Football squads spring into action

SHORELINE — Sunny days and soaring temperatures don’t necessarily bode well for voluntary spring workouts.

For some reason, helmets and shoulder pads can’t always compete with sunblock and swim trunks.

“Kids would rather be at the beach on days like this,” Shorecrest football coach Mike Wollan said, tilting his head toward the cloudless, blue sky that greeted the Scots last week.

By the end of the 2002 season, just eight seniors remained on Shorecrest’s roster. With underclassmen occupying most of the key positions, the Scots went 2-7 and finished tied for eighth in the Western Conference 4A South Division.

“We were really young last year,” Wollan said. “These guys grew up a lot.”

Defense was the crux of Shorecrest’s spring camp. Though they were shut out just once last season, the Scots were outscored 270-130.

“Three-quarters of our practices right now are geared towards defense,” Wollan said. “We’ve got a lot of returning starters back on defense.”

Shorecrest brings back a speedy set of defensive backs in soon-to-be seniors Shane Hoffman, J.D. Gardner, Chris Vincent and Zach Hale.

“We think we’ve got some guys who can cover, so we can take more chances up front,” Wollan said.

Second-team, all-league selection Colin Small and A.J. Collins return at linebacker and Andrew Cornejo, Ray Illman and Ryan Lantz saw significant time on the defensive line as juniors.

“One of the things we recognize (about) being a small team (is) we need to do a better job in the second half of trying to stop teams,” Wollan said. “We’re focusing on trying some new things defensively to get more pressure on other teams.”

Small, Lantz and Cornejo pulled double duty and started every game on the offensive line as well. With the graduation of two fullbacks, Small will drop to the backfield.

Hoffman should once again be Shorecrest’s featured tailback/receiver and Gardner and sophomore Jesse Hoffman will also figure into the rotation.

With the departure of two-year starter Matt Heck, the quarterback duties are still in the air. Junior John Glancey backed up Heck last year and sophomore Chasen Gardner started for a freshman team that went 4-4, with three losses by one touchdown or less.

At the end of June the Scots will head to a week-long team camp at Central Washington University. Wollan guessed close to 40 players will make the trip, about the same number that regularly attended spring practices.

“You always want more,” he said. “You can never have enough kids in football.”

Shorewood and King’s also took part in spring drills. Here’s an early look at what to expect come fall:T-birds bringing back 17 starters

Back-to-back trips to the playoffs have done wonders for Shorewood’s numbers.

Head coach Jeff Weible checked out more than 90 sets of gear this spring and said no-shows were minimal.

“I’ve talked to some of the older kids this year and they said there’s a real good attitude out here,” Weible said. “Next year’s seniors are getting things going. I’m sure the weight room will be well attended this summer.”

This year’s juniors have displayed a far different personality than Shorewood’s graduating class.

“Last year’s senior class was real talented,” Weible said, “but they kind of lacked the leadership skills to grab a kid by the shoulder pads and say, ‘Hey, let’s get going.’ This junior class will do that.”

The Thunderbirds finished 2002 in a three-way tie for third in the division at 6-3 with Mariner and Edmonds-Woodway and advanced to the district playoffs by virtue of a 12-10 win over the Warriors the final week of the regular season.

For the second year in a row, Shorewood was ousted in the first round of the playoffs with a 34-6 loss to Lake Stevens.

Seventeen starters return from last season, including linemen Andrew Preston, Ishmael Easton, Joey Steadman, Bud Klosterman and David Hancock and senior running back Seth Setterberg.

The 6-foot, 215-pound all-league pick rushed for nearly 800 yards the past two years and could be in for a few more touches per game next fall.

“We’re making a few subtle changes on offense … (to) give Seth an opportunity to carry the ball more,” Weible said.

Seniors Nic Shalygin, Tyler Tonkin and junior Will Barker join Setterberg in the backfield and junior Sean Tracey and Wade Gurnett are vying at quarterback.

Tracey didn’t play as a sophomore, but has the tools Weible looks for.

“He might be a little bit green,” Weible said. “But you look at him and you drool. He’s 6-foot-5, he’s got a cannon for an arm and he’s a good leader.”

Gurnett could be more valuable for the T-birds at wideout, where he found his niche last year — logging four touchdown passes and averaging more than 20 yards per catch.

Two of Gurnett’s biggest receptions came against Edmonds-Woodway. He hauled in a 37-yard bomb and a 5-yard fade — both on fourth down — during a last-ditch drive to set up Shorewood’s game-winning TD.

The T-birds finish up their spring workouts by traveling to Sedro-Woolley June 14 for a jamboree. In lieu of team camp this summer, Shorewood will start fall turnouts with a trip to Port Townsend.

“It’s a good way to get the kids out of the Shoreline area,” Weible said. “A lot of them haven’t even seen the mountains. It should be a fun time for us.”Knights return entire O-line

A different draw and King’s could very well have ended up in last year’s Class 1A state championship game.

The Knights regrouped from a midseason losing spell to win four straight games and vault into the quarterfinals of the state playoffs.

That’s where they met up with eventual champion Archbishop Thomas Murphy. King’s gave the Wildcats their stiffest test of the postseason, but its offense sputtered in a 28-14 loss.

Seven starters on both sides of the ball are back for the Knights and attendance at last week’s spring practices skyrocketed from around 40 players in years past to upwards of 60.

In July, the group will make its annual trip to team camp at Pacific Lutheran University.

“About one-third of our male student population is playing football,” King’s coach Jim Shapiro said. “I think a lot of it has to do with winning and (reaching) the quarterfinals. The kids are excited.”

The most glaring difference from last season’s 7-4 team will be the absence of fullback Cam Jones and tailback Charlie Waldburger.

But with all-league guard Evan Gay and the rest of King’s offensive line returning, Shapiro doesn’t foresee the running game slowing down.

“Holes are going to be open,” Shapiro said. “We’ve been running through some plays from last year and they’re picking up on it. It’s just a matter of finding that fullback/halfback combination.

“We’ve got five or six key kids filling in. There will be some newcomers, but some good ones.”

Sophomore and juniors anchored a relatively inexperienced offensive line last season.

“We work really well together,” Gay said. “Last year was a learning process and we really know what we’re doing this year. We got a lot stronger over the offseason.”

Third-year quarterback Chris Faidley was a second-team, all-league selection, completing 54 percent of his passes for 1,150 yards in nine Chinook League games.

Jones and Waldburger might be missed even more on defense. They led the Knights in tackles and were all-league, first-team picks.

“Our challenge (on defense) is the number of linebackers we don’t have,” Shapiro said. “So we’re playing a different scheme … with a lot more linemen. We’re two-deep at every position on the line. We’ll try and run a little more man-to-man.”