Othello, Capital, Lynden, and Tumwater

[football_fever3]

I figured tonight was as good of a night as ever to try and pick up the convo on the 'prep board'. Who is the team to beat this year?

After five weeks I think there could be arguments many ways. That is a good thing. After Lynden lost their opening game to 1A Kings, the door was opened to Capital, who rightfully so, deserved the top spot. Then, last Saturday, the Cougars lose to a 2A powerhouse in Tumwater. While all that goes on, Othello has quietly beaten everyone by LOTS on the east side of the mountains.

All that said, Lakewood has been running the table, including a beatdown against a struggling program in ATM.

So who is it in 2A this year? Again, I think arguments could be given for all the above, but I miss the old 2A board where we would do this every single friday night, and want to try and stir up some good convo on this.

 

[B-E Fan]

I have to agree that each of the teams you mentioned are legit. Looks like they're a few tough teams in the Evergreen conference. WF West gave Tumwater all they could handle. I don't know a lot about the teams East, but don't overlook a Spokane team advancing. Seems they've been getting the best of Othello/Prosser that last 2/3 years in playoffs.

 

[Little_Lion_Man]

I can only give my 2 cents on Lynden, since I haven't seen Capital or Othello play, and haven't seen Tumwater in 2 years. Lynden's offense is still the machine that it has been for the last couple years now, but (and I know the stats don't really show this) their defense might be a little weaker than it has been in years past. They were gouged through the air on opening night (albeit against an INCREDIBLY talented quarterback with solid receivers), and last night Sehome was churning out good yardage and first downs against them before giving away the ball deep in Lynden territory every time. I think they got inside the 20 three times and inside the 40 a time or two as well, each ending in blocked kick or a fumble.

Granted, in the game they got thrown on they were missing their first team all-conference safety in Zach Vis, who should certainly be back by playoffs, and had 2 days to plan for a future D-1 quarterback. Last night they were without leading tackler in middle linebacker Jaremy Martin also, but the D wouldn't mind having some Korthuises and an Ammons plugging up the run game and wreaking havoc on the passer.

I think this senior class has proven themselves to be true competitors a few too many times in the past to be considered anything but favorites at this point though.

 

[txkill]

I think the east side teams this year could be pretty good...the thing about othello is that they usually always start out slow and gain steam toward the end of the year and always do some damage in the playoffs. This year though they have really come out strong to start the season and look to only be getting better. They could be the best team on the east side regardless of classification. They have a quarterback that can throw and some tough runners and there defense is legit too...I was shocked to see that prosser dominated ellensburg the way they did because I thought ellensburg matched up pretty good with them. But I think prosser is great this year too. Who is the best 2a team? Well according to all the polls othello is #1 and they probably deserve the spot until they lose or play poorly .

 

[JordanShawdley]

My vote? Give Lakewood the #1 spot by week 9 so King's can beat, or at least play 3 #1 2A teams this year. If they do that you might as well give em both trophies...... haha trash talking is all in good fun

 

[football_fever3]

I will admit, I am a westside guy through and through, but with that said, I have a hard time seeing someone out of the CWAC having the top spot. It just seems that every year (post Moore Era in Prosser), that as soon as the stud teams out of the CWAC matchup with anyone one of the upper tiered teams in the state, they get beat. Here is where I get my reasoning.

CWAC PostSeason W's and L's:

2009: EBurg and Othello beat (Clarkston, Mark Morris, and Colville) but lose to (West Valley Spo (finished 2nd))
2010: Othello and Prosser beat (Othello (Played each other in 1st round)) but lose to (East Valley Spo (who lost in Semis)
2011: EBurg, Prosser, and Othello beat (Steilacoom, WV Spo., and Deer Park) but lose to (ATM (finished 2nd))

Many of those loses were blowouts as well. Now some of it simply may be matchups, and having to face tough teams early on. On the flip side, the brackets are usually set up as an Eastside bracket and a Westside bracket, for the most part, and in the last three seasons, the semi finals have ended up being 2 of 4, 3 of 4, and 3 of 4 in favor of westside teams. Only once in those seasons, has an Eastside team made it to the finals.

What I do not want to do is start an East vs. West argument though. Just my reasoning for not thinking that Othello is the top 2A team in the state. Notice I did not say "who is #1 in the polls", but "who is the team to beat".

I think Capital could easily be argued as the team to beat. They have a phenomenal back, who runs behind a very talented Oline, and they have proven themselves against some much bigger schools. I have no clue how good their defense is, but with their ability to run the football, I am sure they win the possession clock every game.

Tumwater however beat them. To me, this could give an edge to the T-Birds. I have seen Tumwater multiple times in the past, and I will say I think they are probably the best coached team in the state along with Lynden. They do not always have the size that some other teams have, but they play low, hard, and execute extremely well. Obviously they were able to defeat Capital, so you can not talk Capital without mentioning Tumwater.

Finally there is Lynden. As I mentioned above, few teams in the state are coached as well as Lynden. Year in and year out, they seem to be playing their best in November and December. There has only been one team since 2008 (two since 2006) to beat them in the playoffs. When you look at who they returned from last year's state championship team (1st undefeated season in Coach Kramme's tenure at Lynden), there is talent all over the field. There was a mention above about the defense not being quite as good this year, and a reference to their defensive ends. You have got to be kidding me. Between Newman (WSU offer) and Meyer (Eastern offer and WSU recruit), I would say they are even better than last year at that position. Along with that, outside of the first week against Kings (they are really really good), I do not believe the varsity defense has given up a single point. Finally, Lynden has been beating teams by 35-40 + points in less than 2 or 2 and a half quarters when starters are taken out ... AND ... all of this done without their best WR and outstanding safety (Zach Vis) returning this week from an injury that has kept him out all season so far.

 

[Westside4]

I don't know much about the 2A level, but I can answer a great deal about Capital. I am not one to make excuses, but the offensive line coach was gone during the Tumwater game. If you take a look at Capital's games this year, they come out in the 2nd half and have completely dominated running the ball. They have three running backs who are great at doing their jobs. They are great at making mid-game adjustments. Their quarterback won't make mistakes, but if you can stop their running game you can stop their offense.

Defensively, they are quite similar as their offense. They are phenomenal against the run (Tumwater might've had negative yard rushing in that game), but they are susceptible to the pass (See also the Tumwater game where the 5'7 corner was beaten by the 6'5 receiver three times) Their corners are the weak spot, and the D-line is the strong spot. Their starting 22 is extremely talented, but there really is not much depth behind them.

Lastly, this is a veteran team. They are senior heavy, and return 17 (I think) starters from last year's team that lost in the 3A quarters (in 3OT!) to Odea. I think this year's schedule (four 4A opponents) has been extremely beneficial for them, so they won't be surprised or overwhelmed by anything.

With that being said, they are by no means the favorite. The 2A level, this year, is extremely deep at the top and a handful of teams have a great chance to make a run!

(Sorry for my long-winded, first post!)