08-30-22
On Thursday night, the Eli Sports Network opens up the high school football season with a very intriguing match up between two teams that look to contend for league championships, as Enumclaw travels to Purdy to face the Peninsula Seahawks at Roy Anderson Field.
These teams last met in 2016, when both programs were in the 3A SPSL. Things have changed since then with Enumclaw briefly moving up to 4A and then back down to the 2A SPSL where they currently reside, and Peninsula is in the 3A South Sound Conference. One thing remains however; expectations are high for both of these programs coming into 2022.
Enumclaw is coming off one of their best seasons arguably in school history, making it to the 2A state quarterfinals where they fell to eventual state runner-up Tumwater 55-21. Their 9 wins was the most since Maxpreps.com began tracking stats in 2004, and it was the first time the Hornets won a playoff game in 26 years and 1st in the 10 seasons under head coach Mark Gunderson.
On the other side, Peninsula has continued to grow into one of the most respected programs in the South Puget Sound under longtime head coach Ross Filkins, sharing the SSC crown last fall with Yelm, and they always seem to be in the mix to make noise in the post-season. The Seahawks went 7-2 overall last season and 5-0 in SSC, and they hope to make another step forward and challenge the favored Yelm Tornados for the league title.
players to watch in matchup
Peninsula
First lets start with the Seahawks, PHS loses long-time starter at quarterback Jake Bice, and Senior Gonzaga baseball commit Payton Knowles is expected to take over at QB. He was a QB at rival Gig Harbor before transferring to the Seahawks, and while he played wide receiver and defensive back last season, the Seahawks are confident that that he has all the tools to lead PHS to a deep run in the playoffs.
Anyone who has followed Peninsula football over the years knows that Peninsula has a tough offense to contain, and a large part of that is because of their commitment to run the ball. They lose their one two punch in the backfield from a year ago in Ethan Hogan and Josh Hinkel, but the Seahawks still have a 4-5 running back rotation with Connor Burton, Brady Laybourn and Isaac Smith the favorites to get the bulk of the carries.
The Seahawks lose their top offensive lineman in Hall Schmidt, who is currently starting his freshman year at Boise State but they bring back all-league lineman Grady Johnson and veteran starter Tanner Staben who will be staples on the offensive and defensive lines.
Skill position wise, Dane Meddaugh stands out as a receiver and free safety for Peninsula, he is expected to be a top target for Knowles and should solidify the secondary as well. Junior Cole Muilenberg is anticipated to have a big season at tight end, it seemed like he had a good off-season improving his skills for the 7 on 7 team FSP, and he could provide another threat in the passing game.
Defensive back Ethan Fias is a name to remember as well, his pick six in the Fish Bowl against Gig Harbor helped turn the momentum of the game that eventually resulted in a historic come from behind victory.
Enumclaw
Like Peninsula, the Hornets will be debuting a new quarterback in junior Gunnar Trachte. He replaces Malcom Harper who graduated, and like Bice was for the Seahawks, Harper was a great leader for Enumclaw who threw 14 touchdowns, 7 of which to fellow Senior Dylan Watterson. Those two players are tough to replace, but bringing back all-league running back in Emmit Otero and all-league lineman Zeke Luchi, it should alleviate some of the pressure of of Trachte. Also, Senior tight end Austin Paulson is poised to have a breakout year as well.
Defensively, Keanu Lafaele and Fernando Reyes were all-league defensive lineman for the Hornets a year ago, and Bo Dods returns in the secondary and hopes to build off of his junior season where he had 3 interceptions.
Final thoughts from Alex
I love this match up to start the season, it is a great test for both teams to start the year. I think the match up between these two offensive and defensive lines will be fascinating. I expect Enumclaw to try to wear down Peninsula up front with their run heavy, punch you in the mouth offense lead by Emmit Otero, but I also think the Hornets will try to take their shots down field as well.
I think Peninsula will have a similar approach and ease Knowles into the game with some easy throws, but I do think they will try to test the Enumclaw secondary downfield with Meddaugh and company at some point.
The quarterback battle in this one is intriguing, and the one that can limit mistakes and turnovers should lead his team to victory.
These teams are similar in many ways, they’re well coached, they’re physical, and they are hungry to start the season.
How to watch
Alex Benzegala and Adison Richards will have the call from Roy Anderson Field, pre-game show starts at 6:45, kickoff at 7 pm on the Eli Sports Network on NFHS. A link for the broadcast schedule and how to watch the game is found in the link below.
