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.