E-W plans to keep on rolling

EDMONDS — If Edmonds-Woodway head football coach John Gradwohl is spending a little more time in his office these days, it’s perfectly understandable.

As the offensive coordinator, Gradwohl is responsible for one of the most high-powered teams in the state. The Warriors have outscored their opponents 333-95 en route to a 7-0 league record and 8-0 overall mark. Edmonds-Woodway already has clinched its third straight Western Conference South Division title and the No. 1 seed to the playoffs.

Just as impressive as the lopsided nature of their victories is the way the Warriors are winning those games.

“We’re kind of a take-what-you-give-us type of offense,” Gradwohl said. “If you want to stop the pass, we’ll run. If you want to stop the run, we’ll pass. We don’t really care.”

The truth is most teams have not been able to stop the Edmonds-Woodway offense, period.

Senior Josh Heard, a first-team, all-league running back, has rushed for 1,020 yards and scored 18 touchdowns (16 rushing, 2 receiving).

But unlike past years when they were a run-oriented team, the Warriors are a textbook example of a balanced offense.

Junior Kyle McCartney has stepped into the spotlight with an electrifying debut at quarterback, completing 78 of 119 passes for 1,459 yards. McCartney also has run for 198 yards on 35 carries.

McCartney’s favorite targets included first-team, all-league wide receiver Eric Greenwood (29 catches for 541 yards and 11 touchdowns) and second-team, all-league tight end Casey Hamlett (15 receptions for 255 yards and four TDs).

Sophomore Tony Heard, Josh’s younger brother, is another potent offensive option. He has rushed for 354 yards on 45 carries and caught 14 passes for 329 yards. Junior wide receiver Antoine Wafer has 18 receptions for 284 yards. Tony Heard and Wafer each have scored three touchdowns.

How do all of these talented players co-exist when there are only so many plays to go around and everyone wants to contribute?

“The key is not being selfish,” Greenwood said. “We aren’t selfish. We all get excited when somebody makes a play just as much as when you get excited when you make a play. We know what’s best for the team. We all know our roles and when to step up and when to help other people reach their peak.”

With the playoffs approaching, Gradwohl has no plans to make any major changes in the way he approaches games.

A major reason the Warriors are undefeated is their versatility on offense.

“I’ve not yet had anybody complain that they’re not getting the ball,” Gradwohl said. “At the same time, strategically it’s to my benefit to spread the ball around. I don’t want anybody to be able to key on one guy or two guys. So strategically if I can spread the ball out and get a lot of the guys involved, not only does it keep them happy and motivated, it makes us tougher to defend.”

Different players have stepped up at different times during the regular season.

Some teams have focused their defensive efforts on stopping Josh Heard and as a result that has allowed other players to excel, Gradwohl noted.

“We all know we’re going to get the chance to step up later in the season and definitely in the playoffs,” Josh Heard said.

Deep friendships have developed among the seniors, many of whom have been playing together since middle school. As a result, individual egos have been pushed aside for the common good.

“We’re all in it for each other,” Hamlett said. “We all know if you’re not making a play, we have confidence someone else is going to make a play. Some people can take the back seat when someone is having their night.”

Question marks

Heading into the 2006 season, Edmonds-Woodway had two main areas of concern — quarterback and the offensive line.

Taking over at quarterback was McCartney, who saw limited action as a backup last year. The offensive line returned just one starter in senior Dayne Richards.

“Those were the only two question marks,” Greenwood recalled. “Those aren’t question marks any more.”

McCartney has thrown 21 touchdowns and has been only picked off twice.

“You can’t teach that,” Hamlett said. “He knows where to go with the ball and what to do.”

The intangibles are what make McCartney stand out. Some of McCartney’s best plays are when he improvises, Gradwohl said.

“He’ll make something out of nothing,” he said.

McCartney does make mistakes but what impresses Gradwohl is that his junior quarterback learns from his mistakes and doesn’t repeat them.

McCartney last played quarterback regularly as a freshman when he was the starter for the sophomore team. But McCartney’s talent was quite evident as he started at defensive back as a sophomore.

The expectations were high when McCartney was tapped as the starting quarterback.

“We all knew he was going to be a stud, but you never know until you get there on Friday night,” Hamlett said. “He’s surpassed everyone’s expectations, I think. He’s such a good decision-maker.”

The offensive line also started the season as a bit of an unknown. Eight weeks into the season, Richards and teammates Nic Arnold, John Wilczynski, Zac Greenberg, John Loucks and Chris Routen may not be household names but they are performing at a high level.

The line, which averages about 5-feet-11, 212 pounds, might not be the largest in the league, but it has continually opened holes for the Heards and provided excellent pass protection for McCartney.

“They probably aren’t the biggest line,” Greenwood said. “They are definitely the most hungry line. They make all of us look better. They’re the ones doing the super hard work every play.”

The foundation for everyone else’s success starts up front and Gradwohl appreciates their efforts.

“They’re the guys that give Kyle the time to throw to the receivers,” he said. “They’re the guys that make the holes for the running backs. They have continually gotten better throughout the year. I’m very proud of them.”

Toughest opponent

Edmonds-Woodway has taken every team’s best shot so far this season and come out on top.

But Gradwohl preaches to his players that the Warriors’ toughest opponent isn’t the team they’re lined up against that week — it’s themselves.

A central tenet of Gradwohl’s program is that Edmonds-Woodway needs to be concerned about only what it can control.

“We don’t play Shorewood. We don’t play Kamiak,” Gradwohl said. “We really go out and play ourselves. We play at the level we can play at. That’s all we can control. We can’t control the team we’re playing, but we can control our execution and our effort.”

Still, as the preseason favorite, the Warriors knew they were going to be on everyone’s target list. Edmonds-Woodway looks forward to the challenge every week.

“When you get the best teams giving their best shots, it definitely brings out the best in the team,” Greenwood said.

Despite their success, the Warriors have stayed grounded week in and week out. Edmonds-Woodway doesn’t take any opponent lightly.

“I think we’ve done a good job of not being overconfident and staying hungry because we know that’s why they play the game,” McCartney said. “There’re no automatic victories. You’ve got to go out there and show what you can do and get the job done.”

History of success

This year’s seniors are used to winning. As freshmen and sophomores, they went undefeated.

Those expectations have carried over to 2006.

“We knew that come senior year this is going to be it,” Hamlett said. “We were going to have a good team. This isn’t a surprise for us. This is our expectation. We don’t expect to lose a game.”

The last two years Edmonds-Woodway has advanced to the first round of the state playoffs but lost both games.

Though it pains him to admit it, Hamlett said that the Warriors might have overachieved somewhat last season. Some players might have been happy just to be in the state playoffs, Greenwood added.

Being eliminated in the first round of the state playoffs lingered with the returning players and is providing ample motivation.

“We know the feeling of being there and we know the feeling of losing there,” Hamlett said. “(This year) it’s not just to get there. The mindset is that we’re going to keep rolling.”

Edmonds-Woodway’s success has added to the pressure to win and to keep on winning. Practices are serious but there also are the lighter moments.

“We have lots of comedians,” McCartney said. “There are jokes flying all over the place. But we know when to be serious and when to joke around.”

And if the pressure and the expectations of an entire community seem to be a little too much for the players, then they just take a moment to think about what it is they’re doing and why.

“The key thing with playing football is you can’t think of it like a chore,” Hamlett said. “We’re out there for a reason. We all signed up because we like to play football. So sometimes you just have to take a step back and be like ‘I’m out here because I want to be out there’ and have some fun.”