload?
How Sequim and Forks will fare after graduating deep senior classes in 2021 will be put to the test immediately with the Class 2A Wolves trekking to Forks to take on the 2B Spartans on Sept. 3.
Forks finished a solid third in the toughest 2B league in the state last spring and have Hayden Queen returning at TE/LB, Logan Olson moving from WR to QB and some punishing running backs in Nate Dahlgren and Sloan Tumaua to tote the rock.
Sequim does return a quarterback with a state playoff start under his belt in Kobe Applegate. Applegate also saw starts this past spring for the Wolves, who will have to replace leading running back Walker Ward, much of the offensive and defensive lines and quarterback/linebacker Taig Wiker.
Quilcene loaded
Eleven returning starters are expected back for a Rangers’ program that may likely be the best eight-man team in Western Washington.
Bishop Budnek, the back-to-back SeaTac League MVP, returns after rolling up a combined 2,886 rushing yards in his sophomore and COVID-condensed junior seasons.
Expect Quilcene to be playing deep into November, possibly for a state title, if blockers can continue to blow open big holes for Budnek.
Neah Bay growing
A younger group of Red Devils produced a 3-1 record in spring football action, including a close loss to Lummi in a playoff contest. It will be good to have Neah Bay back playing local rivals like Crescent and Quilcene and potentially making a run for their first state playoff appearance since 2018.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-406-0674 or mcarman@peninsula dailynews.com.
