By Tom Rohrer
By game three of last season, it would have not been a surprise if the Montesano High School football team threw in the towel.
After defeating Aberdeen 38-0 to open the season, the Bulldogs lost their next two games against Cascade Christian and Hoquiam respectively.
Much worse than any loss on the football field was the loss of the MHS bleachers overlooking Jack Rottle Field on Sunday, Sept. 16, to a fire, two days after the loss to Hoquiam.
The devastating fire, which destroyed a community landmark, combined the two losses instead powered the Bulldogs to the school’s first state title since 1994.
The Bulldogs would go on to win their remaining 13 games of the season, including a 43-28 comeback victory over Royal in the Tacoma Dome to take home the 1A crown. (Championship game photos can be found here.)
A victory like that belonged not just to the team, but to the surrounding community as well.
“It became more than just football,” said 12-year Montesano football head coach Terry Jensen. “That stadium meant a lot to our community. When our players saw the rallying of the community, all the donations, the community feel, those guys stopped playing for each other and started playing for this community – playing for everybody that ever played here.”
Despite the enormity of the championship, Jensen and his entire team have shifted the focus to 2013.
As sports fans know all too well, last season is last season, and all that matters now in the present.
Of the nine Bulldog players on last year’s championship who earned first, second or honorable mention All 1A Evergreen league, seven graduated in 2013, leaving only junior Anthony Louthan (first team punter, honorable mention defensive back) and senior Jake Massoth (second team defensive line).
The damage of graduation will specifically hit hard in the offensive back field and line backer positions.
Matthew Jensen, son of head coach Terry, was the league’s offensive MVP at quarterback and a second team all-league linebacker, while the first-team all-league running back duo of Tucker Ibabao and Elliot Mendenhall (both all conference linebackers) are gone as well.
Fortunately for Jensen and the coaching staff, the younger players from last year’s team saw what it takes to compete at the state’s highest level, and have worked hard to begin taking those steps.
“This isn’t a state championship team anymore. (The returning players) were part of that, but we need to move on,” said Jensen, an Aberdeen High School grad who coached at Forks before coming to Montesano. “I think our kids have done a good job so far. They’ve practiced hard and are not thinking they’re held higher than other teams, other players. They know they will have to continue to work at it and will see what happens.”
Right off the bat, the Bulldog’s young roster will be put to the test, traveling to Aberdeen on Friday, September 6, before hosting Cascade Christian the following Friday and traveling to Hoquiam to open league play on Friday, September 20. Jensen knows he will find out a lot about where his team is at early on against Aberdeen, who returns a majority of their 2012 starters, including standout linebacker Joel Dublanko.
“The key for us is how we play against an opponent, and how we implement our game plan,” said Jensen. “We don’t worry as much about what other teams will do, but focus on the way we play. Obviously we know (Aberdeen’s) personnel but it’s up to our guys to do their jobs and react to the situations that are presented.”
Despite the losses to graduation, Jensen is happy with the present state of the program.
“We’re just as fast and strong as we’ve ever been. Our time in the weight room, the number of players, and the speed numbers, those are all very high, really extremely high,” said Jensen. “It’s the lack of game experience that is key. We need to get them up to game speed and see if that transfers to a game time situation.”
There are still a number of experienced Bulldogs who will look to lead the younger generation of players.
Along with Louthan and Massoth, MHS returns 2013 team captains Kenny Roy, who will play tight end and linebacker after a stint on the offensive line last season, and offensive/defensive lineman Evan Bialkowsky.
Also returning are Jacob Sampair, another offensive line transplant who will move to running back this year, and Tristan Darst, who will serve as an offensive all purpose “slash” player after helping lead the Montesano powerlifting team to a state championship this past spring.
Jensen knows how important this core group of players will be.
“You need that leadership, especially when you’re not decided on quarterback,” said Jensen, who will give reps to two quarterbacks during the first two games of the season. “They need to lead by example, play hard and produce on the field.”
Can Montesano get back to the state championship in 2013? It will certainly be a challenge, given the team’s inexperience, and the quality of their schedule and league opponents.
Even if Jensen never reaches that pinnacle again, he will always have 2012, and the opportunity to see his son pass for over 260 yards and two touchdowns in the state championship game.
“Yeah, I mean that was the icing on the cake (Jensen said of sharing the moment with his son). It might even be too corny to make a movie of it,” said Jensen. “It was just really special. I can never replace it, and it will never happen again.”
Coach Jensen is right in that the 2012 Montesano campaign will uniquely fall into history.
The time is now for this next group of Bulldog players to create their own championship memory.
