ARLINGTON — Their “home” stadium features another team’s name on the bleachers and scoreboard. Its well-worn grass field has dozens of bare spots and long dirt grooves that span the entire surface. Many of the athletes are new to football and were recently asking themselves, “What the heck is an onside kick?”
None of that really matters, though. Highland Christian Preparatory School has a football team, and that’s all the Knights care about.
Highland Christian, formerly known as Master’s Touch, is a small private school in Arlington. Besides getting a new name, the school has a new team.
Football is already a big deal at the tiny Class 1B school. Forty of the 62 boys enrolled in grades 8-12 at Highland Christian Schools (grades K-12) are playing for the team, Highland principal Mark Brown said. The Knights, who play eight-man football, were 0-2 through last week and were scheduled to play the Darrington junior-varsity squad Monday.
Highland’s first victory — whenever it comes — will surely be unforgettable. But for now the players are keeping their expectations in check.
“Since we’re a new program, it’s week to week and practice to practice,” said Kody Mattson, a junior running back/cornerback. Mattson is one of about a half-dozen players on the team who have previous experience in organized football.
Seven months ago it seemed unlikely that Highland would have a program, let alone such an encouraging turnout.
“But here we are,” said senior lineman Cody Sorensen, whose team practices at Hartz Field, Arlington High’s old facility. (The prep school holds classes next door at Arlington High’s former campus.)
The idea for a Highland football program picked up steam in March after Brown polled students. Their response was clear: They wanted a football team, as well as wrestling and fastpitch softball squads. The latter two sports are set to debut this school year.
“In education, if you find things that students are passionate about, they’ll perform,” said Brown, in his second year as Highland’s principal and his first as the football team’s offensive coordinator.
The commitment to athletics has spurred rapid growth at the school. Its enrollment doubled in the past year and at least 15 students came to Highland specifically for football, Brown said.
Joey Brown, Mark Brown’s brother, is Highland’s head coach. Joey Brown knew that guiding a first-year football program would pose major challenges — and it certainly has — but the transition has gone surprisingly well, he said. Highland was competitive in its first two games, losing by a combined total of 16
points.
The Knight actually led in the fourth quarter of their first game, a 40-32 defeat Sept. 1 at Wellpinit, near Spokane. Highland played well despite enduring a nearly 300-mile one-way road trip — one of at least three 100-mile-plus trips the Knights will endure this season in search of eight-man competition.
“It’s definitely very rewarding. Seeing them come together (at Wellpinit) was probably one of my greatest achievements in any sport as a coach. I was so shocked at how good we looked and how together they were,” Joey Brown said.
Highland ran the ball well, executed its offense nicely and hit hard on defense, Joey Brown said. But the Knights were outscored 18-0 during a decisive late stretch. Wellpinit took advantage of Highland’s inexperience to surge to victory, recovering three onside kicks, he said.
“We had guys that had never seen an onside kick before, other than the four times we’ve practiced it,” Joey Brown said.
Learning the ins and outs of eight-man ball has been difficult too, Joey Brown said. Offenses generally dominate because the defense has so much ground to cover.
“It’s a lot different,” Mattson said, “because it’s a lot more open.”
Besides the Brown brothers, Highland’s coaching staff includes assistants Mark Crawford and Darin Chase. They’ve helped start something that Mark Brown hopes will help start a revival similar to the one Archbishop Murphy High of Everett experienced.
Highland’s blueprint is based on what the region’s most successful small private schools have done, and Murphy’s model is one of the best, Mark Brown said. In 1999 Murphy, once known as Holy Cross, changed its name and moved to a new building. In 2000 it added football, and since then Murphy has earned a reputation for excellence in athletics and academics.
Highland dreams of making a comparable leap. It aims to become Archbishop Murphy North, Joey Brown said.
For now, though, Highland is focused on taking more small steps in its brief venture in football. The school’s first players are proud to be part of history.
“Football is brand new to the school. Having only about four or five people who have played before, I think we’ve stepped it up way more than we thought we would,” junior running back/defensive end Jeff Kelly said.
In addition to learning more about the sport, a key for Highland will be getting in better shape. The Knights struggled in the second half against Wellpinit because they were simply exhausted, junior tight end/cornerback Craig Crawford said.
No matter what happens, the Knights will be united by their trailblazing quest, and by a popular team chant that Mattson borrowed from his days at Arlington High School. It’s an optimistic message of unity.
According to Mattson, the main message of the chant goes: “We started together. We’re going to finish together. … Your team. My team. Our team.”
Contact Herald Writer Mike Cane at mcane@heraldnet.com. For more high school sports news, check out the prep sports blog Double Team at heraldnet.com/doubleteam.
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