Everett Red Raiders’ open football season Saturday

Published 8:31 pm Thursday, September 5, 2013

The Everett Red Raiders football team, a squad comprised largely of students from Everett Community College, opens its 2013 season on Saturday with a road game against Columbia Basin.

According to Everett head coach Tim Dennis, the team’s upcoming third season will be its best yet.

“I’d say we’re light years ahead of where we’ve been the last two years talent-wise,” Dennis said. “We have really high expectations this year. We’re big, fast, strong and really athletic.”

Dennis is particularly optimistic about the team’s offensive line, and largely because of the unit’s size. “We’ve got nine offensive lineman, and I think the smallest one is 275 pounds,” he said. “And all but two of those guys are 300-plus pounds.”

The Red Raiders are not directly affiliated with Everett Community College, though the players are required to be students and the majority attend Everett CC, Dennis said.

The roster numbers 52, he added, “and most of them are from Snohomish County, which is great. We’re here to service Snohomish County, but we’ve also got some guys from down south, all the way to Puyallup, Renton and Kent.”

Most are former area high school players, and many hope to go on and play intercollegiate football at the NCAA Division III or Division II level, and perhaps even Division I. Because Everett is technically a club team, players do not use NCAA eligibility until they turn 21.

Everett will play a nine-game season, including four home games at Snohomish’s Veterans Memorial Stadium. The team’s home opener is a 6:30 p.m. game on Sept. 14 vs. Eastside.

One of the team’s road trips is a visit to Yuma, Ariz., to play Arizona Western College, one of the top community college teams on the West Coast.

“They’re top notch,” Dennis said. “We’re going to have our hands full, but I think we can handle it.”