Last night as I was walking into the Sounders 1-0 win over FC Dallas in the US Open Cup Semifinal, I recieved a return email from Union High School head coach Cale Piland. I sent him an attachment with a few questions, he responded to every question I asked...
WHSF: What, if any, things do you take from last seasons loss to Bothell that you feel could help you in this seasons game?
CP: Just the experience itself. Traveling is always a challenge. Having been to Pop Keeney will provide our kids with a level of familiarity.
WHSF: Can you give me 2-3 things you feel will be necessary to beating Bothell this time around?
CP:We will need to run the ball and be able to limit their running game. Additionally, we must win the turnover battle.
WHSF:WR Trent Sewell of Bothell appears to be ready for a big season, what do you do to stop a player of his ability?
CP:Try to limit his touches as much as possible.
WHSF:If a Bothell fan were reading this blog, who are 3 players they should watch for and why?
CP:Brandon Brody-Heim will be our primary back. Kaben Humphrey-Butler is our QB and already has been offered a full scholarship by Portland St. Tanner Nelson returns as a member of an experienced secondary.
WHSF: What would you say offensively is your strength this season?
CP:Ideally, we will have a balanced attack.
WHSF:What would you say defensively is your strength this season?
CP:Our secondary possesses a lot of experience.
WHSF:Your team is 31-6 in its first three years of play, what do you attribute to your early success?
CP:We’ve had a number of great players who were willing to work and do what is necessary to be successful.
WHSFWhat is it gonna take to get back to the Tacoma Dome this season?
CP: We need to stay healthy and continue to improve each week.
Best of luck this season coach, I hope to see you guys in the Tacoma Dome at the end of the season.
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A little more about Union:
The Titans return some very skilled players on both sides of the ball. The obvious is Brandon Brody-Heim a Senior at RB/LB, Tanner Nelson a Senior WR/DB and Gabe Rego another Senior WR/DB. The best player on the field Friday night at Pop Kenney might be Senior QB Kaben Humphrey-Butler. He is considered a "Dual Threat" QB, which is usually a nice way of saying he runs but doesn't have great accuracy, but Humphrey-Butler has that accuracy. Video I have posted below has some great clips of Humphrey-Butler in action.
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I tried contacting Bothell in hopes of getting a preview from them as well, but have yet to get a response. If I do get one it will be posted tomorrow.
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I would like to thank Coach Piland for taking a few minutes to answer the questions I had. He was a class act when I played for him and appears to have not changed one bit. I hope to catch up again with him come playoff time, his team should be there.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Sent out some emails...
One of the first things I did when I decided to start this blog was put together a list of some of the top teams in the state. My main reason for doing that is because I would eventually want to email the coaches to see if I could possibly get a brief phone interview. I understand that being unestablished it would be tough for me to get many interviews so I set my sights on coaches that I know. The first email I sent out was to Union (Vancouver) High School Head Coach Cale Piland whom I played for while he was at Juanita in 2001. I enjoyed playing for him and hope to hear back from Coach Piland very soon as his Union Titans have a BIG game this friday when they travel to Pop Keeney Stadium to take on the Bothell Cougars. This game is a rematch of the preliminary round of last years playoffs where the Cougars won 42-21 in a game also played at Pop Keeney. The following week Union will also make a trip to Enumclaw to take on the Hornets. I can't imagine another big school in the state that will do as much traveling as Union in the first two weeks. I hope to have something from Coach Piland up very soon.
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This year the state of Washington may have the best crop of Offensive Lineman they have ever had. Mason Kelley of the Seattle Times did a great article about a few of the players, you can find that article by clicking This Link.
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Craig Cracker of the Tri City Herald has a good read about the Pasco Bulldogs. The Herald is doing a 7 part series about individual players from teams before they do the big high school football preview, this is worth a read and can be found Right Here.
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The Emerald City Kickoff is just barely over three days away. It seems as though every year there is a team from out of state that gets a chance to play at the home of the Seahawks. This year the Coeur d'Alene Vikings make the trip across the state to take on the Moses Lake Chiefs. The Vikings are the defending 5A State Champions from Idaho and are already 1-0 on the season after a 37-24 win over Rocky Mountain. A few Couer d'Alene players put up some really impressive numbers in that game. I will go into more detail in the next few days.
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This year the state of Washington may have the best crop of Offensive Lineman they have ever had. Mason Kelley of the Seattle Times did a great article about a few of the players, you can find that article by clicking This Link.
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Craig Cracker of the Tri City Herald has a good read about the Pasco Bulldogs. The Herald is doing a 7 part series about individual players from teams before they do the big high school football preview, this is worth a read and can be found Right Here.
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The Emerald City Kickoff is just barely over three days away. It seems as though every year there is a team from out of state that gets a chance to play at the home of the Seahawks. This year the Coeur d'Alene Vikings make the trip across the state to take on the Moses Lake Chiefs. The Vikings are the defending 5A State Champions from Idaho and are already 1-0 on the season after a 37-24 win over Rocky Mountain. A few Couer d'Alene players put up some really impressive numbers in that game. I will go into more detail in the next few days.
Monday, August 29, 2011
First post...
Hello High School Football Fans,
My name is Ryland Spencer and I am a High School Footballaholic. Growing up as a child my father took me to Juanita High School Football games and I would eventually attend and graduate from the school in 2002. I will never tell anyone that I do not have special place in my heart for that school and it will most likely come out on occasions when talking about the Rebels. I am also in the process of visiting every high stadium in our beautiful state. Here is a link to my page where I am documenting my travels Washington State High School Football Stadiums. On that page you will see some schools that I was unable to get into. If you know anyone that can help me get into a stadium, without attending a game, please send them my way as any help is very much appreciated.
My goal for this blog is to bring as much information as possible from around the state to one place. I love the lower levels of football as much as the big schools and hope to be able to give them equal exposure. I believe the big schools like Bellevue and Skyline deserve as much exposure as the small schools like South Bend and Winlock. Next saturday I will be attending the Emerald City Kickoff and plan on blogging as the day goes along. Here is a link to the schedule for the Emerald City Kickoff. No real big name schools this year but it should still be a great day of football. Coeur d'Alene High School from Idaho makes the trip over to play a good Moses Lake squad in the 5:30 game. After that Mercer Island will take on Seattle Prep, Islanders QB Jeff Lindquist has already committed to the University Of Washington and I am sure he will put on a show. I saw Lindquist play last season at Juanita and came away very impressed. UW is getting a big time QB.
Thank you for reading. If you enjoy this blog please pass a link along to your friends. I look forward to reading any comments.
My name is Ryland Spencer and I am a High School Footballaholic. Growing up as a child my father took me to Juanita High School Football games and I would eventually attend and graduate from the school in 2002. I will never tell anyone that I do not have special place in my heart for that school and it will most likely come out on occasions when talking about the Rebels. I am also in the process of visiting every high stadium in our beautiful state. Here is a link to my page where I am documenting my travels Washington State High School Football Stadiums. On that page you will see some schools that I was unable to get into. If you know anyone that can help me get into a stadium, without attending a game, please send them my way as any help is very much appreciated.
My goal for this blog is to bring as much information as possible from around the state to one place. I love the lower levels of football as much as the big schools and hope to be able to give them equal exposure. I believe the big schools like Bellevue and Skyline deserve as much exposure as the small schools like South Bend and Winlock. Next saturday I will be attending the Emerald City Kickoff and plan on blogging as the day goes along. Here is a link to the schedule for the Emerald City Kickoff. No real big name schools this year but it should still be a great day of football. Coeur d'Alene High School from Idaho makes the trip over to play a good Moses Lake squad in the 5:30 game. After that Mercer Island will take on Seattle Prep, Islanders QB Jeff Lindquist has already committed to the University Of Washington and I am sure he will put on a show. I saw Lindquist play last season at Juanita and came away very impressed. UW is getting a big time QB.
Thank you for reading. If you enjoy this blog please pass a link along to your friends. I look forward to reading any comments.
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