Camp report: Oak Harbor

Published 8:13 am Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Five years ago, the Oak Harbor football team had its biggest moment, winning state in an incredible finish in the Tacoma Dome.

Then it was all gone. Coach Dave Ward left for Archbishop Murphy. Quarterback Marshall Lobbestael graduated and took his arm to Washington State.

Left to pick up the pieces was Jay Turner. He took over a Wildcats program that was decimated by graduation. Now in his fourth season, Turner has slowly built the program back up and there are high expectations in this north Whidbey Island town again.

Word from camp: Expectations

With a larger number of returning players on offense and defense and two breakout athletes in key offensive positions, Oak Harbor is being picked as one of the favorites in Wesco 3A.

“The theme of our fall camp is expectations,” said Turner during a rainy practice Monday morning. “Whether it’s expectations of people thinking we’re going to be good or expectations of the players coming out on the field, we expect them to practice well.”

But don’t think that Turner has his players reading their own press clippings.

“We don’t buy into preseason forecast,” Turner said. “It’s all decided on the field. There are some pretty talented teams in our league. We saw Meadowdale at a camp and holy smokes those guys have some players.”

Vibe of camp: Fast

During my visit to Oak Harbor’s practice, the Wildcats ran their two-minute drill offense up and down the field. As coaches barked out instructions, players ran up and down the field, took their spots, waited for the snap and then, boom, ran a play.

The fast-paced offense fits Oak Harbor well. The Wildcats have a lot of team speed, including the two aforementioned breakout athletes, running back Josiah Miller and wide receiver Michael Washington Jr.

“We’ve got quite a lot of speed,” Turner said. “We’re going to condition like crazy so our guys can go 100 miles per hour all the time. We’re going to have to rely on our speed because we’re not going to run a lot of guys over.”

Signs of life: Quarterback

Oak Harbor has eight returning starters on offense, including quarterback Ian Kolste.
The junior quarterback will have a lot on his shoulders this season. But Turner said he’s grown 3-4 inches in the offseason and has improved his arm strength.

Also key is the two games Kolste started as a sophomore. “It’s a big difference to where he’s got that experience now,” said Turner. “He’s played some and he knows what it’s like under the Friday night lights.”

As one of his key targets, Washington said he’s anticipating big things from Kolste. “Ian’s going to surprise some people this year,” Washington said.

Player spotlight: Michael Washington Jr.

Oak Harbor wide receiver Michael Washington Jr. is known more for his play on the basketball court. But he’s also a pretty accomplished football player.

After a solid sophomore season, Washington struggled through injuries last season, including a hamstring injury that shelved him for much of the season.

But Washington looks healthy this season and could be in for a breakout season. “I think he’s feeling pretty good right now,” Turner said. “If he stays healthy you can expect big things from him.”

Washington is a converted basketball player, and like most hoops stars that take up football he was plugged in at wide receiver. “Receiver was a natural fit for him,” said Turner.

As Washington has gotten more used to the physicality of football, he’s learned to love one aspect of the game above even basketball: Friday night lights.

“We fill this stadium up. It’s crazy,” Washington said. “You don’t get that in basketball; where you feel like the whole town is behind you.

Washington said one of the keys to his success will be having someone like Miller on his side. “It’s nice to have someone like him because if he runs off to one side of the field and they want to overload that side I’ll have one-on-one coverage all day,” Washington said. “If they want to double-team me he’ll be open. He’s a ridiculous athlete.”