I stopped by Edmonds-Woodway High School on Wednesday and checked in with the Warriors football team.
Wesco South coaches picked Edmonds-Woodway to finish first in the division this season. Tonight, E-W has a season-opening game against highly regarded Meadowdale at Edmonds Stadium. Kickoff is at 8 p.m.
I talked to E-W coach John Gradwohl and two players — seniors Andy Willcock and Grant Arnold — on Wednesday. Here are some excerpts from those conversations.
Coach John Gradwohl
*The team’s progress since practice began on Aug. 19
“Fall camp has been good. We’ve really improved. After (summer) football camp, we had some work to do. We replaced four linemen (who started in 2008) and we moved the one returner (Phoenix Horn) to a different spot.” (Horn switched to center this season).
*The importance of a solid offensive line
“People say it (a lot) but it’s true: It all starts up front. You’re only going to be able to do as much as they can do. If they can’t protect your quarterback, you can’t throw. If they can’t open a hole, you can’t run. You spend a lot of time working on your punt team.”
“Not only does it take five good linemen, but they’ve got to work together well. There’s got to be a cohesiveness in that also.”
“I think it’s the one most overlooked part of the game and the most important part of the game, is those five guys. They’ve really got to work as a unit, and they get zero credit when they do a good job.”
*The tailback tandem of Jimmy Spears and Zack Berg, a transfer from King’s High
“They play the same position but they both have different strengths so I think they’re both going to bring something different to the field.
*E-W’s passing game
“I’m really excited about our receivers and having a second-year quarterback (Willcock).”
*E-W will be a true team, without a superstar
“We don’t have Johnny Stud. We don’t have (Tony) Heard. We’ve got to be balanced and we’ve got to play team football. It’s kind of fun and it’s a big challenge for these guys. They can’t put it all on (one player’s) shoulders to save them.”
QB Andy Willcock
*The team’s progress since practice began on Aug. 19
“We’ve been progressing by leaps and bounds. It’s been amazing to see from where we were in the spring to where we are now. We’ve gotten so much better. It’s really encouraging to see.”
*Describing RB/DB Berg, the King’s transfer
“He’s probably the fastest guy on the team. He’s also a guy that’s physical and will lower his shoulder, and he’s a good all-around back.”
*Top receivers
Willcock said he is very confident in returning starter Reid Sullivan and newcomer Josh Jordan, a 6-foot-6 junior.
*Playing Meadowdale in the season-opener
“It’s always a really good game and you’re playing against guys you know, so it just makes it that much more intense and you want to them that much more. … We’ve been (playing) them forever so it kind of gets you bragging rights for the rest of the year.”
TE/OLB Grant Arnold
*Describing new RB/DB Berg
“He’s just been a great new asset to our team, both offensively and defensively. … He’s just one of us now, just like anyone else.”
*Playing Meadowdale in the season-opener
“I’m good friends with a lot of those (Meadowdale) guys. There’s a rivalry, but we’re not going to treat it differently than any other game. We just prepare ourselves every week. It doesn’t matter who we’re going against. We do our own thing and we’ll get the job done.”
*Challenges in becoming a starting LB after only starting at TE in 2008
“At (summer) camp, I had problems with thinking too much at linebacker. It took away from just getting after it and flying to the ball. I spent too much time thinking about what I should be doing. Now I feel like from watching film and getting a lot of reps in practice I’ve improved a lot.”
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