Clatskanie
Key Losses-Cooper Blodgett QB/DB, Kees Tjaarda, Jake Bruce WR/DB,Bryce Puckett OL/DL
Key returners-J’kari Combs WR/DB,Sam Shockley RB/LB, James Helmen RB/LB,Timber Zea OL/DL,Michell Hopstad OL/DL,Cade Warren OL/DL, Tony Christen OL/DL.Andre Combs QB/DB, Sterling Bruce OL/DL, Cedrix Heath RB.
In 2018 most people that follow 3a sports, or have some knowledge of the game of football, knew Clatskanie was the most talented football teams in all of 3A. They were loaded with talented players on both sides of the ball, but due to some untimely injuries late in the season and in the playoffs, Clatskanie was cut down by Rainier 18-7 in the Quarterfinals.
Clatskanie will return the whole Offensive Line and Defensive Line and return many playmakers from the 2018 team, meaning a quasi “Re-Do” could be the theme of 2019. This season Clatskanie will have a Quarterback that has a better arm and is more accurate, and will really open up the offense and make them multidimensional.
In 2019 we think Clatskanie will contend for the League Title, they will either finish 1st or 2nd and they should go 8-1 or 7-2, more leaning towards the 8-1 record. Clatskanie is a clear top 3 team with the potential to be in the Final Four. There are striking similarities between Clatskanie and Harrisburg from a few years ago, always thought to be at the top, but could never get over the hump.
With any luck, the state is open enough to where it could be the year Clatskanie gets over the hump.
Willamina
Key losses-Austin Watkins WR/CB, Kaleb Reid QB/S,Nick Colton WR/LB, Chance Kalawa, Jackson Schoenbachler OL/TE, Andrew Kennedy OL/LB, David Helon RB/LB.
Key Returners- Ruben Rizo RB/S, Dominik Briant QB/S, Conrad Farmer WR/CB, Daniel Portugal RB/S, Dylan Hendricks QB.
In 2018 Willamina was a talented team stuck in the best league in 3A football. They had talent on the defensive line and they had outstanding athletes at QB,RB, and Wr. The offensive line was decent, but they had no depth past the starting unit. The line would get tired playing both ways and teams would run over them late in games. However, playing in SD1W did keep their RPI high enough that Willamina still received a home playoff game with four losses in the regular season. This spring Willamina lost their head coach but landed a really good hire in Shane Hedrick. This season might not look pretty on the wins and loss column, but in years to come things should be changing for the better.
In 2019 we expect Willamina to take a step back because they only return 2-3 players with varsity experience. This team won’t be the worst in the state, but look for them to finish 3-6 or 4-5 and finish 4th or 5th in the Coastal Range league this season.
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