Viking Football: Two-Time Returning State Champion Lake Stevens Opens Camp; Sept. 6 Opener at Sumner on Horizon
J425 Camp Primer: Printable schedule....Early look at Viking roster…Glance at Lake’s Week 1 & 2…Thoughts from Sumner's Keith Ross...We consider Kolton Matson’s claim to "Greatest Ever" title
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LAKE STEVENS — As far as Head Coach Tom Tri is concerned, the mission is clear: go get that third straight title. During Spring Practices, Tri saw little use in the gamesmanship or motivational devices that some coaches deploy when addressing their team. That kind of stuff would’ve been disingenuous, and Tri definitely isn’t that. Perhaps he just felt that his expectations simply parallel those of a storied Viking senior class that’s knows nothing but state title games, after seeing three straight trips to the season’s final week, the last two of which ended with trophies.
This group is led by reigning Gatorade State Player of the Year, QB Kolton Matson, who is joined by fellow captains – 2x All-Wesco RB Jayshon Limar and All-Wesco TE/LB Keagan Howard, among others.
With this commonly-held goal at the forefront of the team’s to-do list, the two-time returning 4A State Champion Lake Stevens Vikings open camp this Wednesday at Lake Stevens High School.
The Viks will deservedly open the season atop the 4A rankings, and likely atop the new J425 regardless-of-classification State Top Ten, debuting during Week 1.
That said, the back-to-back champs certainly have some questions to answer, particularly on defense, where defensive coordinator Eric Dinwiddie must cope with the loss of ten starters in rebuilding his vaunted defense, which held opponents without a touchdown for the majority of the postseason.
Strengths, in addition to the aforementioned star seniors, include a potentially dominant offensive line group, headlined by sophomore Will Lynch, who started at guard and tackle during the Viks’ title run. The 6’5”, 280-pound rising sophomore is turning heads in the recruiting community after kicking ass as a true frosh.
Experience also reigns at center and guard, where seniors Luke Baird (6’1, 225) and Ashton Kasch (6’4, 265) return as established starters. The tackle spots appear up for grabs, but a bevy of qualified athletes were competing for the role in Spring Ball.
It appeared that rising junior Kenny Buckmiller had laid claim to one tackle role, while seniors Nathan Nippert, Cody Lynch and Ted Kuhrau sparred for another job. Senior Cody Luangrath was out with injury in the Spring but represents another seasoned player ready to step up.
And this doesn’t even include the upcoming freshman class, which features at least two athletes who will likely compete for time.
The Viks, as usual, look strong in the skill positions, where captain Keagan Howard (see video clip above) may well lead the team in receptions and tackles this year, the explosive tight end scored two touchdowns in a playoff game last year and has looked phenomenal on both sides of the ball thus far. Sophomore WR Seth Price has made huge gains after posting a varsity TD as a frosh, and now appears poised for a breakout campaign Rounding out the Viking pass catchers: rising junior Kekoa Okiyama ripped through the JV ranks and was last seen sharing time with Viking legend Trayce Hanks in imitating Graham-Kapowsin’s All State WR corps during scout team work, heading into the title game. That’s good company to keep. Okiyama should have a big year on both sides of the ball. In a nice departure from the norm, Lake has also benefited from a transfer. Senior WR Cannon Kennard comes in from Edmonds-Woodway.
The FSP-product is slippery, fast and has a bunch of varsity touchdowns under his belt. Matson has looked his way quite a bit in the early going. Senior WR Ethan Boileau brings size, skill and experience and is in the frame for a major role as well. Finally, the unprecedented infusion of talent that is the Class of 2028 makes an impact in the skill department for the varsity squad. Rising freshman Max Cook – who posted the fastest 40 on the team this Spring, was up with the varsity during Spring ball and looks set for a role on defense, if not yet on offense. The 6’2” sprinter looks the part of a much older player and has been a key cog in the Class of 2028’s completely undefeated romp through lower level ball. The other rising freshman practicing with the varsity this spring is WR Jayden Hollenbeck, a 6’1” pass catcher who offers an incredibly high ceiling paired with some of the best ball skills in the program. It’s far too early to make any sort of intelligent statement about the defense so we’ll hold off on that for now. Look for daily updates throughout camp, and here’s a draft version of the Viking roster to hold you over until the official copy is released.
Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere: Tom Tri’s Penchant for Challenges Lands the Vikings a Road Opener at a Traditional SPSL Power
“Lake Stevens’ offense is as good as there is in our state. They have a complex, efficient offense with a Gatorade Player of the Year at QB. … It’s one of the top offenses that I’ve ever seen. You need to be ready.” - Sumner Spartans Head Coach Keith Ross.
The Vikings begin their season on Friday, September 6 at Sunset Chev Stadium versus the Sumner Spartans, a traditional South Sound power expected to grace preseason top ten polls. And while the Vikings – thanks to Head Coach Tom Tri’s Fresno State-style scheduling ethos – are used to playing nothing but the best non-league competition, this non-conference opponent thing is new in the SPSL, where previous conference numbers didn’t allow any openings for non-league games. After the WIAA’s statewide realignment added several teams to the 4A SPSL ranks (including 3A runner-up Yelm), the SPSL was split into divisions, and the scheduling demands decreased to the point that Sumner’s head football coach Keith Ross found himself with the entirely new chore of scheduling three non-league games.
According to the Tacoma News-Tribune, Ross thought it’d be a good idea to pick up the phone and call West Linn (OR), the only team to beat Lake Stevens in the regular season the last two years. Sumner heads to the suburbs of Portland Week 3. When considering his opener, TNT says Ross called several teams, looking for a test for his Spartans in the season kickoff.
Several teams turned him down, not eager to open at a team that finished 11th in the final State 4A rankings. Lake Stevens, however, did not turn Ross down, and as a result, again according to TNT, Ross has been pondering the Lake Stevens attack as he camps solo on the Yakima River.
TNT’s Jon Manley writes that, for Ross, “it’s peaceful time, spent grilling meat, swimming, reading and thinking in silence. Much of that time has been spent trying to figure out how he’ll game plan against a methodical Kolton Matson-led Lake Stevens offense in the home opener.”
“Lake Stevens’ offense is as good as there is in our state,” Ross told TNT. “They have a complex, efficient offense with a Gatorade Player of the Year at QB. … It’s one of the top offenses that I’ve ever seen. You need to be ready.”
Sumner will present Lake Stevens with a challenge in front of a rocking home crowd at the iconic Sunset Chev Stadium, one of the best spots to watch high school football in the state. At the recent SPSL Media Day, Sumner players indicated that they expect to throw as many as 50 times a game, in order to keep a skilled stable of pass catchers happy. This includes rising sophomore WR Braylen Pope, a likely-four star recruit who already holds seven high major offers, including scholarships from Florida State, Oregon and UW, among others.
Pope is joined in the route tree by rising senior TE Carter Cocke, a Montana State commit and the 38th rated senior in the state of Washington, per 247 sports. The Spartans transferred in a new signal caller, rising junior QB Nate Donavan, previously of Mount Si. Donavan had a start-and-stop campaign, going 74-for-126 (59%) for less than 100 yards per game, pairing seven touchdowns with nine interceptions and -69 yards rushing.
That said, Donavan is held in high esteem by FSP guru Tracy Ford, who has repeatedly called Donavan the best QB in his class statewide. If so, he’ll definitely be matching up with the best signal caller in the state regardless of class when Viking senior Kolton Matson walks on the field September 6.
Greatest Ever: Just Another Title Within Kolton Matson’s Reach
Viking senior standout Kolton Matson has a shot to inarguably achieve the greatest QB career in the history of Washington State’s top division of prep football. Heading into his senior campaign, the 6’2, 195 pound star has the opportunity to accomplish several feats that have never been done. For instance, no 4A QB has ever started four straight title games… or won three straight title games in a career. Matson enters the season with a shot at both. Further, Matson – who set a Viking record with 49 passing TDs last season – is within shouting distance of numerous Viking career passing records, most of which are held by former five star recruit Jacob Eason. We’ll dive into those specifics at a later date. Speaking of which, we’re talking to people and gathering info for an upcoming feature on Matson, in which we’ll frame his spot in history and take a look at just how this incandescent star remains uncommitted – a situation that is so unbelievable that J425 will not be the first publication to write about it at length – SB Live’s Todd Milles had quite a column on this topic earlier this summer.
Matson’s Career Parallels Brock Purdy’s in Several Regards
One thing J425 has come across in preparing to write on Kolton: comparisons to a certain QB for the San Francisco 49ers, who found himself in a similar spot at the parallel spot in his high school career. Brock Purdy had led his school to its first state title and won Gatorade State Player of the Year (AZ) as a junior. But as Purdy’s senior year began, the standout QB had just two offers from non-power schools. Purdy got offered by Montana State in October of his senior year…then Boise State followed (both of these schools are looking at Kolton). It wasn’t until December after the completion of his senior year that the Big 12 came calling. Iowa State and Matt Campbell identified Purdy as one of the ten best uncommitted QBs in the country and offered the Arizona star. The day after Iowa State offered…Nick Saban was on the phone. And Iowa State had to sweat it out as Purdy visited Tuscaloosa and College Station as SEC power houses Alabama and Texas A&M both offered and heavily recruited Purdy…in January following the completion of his senior campaign. The rest is history. We know that Purdy moved from third string to starter by the second game of his freshman season, then led Iowa State to four years of unparalleled success.
In the aftermath of his career, it’s become apparent to many that the much hyped Matt Campbell, seen as one of the hottest commodities on the college and NFL coaching market, was likely just a function of Brock Purdy: Iowa State has regressed to the mean after their standout signal caller left for the NFL, where he was famously ignored into near-irrelevance, before the Niners grabbed him with the final pick in the draft. After winning the starting job as a rookie, Purdy returned from offseason surgery last year and posted one of the best quarterbacking seasons in the history of the NFL, posting the eighth best passer rating ever (116.9) while throwing for 34 TDs and over 4,400 yards while setting an all-time record for most yards per attempt, besting the previous record holder Aaron Rodgers by almost half a yard.
Viking Schedule Offers Stiff Non-League Tests and Early Fall Homestand That Features Home Games in Five of Six Weeks
In 2022, Oregon Duck star Jayden Limar was riding high after guiding Lake past Bellevue in the iconic “I’m Him!” game. Jayden is depicted above shrugging towards brother Jayshon after his 21-foot front-flip through traffic into the endzone, the following week versus Federal Way. J425 video.
The Vikings’ big stage SPSL opener is followed by an even more high profile contest: the Vikings home opener pits Lake against 3A champion Bellevue, a team that Lake has defeated in two very memorable contests the last two years. In 2022, it was the Jayden Limar “I’m Him!!!” game in front of a sellout home crowd. Last season, Lake overcame a 28-10 halftime deficit and rang Bellevue’s bell on the way out after dispatching the Wolverines 34-31. Bellevue got past then-second-ranked Arlington in the 3A playoffs, on the way to a state crown. Arlington is the newest member of Wesco 4A, and the Vikings close the league season at their new rival November 1.
The Viking schedule sets up in a bit of an odd fashion, as the center of the season is what amounts to a big home stand. The Vikings’ entire regular season home schedule is squeezed into a six week period between September 13 and October 18, during which Lake Stevens is home five out of six weeks.
Senior night falls especially early this year – October 18 in a non-league contest versus Ferndale. Of course, as fans of Viking football know, there are usually quite a few additional home games to come beginning with Week 10. In actuality, Senior Night – which marks the end of the season for most teams, has effectively served as the halfway point for the last three Viking squads.
In 2022 and 2023, Lake added an additional four home playoff home games after the conclusion of the regular season. This year’s 4A State Title game is again set for Husky Stadium, this time on Pearl Harbor Day, Saturday, December 7. See below for a free J425 printable schedule in pdf format.
Key Upcoming Dates:
Wed Aug 21 Viking camp begins.
Fri Aug 23 Football parent meeting.
Sun, Aug 25 Wesco Media Day.
Mon-Thu Aug 26-28 Two-a-days in pads.
Fri Aug 29 Fall Jamboree.
Mon Sept 2 (Labor Day) Week One practice begins.
Wed Sept 4 School starts for tenth graders.
Thu Sept 5 School begins for the rest of high school.
Fri Sept 6 Viking Football Season Opener at Sumner, 7pm.
Fri Sept 13 Viking Home Opener vs Bellevue, 7pm.
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