Resurgent Lynnwood football team winning games, having fun

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, October 2, 2019

BOTHELL — When it comes to Lynnwood High School football and its resurgent 3-1 start to the 2019 season, it begs a chicken-or-the-egg-type question: What came first, the fun or the winning?

On the coattails of a winless season and two years removed from a 1-9 campaign, the Royals are winning games and having fun doing it. And that doesn’t just apply to games. It’s evident in practice. It’s present during pregame walkthrough. It’s apparent in everything.

“Practice was super dead last year,” senior center and defensive tackle Yar Ria said. “I remember there were days that practice may not even be fun to go to. But this year, I remember we were talking one day in the second week of summer ball and we were like, ‘Man, actually something is different.’ And I was like, ‘Maybe because it’s fun to go to practice now.’

“It’s the energy we all bring. We all don’t try and bring each other down. We’re just a brotherhood out here, that’s what’s cool about it.”

This isn’t the first time in recent years the resurgent narrative has applied to Lynnwood. In 2016, the Royals advanced to the state playoffs for the first time since 1995. But that team also boasted 21 senior starters, and the Royals went through growing pains the past two seasons to the tune of a 1-19 record.

Things could have gone completely sour for the Royals. The program could have tanked, kids could have quit and convincing players to try out could have been a lost cause.

But there was bubbling leadership and maturity, something Royals head coach Keauntea Bankhead felt toward the end of last season.

“I just knew that we’d have something special for years to come,” Bankhead said.

Not only did Lynnwood return some senior leaders, including Ria, running back Daniel Tran — the Royals’ leading rusher with 377 yards and four touchdowns — and quarterback Nate Killen — who replaced quarterback Christian Kirkman, who transferred to Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona — but the Royals’ roster also features some promising young players.

Junior wide receiver Tanner Fahey leads Lynnwood with 290 yards on 18 receptions and five touchdowns. Sophomore linebackers Jonathan Lucio and Zach Newson have helped stabilize the heart of the Royals’ defense.

With a young roster, Bankhead said he tried to schedule as many preseason scrimmages as possible. The Royals went up to Mount Vernon to play against the Bulldogs and Stanwood, as well as myriad tests at the summer camp hosted by King’s High School.

The biggest litmus test of the Royals’ young season is imminent, as Lynnwood takes on Edmonds-Woodway, which is tied for the lead in Wesco 3A South at 2-0, at 5 p.m. on Friday at Edmonds Stadium.

There’s a different buzz around the halls at school for this game from year’s past. And there’s a newfound confidence surrounding the team, which Bankhead hopes will build a cohesive culture for years to come.

“Most importantly, these guys believe,” Bankhead said. “These guys believe that they’re winners and we can win in this league and they come out and practice like it everyday.”