Eastlake Takes care of business in first game back

Credit : © Photos by Rob Veal / Team Sports Images (www.teamsportsimages.com)

Eastlake’s varsity football team prepped for the season thinking they were playing against Lake Stevens at their place. Then, due to COIVD-19 protocols, the game was canceled and a new opponent was found—Kentwood was going to make the journey North to play the Friday Night Lights opener in Sammamish. But there were no referees available so the game was moved to Thursday night. Then we learned the new LED lights weren’t going to be ready, so the game was moved to Saturday afternoon.

Eastlake won the game 53-0, a great way to kick off the season.

In the news…

Here is a link to a write up by Todd Milles for Scorebook Live.

Turning the page from familiar faces, Eastlake had an idea it still could be good. This pack of Wolves is: 5 observations

SAMMAMISH – There was a sentiment – unusual, at best – that the power-broker 4A KingCo Conference, which was breaking in a lot of first-year starting quarterbacks, would fall back a bit this fall.

That is fool’s logic.

Eastlake High School was the latest example Saturday. In first-year coach Kyle Snell’s debut, the Wolves rumbled by undermanned Kentwood, 53-0.

2021 Friday Night Lights

Our season kicks off this year on a gorgeous late Summer’s night in Sammamish. Friday Night Lights at Eastlake High School is a tradition that not only kick’s off our football season, but signifies the start of the new school year.

Gridiron Gala

Who is ready for an IN PERSON event???  WE ARE!  

Come join us for an evening of fun, food, and fundraising supporting Eastlake Football & Cheer!

Boots & Blue Jeans Gridiron Gala

Saturday, August 28, 2021

Pickering Barn - Doors open at 6:30pm

We are so excited to come together as community to support Eastlake Football & Cheer again! The Boots & Blue Jeans Gridiron Gala is going to THE “not to miss” fundraising auction of the year. This years gala will be featuring Emmy Award winning auctioneer, Matt Lorch from Q13 Fox News.

It has been two years since we have been able to gather, in person, to benefit Eastlake Football & Cheer.  In 2019, we had an impressive 200 attendees at the gala.  This year we are excited to announce we will be holding the gala at a larger venue to accommodate more attendees, while following the current King County COVID guidelines.  The event will be held at the Pickering Barn at 1730 10th Ave NW, Issaquah, WA 98027

Doors open at 6:30pm, live auction and dinner starts at 7:30pm. Dress in your best boots and blue jeans!

For more details about the event click here.

Day 1: The season starts today

The 2021 season is underway with our first day of practice. Good to see players and coaches out there getting work done. Here are a few photos from day 1.

One Last Ride Video

20-21 Eastlake Wolves Football season highlights.

Woodward runs wild as C team take down Mustangs

After two easy victories, the young Wolves expected a challenge when Redmond brought their JV team for a season ending matchup. With a small freshman group, the Mustangs brought a team of freshman, sophomores and juniors to take on the Wolves. And, on the first drive of the game, it looked like the challenge was real as Redmond gained first downs and moved quickly into Eastlake territory. However, the Wolves settled down, took control of the line of scrimmage, and the game, and cruised to a 52-6 win.

Through the short season, the Wolves used their big offensive line control the game with their running backs while taking occasional shots down he field. Against Redmond, the Wolves showcased a new weapon with designed runs for quarterback Grady Woodward. Although Grady spent most the season in the pocket, he showed Friday that he's lost none of his speed or strength as a runner, carrying for four touchdowns. The Wolves also worked the ball down the field, throwing twenty times, most effectively to wideout Marcus Angiuli who caught 4 passes for 89 yards and finally scored a touchdown that wasn't called back for a penalty (after his previous five TDs had been called back).

In other highlights, Jimmy Schoenleber and Kaleb Grant were special teams demons with nice tackles on Eastlake's many kick offs. When Grady wasn't running or throwing to Marcus, running backs Caleb Mohrhardt and Jack Edmunds found running lanes, each averaging 10+ yards per carry and scoring a touchdown. Mohrhardt and Edmund's jobs were helped by huge holes created all game by offensive lineman Jonah Park, Connor Ware, Blake Sehlin, Andy Villegas and Kyle Ricketts. Mohrhardt got into the blocking action himself, pancaking a linebacker while leading one of Woodward's QB keeps.

Defensively, the Wolves made things easy for their offense by dominating the game after the first few plays. With Carter Thompson out, end Jackson "JJ Money" Ashford took over the game as the havoc-causer-in-chief. Ashford was in the Mustangs backfield play-after-play, often joined by fellow end Alex Dreher and nose guard Villegas. Redmond found few running lanes and had not time to throw passes. When the Mustangs tried to fling the ball down the field, passes were tipped (Miller, Edmunds), intercepted (safety Trevor Galvin) or defended (cornerback Tanner O'Hara). And in the rare instance when a running back found some room, linebacker & defensive captain William Miller was all over the field, setting the tone with great anticipation, physical play and sure tackling.

Taking stock

For the young Wolves, this brief season was a long wait which culminated in a brief amount of football. And the competition didn't reflect the rigors of a normal KingCo season. However, a team can only play the opponents that are on the schedule and in that context, this was a successful season. Most important, despite a global pandemic, 39 players got out of the house and on the field together to work, play, learn, grow and build camaraderie. With little time to prep, the coaches built a tight new, well executing team. The Wolves many new football players integrated themselves with the veterans and showed that they too are playmakers for the Wolves. And, with vaccines rolling out and the hope of a more normal future, the players are only a few months away from getting back together in prep for their sophomore season.

If you want to get excited for the future, it starts with the big fellas up front who controlled both sides of the line of scrimmage all season. Villegas, Park, Ware and Sehlin dominated their opponents with able help from fellow big bodies Ricketts, ad Tyler Brown, and a quick and athletic Asir Jackson. On the defensive line, JJ and Alex Dreher were fast and relentless in setting the edge and pressuring opposing QBs. Dreher in particular seemed notably faster and more aggressive. In the skill positions, Woodward matured in his reads although he needs an offseason of spring football and 7-on-7's to dial in his touch and timing with his deep stable of receivers. Running backs Mohrhardt and Edmunds were equally effective and showed both running burst and pass catching ability. In the receiving corps, Angiuli is size and speed matchup problem for any DB. Brady DiRamio showed good hands and Elijah DeGuzman and Caden Cross are raw but developing talents.

Defensively, the Wolves will miss Miller's leadership and physicality and Ashford's speed and power. On the positive side, the short season was invaluable experience for newcomers who will be counted on in the future such as linebackers Steve Plummer, Carter Thompson (experienced players new to linebacker) and Brady Cardwell, cornerbacks Evan Daniel and Jack Morgan and safety Trevor Galvin. And, the Wolves experienced defensive backs (Kaleb Grant, Aryan Ramdas, DiRamio) all developed, holding down the back end and allowing no long completions. On special teams, kicker Dreher showed a strong leg. While there are a lot of exciting parts for the young Wolves, they also have a lot of work to do to be ready for real KingCo play when Bothell, Woodinville, Skyline and Mount Si return to the schedule. Hopefully the players can take the lessons from their spring season but also understand that all 39 of them will have to work and grow to fulfill their team potential next year.

---

Watch the game

---

Led by “the Thompson pounce”, Wolves C-team rolls 47-7

Saturday morning, the Wolves C-team traveled for first high school road game to Juanita high school. Two weeks ago, the Wolves had cruised against Juanita in a scrimmage but coach Myers had cautioned the team that Juanita was a good and they should prepare to see some athletes. The game started well for the Wolves. After a quick defensive stop, the Wolves blocked Juanita’s punt attempt and Aryan Ramdas fell on it giving the Wolves a short field. On the first offensive play, Caleb Mohrhardt took a screen pass from Grady Woodward in for a touchdown. After another quick defensive stand and punt block punt, Mohrhardt punched in his second touchdown 3 plays later and it looked like the rout was on.

However, Coach Myers proved prophetic as Ravens put together a strong offensive drive on their next possession. The Ravens mixed run and pass plays and ran through Eastlake arm tackles. The Raven punched in a score and their fans went wild as they narrowed the gap to 13-7. A few plays later it looked like the game was really turning in Juanita’s favor when they picked up deflected field goal try and ran toward the own end zone. But in a game changing play, Carter Thompson turned into DK Metcalf sprinting 80 yards down field and pouncing on the ball carrier keeping the Ravens out of the end zone. short of the goal line. With the Ravens threatening to take the lead, Woodward tipped a pass which linebacker William Miller intercepted in the end zone, giving the ball back to his offense with three minutes remaining in the half.

The Wolves could have taken 13-7 lead into halftime to regroup but instead, they got aggressive . Quarterback Grady Woodward ran the ball 80 yards to the end zone, but a penalty brought the ball back to the Juanita 37-yard line. On the next play Woodward hit Mohrhardt for 33 yards catch-and-run to the four-yard line. Jack Edmonds punched in the touchdown extending the lead to 20-7. Moments later, Juanita turned the ball over deep in their own territory giving Eastlake possession with one play before halftime. Marcus Angiuli took a short pass, reversed his field, and ran sideline to sideline weaving a path the end zone. The Ravens breathed a sigh of relief when the Wolves were once again penalized which took the touchdown off the board. However, the penalty also gave the Wolves one untimed down which Woodward used to scramble 14 yards for backbreaking touchdown. So, despite some sloppy play, the Wolves went to the half with a comfortable 26-7 lead.

The second half was all Eastlake as the Wolves size and physicality wore down the Ravens. The Wolves offensive line of Andy Villegas, Connor Ware, Jonah Park, Kyle Ricketts and Blake Sehlin open gaping holes allowing the backs to run 14 times for 169 yards and 3 touchdowns. Steven Plummer was the feature back logging 60 yards and Seamus Smith added 40 more. Plummer, Smith and QB Owen Hyatt all score rushing touchdowns in the half. 

Defensively the Eastlake front line took control with stout play from Tyler Brown, Jackson Ashford, Asir Jackson. The safeties and corners got more got more action than they've seen all year with nice pass deflections by Tanner O'Hara, Grady Woodward, and cornerback Evan Daniel. Jacob Pitonyak added a big play, jumping on a Juanita fumble to finish the game.

For the game, the Wolves ran for 285 yards with five different ballcarriers gaining more than 40 yards and six players scoring rushing touchdowns. In the passing game Woodward and Hyatt targeted 13 different receivers and connecting with 10. Mohrhardt led the way with four catches but highlight plays were Hutton Wheeler take a slant for 15 yards and Elijah DeGuzman and Lucas Burke adding their first catches of the season. In the kicking game, Alex Dreher pinned the Ravens back with deep kickoffs and converted five of seven PATs.

Next Friday the Wolves return home to play Redmond in their last game of the spring season.

---

Watch the game

---

Young Wolves Feast on Kangaroos

The  Eastlake Wolves C team started their long-delayed season on Saturday, March 20th. For the returning players it was their game since the youth championship 18 months (and a lifetime) ago. For the many new players on Eastlake's roster, Lake Washington represented their first real game action. Thanks to last second Covid phase loosening, the Wolves were able to invite four family members per player and  the visiting Kangaroos were allowed to bring two fans per player. So the players and  teams gathered on a gray Saturday morning excited to see the team go to work.

Nearly three hours later the Wolves went home with a lot to cheer about in a 46-0 victory. The Wolves started fast and scored seven touchdowns despite having four TDs called back on penalties. The Eastlake defense held LW just offensive three first downs.

For the game, the Wolves ran a balanced offense which featured 50-50 mix of running and passing. Quarterback Grady Woodward targeted 10 different receivers and completed 11 of 20 passes for 180 yards and four touchdowns. Woodward added a fifth touchdown with his legs, taking a 56 yarder to the end zone. Running back Caleb Mohrhardt carried 8 times for 50 yards and a touchdown but more damage as a receiver, adding 75 yards and three more touchdowns. The offensive performance was more than a two-man show as Woodward also connected with Caden Cross, Marcus Angiuli, Brady DiRamio and Jack Edmunds. The Wolves offense was aided by good field position as the LW offense struggled with execution, turnovers, a lack of big plays.

On defense, the Wolves dominated. Eastlake's rotation of big powerful defensive lineman control the line of scrimmage,  gave LW ball carriers no room to run and their quarterback no time to throw. Andy Villegas, Connor Ware, Tyler Brown and Kyle Rickets bottled up the center of the line well ends Jackson Ashford, Alex Dreher, Blake Sehlin, and Asir Jackson contained the edges. In the rare moments when LW players found a seam, the Wolves linebackers pursued with speed and hard hitting. Linebacker William Miller played physical football while Brady Cardwell and Steven Plummer played like veterans  despite being new to the position. However, the star of the Wolves defense was undoubtedly outside linebacker Carter Thompson. Thompson was a matchup nightmare for the Kangs, stuffing ball carriers in their tracks and pursuing the quarterback like a hungry man after a cheeseburger. Thompson repeatedly sacked the quarterback and added to LW's nightmare when he blocked a punt, scooped up the ball and ran it in for a score.

Wide receiver and punt returner Marcus Angiuli had a strange day when he crossed the goal line with the ball four times but was credited with no touchdowns. All four of Angiuli's TDs (3 punt returns, one leaping reception) were called back on penalties. Even with the four touchdowns called back Angiuli was an impact player reeling in four of Woodward's passes for 49 yards. On special teams, kicker Alex Dreher converted several PATs and attempted 2 field goals. Although the field goal attempts didn't find the uprights, Dreher showed a strong lag. 

Its said that turnover differential wins football games and that was certainly true Saturday. The Wolves took the ball away four times on interceptions by Jack Morgan and Plummer and fumble recoveries by Ware and Villegas. The Wolves committed no turnovers.

Despite the big win, Coach Zach Myers should find plenty to work on in practice. The Wolves committed numerous penalties and struggled with snaps, issues which will be fatal against stronger competition. Next Saturday, the team travels to the Juanita Ravens. The Wolves saw the Ravens last weekend in a scrimmage so they have some scout film to work with. But, a game is more intense and exciting than a scrimmage so it will be fun to see how the young Wolves respond to another conference opponent.

---

Watch the game

---

Varsity Game 10: Eastlake vs. Sumner

NEXT STOP...STATE PLAYOFFS!

I love the smell of football on a crisp fall Friday. The Wolves of Eastlake came to play and they showed it. With the sting of the KingCo Championship in the rear-view mirror, the Wolves were hungry for redemption against the Sumner Spartans. This game had a little bit of everything, and the boys stepped up to the challenge.

1st Quarter

The Wolves won the coin flip and elected to kickoff and Ryan Curran started it off with a booming 52-yard kick and the Wolves special teams combo of Michael Lester and Cooper Williams, stopping the return man for a short 10-yard return. The first drive for the Spartans did not end well with an interception by the ever-aware Chris Knutson off a deflection by Trent Nicholson to give the Wolves offense on the Spartans’ 46-yard line. With a combination of rushes and passes, the Wolves capitalized on a wide-open Joey Grzetic catch from Grady Robison. The Wolves defense proved their prowess by stopping the Spartans and making them punt the ball. The Wolves offense dinked and dunked to drive the ball down to the Spartans’ 17-yard line and capped it off with a 17-yard catch and run by Garret Carney to blow past 4 defenders. Gotta give a shout out to the boys on the line for giving Grady and other skill players the time and holes to make the plays they were able to make. 14-0 Wolves.

2nd Quarter

The 2nd quarter did not start well for the Spartans. After they returned the kickoff for a decent return to start on their own 42-yard line, they fumbled the ball on their second possession as the always cognizant Garret Carney not only caused the fumble, but also jumped on it to take possession for the Wolves. The Wolves did not waste any time. On the second play after the fumble recovery, Grady Robison threw a beautiful pass to a wide-open Joey Grzetic who ran and juked his way into the endzone. The next few series went back and forth with everything that could happen, happening, including a missed field goal by Sumner, an 80 yard TD by Sumner, a ferocious sack by Jacob Allen, a 28 yard field goal by the sure-footed Ryan Curran and capped off by a blocked punt by Trent Nicholson which was scooped up by Cooper Williams for a TD. Things were looking good for the Wolves heading into the second half. 31-7 Wolves.

3rd Quarter

The second half was all about the defense, with the exception of one drive by the Wolves, where Grady Robison scrambled for 19 yards to get the Wolves to the 12 yard line of Sumner and few plays later, Garrett Carney was able to rumble in for a 1 yard score. Besides that, lone offensive series, lots of short passes mixed in with runs here and there on both sides, until a long pass by the Sumner QB to his wideout was intercepted by Leroy Jackson, who fought hard with the receiver all the way to the ground. But, at the end of the play, Leroy had literally ripped the ball out of the receiver’s hands to give ball to the Wolves heading into the 4th quarter. 38-7 Wolves.

4th Quarter

Just when you thought the game was over, the Sumner Spartans wanted to make it at least a little interesting with a couple of touchdowns of their own. Throw in a 2-point conversion for fun. But in the end, the Eastlake Wolves had too much of a lead for the Spartans to try to overcome. Although the Wolves didn’t score in the 4th quarter, Trent Nicholson had an interception and return for 25 yards, a nice combo sack by Jake O’Donnell and Sam Coomes and a nice outing by some Sophomores, Parker Barrysmith and Michael “Borghi Jr” Lester. Wolves win 38-22.

Now that that’s outta the way. One down, four more to go. I told you, last time we lost, 7 straight wins. Just saying...

Let’s go Wolves! #WSPS

Special thanks to…

• Game Story Writer: Kenny Kim

• Statistician: John Miller

• Spotters: Jonathan Allen & Eric Bryant

• Photographer: Chad Greene

KingCo Championship

WOLVES LOOK TO REBOUND FROM KINGCO CHAMPIONSHIP LOSS

It was a brisk Halloween evening when the 7-1 Wolves of Eastlake matched up against the 6-2 Bothell Cougars. This was the KingCo Championship. The final battle for the KingCo conference title before these teams headed off into the Washington state high school football playoffs. You could sense the excitement in the air.

1st Quarter

The first quarter went back and forth as both teams put everything they had into it. On the Cougars first drive, they attempted a fake punt, but the always aware Trent Green made an amazing pass deflection to turn the ball over to the Wolves. On their second possession of the quarter, Grady Robison threw a gem barely by the outreached hands of the defender to Max Verboort for a Wolves touchdown! On the ensuing drive by the Cougars, Trent Nicholson leapt in front of the wide receiver with a magical INT. Not to be outdone, the Cougars got themselves an INT of their own on the 50-yard line and subsequently drove down the field for a touchdown. After the kickoff, on 2nd & 3 on the Cougars 43, Grady Robison scrambled in the backfield enough for his ever-trusty running back, Jalen Bright, to get open for a 20-yard pass with an additional 20 yards after catch. End of the first quarter, tied 7-7

2nd Quarter

After some fancy footwork by Grady Robison for the first few plays of the drive, he was finally able to connect with Zade Thompson for a 4-yard TD. The Wolves defense was able to limit the Cougars to a 3 & out and gave the ball back to the Wolves. The very next possession, Grady Robison did what Grady Robison does and scrambled and ran for a 53-yard TD. Unfortunately for the Wolves, the rest of the 2nd quarter would be limited offensive plays and the Cougars would muster 3 additional TD’s minus a failed PAT to end the first half with the Cougars leading 21-27.

3rd Quarter

The second half started with the Wolves kicking off to the Cougars and the Cougars scoring their first drive and a missed PAT. This quarter saw a lot of Grady Robison passes to a plethora of receivers and some impressive running from the senior QB, but the scoring was limited to a field goal from the sure-footed Ryan Curran. The Cougars were able to capitalize on 2 touchdowns to end the 3rd quarter leading 40-24.

4th Quarter

With the score 40-24, the Cougars drove the ball down to the Wolves 1-yard line for a QB sneak for the only score of the quarter for both teams. The Wolves made some valiant plays, including a 17-yard pass from Grady Robison to Zade Thompson, but alas were unable to come up with any points. The game clock struck zero after the Cougars took their final knee, with the final score 47-24, leaving the Wolves with only their second loss of the season.

Losing. The Wolves players and fans were not used to this unusual feeling. They had not felt the sting of a loss since their first game of the season and it was fitting that it happened on Halloween and the last game until the playoffs. I don’t know, the last time the Wolves lost a game, they went on to win 7 games in a row. Playoffs look good to me. Just saying…

Let’s go Wolves! #WSPS

Special thanks to…

• Game Story Writer: Kenny Kim

• Statistician: John Miller

• Spotters: Jonathan Allen & Eric Bryant

• Photographers: Chad Greene & Mark Sutter