MILL CREEK — Dec. 3, 2005 was the end of the road for some memorable Archbishop Murphy football players.
Pullman beat the Wildcats 28-24 that day for the state Class 2A football title in a battle of unbeaten teams.
It was the curtain call for 18 seniors, including four first-team all-state players, running back/linebacker Stan Smith, running back/defensive back Shiloh Keo, defensive lineman/running back Chris Hoerauf and placekicker Ben Fritsch.
Now it’s time for some new guys to get their shot to play starring roles in coach Terry Ennis’ potent Wing-T offense and stingy defensive scheme.
It will likely take the Wildcats, who open the season against Orting in the Emerald City Kickoff Classic Sept. 2, several games to get the game experience they need to get up to speed, Ennis said. With a tougher early schedule it’s unlikely that they’ll blow out opponents like they did last year.
“I know it’s not going to be a walk in the park, we’re going to really have to work,” senior running back/linebacker Nick Snyder said.
The toughest part of the offense to replace will be the one-two punch of Smith, the 11th leading rusher in Washington prep history, and Keo.
“We’re not going to have those two guys to rely on,” said Ennis, the second-winningest prep football coach ever in Washington state. “Hopefully we’ll compensate some other way.”
The offensive and defensive line is where most of the experience is with seniors Taylor Metsker, David Sinex, Joey Duncan and junior Ryan Bourke back. Snyder played defensive line last year but could shift to outside linebacker. Junior Henry Woods returns at defensive back.
“We put a high premium on putting our best tacklers on the field and running to the football and keeping it simple so we can react,” Ennis said.
In the backfield the Wildcats have Snyder moving to running back from split end, along with Woods and senior fullback Tony Houts. Senior John-Paul Blair is expected to compete for the quarterback slot.
“I think we’ll have a strong offense, we do every year,” Snyder said.
The Wildcats have a good group of sophomores coming into the program that will compete for starting spots, Ennis said. Right now, many positions are up in the air and competition is expected to be fierce.
What also will be fierce is competition in Class 2A. Reclassification next year means that many 3A teams have moved down to 2A and with Archbishop opting up from 1A, they could face some tougher teams if they make it to the state playoffs.
“The 2A division is going to be highly competitive at the state level,” Ennis said. “I hope we have an opportunity to face those teams, meaning that we’ve advanced to that point.”
First off, however, the Knights will have to make it through the Cascade Conference. Sultan, King’s and Granite Falls all have standouts returning.
“From that standpoint, we may be hard-pressed to say we are a favorite,” Ennis said. “I think that’s going to be a little more wide open.”
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