HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Neah Bay hoping to bounce back

NEAH BAY — The team from the village at the end of the world finds itself in unfamiliar territory entering the 2016 prep football season.

Every returning player on this year’s NeahBay Red Devils squad experienced something new on the Tacoma Dome turf the day after Thanksgiving last season.

They lost.

Neah Bay’s heartbreaking 26-20 defeat to archrival Lummi in the eight-man Class 1B state semifinals was the Red Devils’ first loss in 35 games, a streak dating back to the 2012 state championship game against Liberty Christian.

It also was the first defeat versus the Blackhawks in 10 games.

“We’ve talked about it. It’s hard because its the first time that those guys have ever lost a football game,” Neah Bay head coach Tony McCaulley said.

“That’s mostly what we’ve talked about — we all have to show up and play and I think we just got overconfident.”

Now the Red Devils must regroup and refocus on another potential run to the Tacoma Dome.

And there’s ample evidence that this season’s squad possesses the talent necessary to earn the program’s fourth state title in six years.

Neah Bay is stacked at the skill positions. No other team on the North Olympic Peninsula has such a deep and talented crop of athletes.

Associated Press All-State running back Cole Svec is back for his senior season after rushing 119 times for 1,337 yards and 24 touchdowns last season.

Svec also is a former AP State Player of the Year (2014), so he’s used to shouldering a heavy load for the Red Devils.

Junior Rwehabura Munyagi Jr. returns at quarterback having tallied an astounding state in 2015: 22 of his 66 pass completions (1/3) went for touchdowns last season.

He hit on 66 of 110 passes for 1,143 yards, 22 touchdowns and 4 interceptions on the season, and also rushed for 379 yards (6.2 yards per carry) and six more scores.

Munyagi also might line up at wide receiver more this season to put his 4.5 second speed in the 40-yard dash to work on the outside.

“He’s an extremely good athlete,” McCaulley said.

“He’s getting bigger and he’s an excellent receiver. We are playing with some things and Rweha actually really likes playing receiver.”

McCaulley wanted to take a closer look at junior Ben Greene at quarterback last season but that plan was derailed by a knee injury suffered in practice.

Greene, the younger brother of former Neah Bay star Josiah Greene, saw time at QB as a freshman.

“Ben’s talented but the problem is he’s had a hard time staying healthy for us,” McCaulley said.

“He’s had three ACL injuries.

“He doesn’t have the running skills like Rweha, but he can spin it.

He’s accurate.

He doesn’t have Josiah’s running skills, but Ben can really throw the ball.”

The team’s primary receiving target last season, senior Cameron Buzzell, averaged 20.8 yards per catch, hauling in 38 passes for 791 yards and 15 TDs.

Buzzell also ran for 184 yards on 11 carries, three for TDs last year.

Another receiving target, senior tight end Kenrick Doherty Jr., caught 15 balls for 190 yards and six TDs.

An experienced group of linemen also return.

“Noah Rascon is back after not playing last year,” McCaulley said.

“He’ll probably be playing center. Daniel Kilmer has been starting on the line for us since he was an eighth grader. Leroy Greene will play right guard for us, he played there last year.”

McCaulley said the offense will continue its quest to achieve the right balance of the run and the pass.

“I don’t know if we are as super powerful as we have been in the past,” McCaulley said.

“But we have speed all over the place. And we have some veteran players who have played some really meaningful games in Cameron, Rweha, Cole, and some other guys. Our core base is real experienced.”

Those players also contribute heavily on the defensive side of the ball.

But with the loss of the team’s top three tacklers to graduation, All-State defensive end Jericho McGimpsey, Roland Gagnon and Michael McGee, the returning core will be tasked with ramping up production this fall.

Buzzell, a ball-hawking cornerback, earned first-team all-state honors in 2015, and Svec was honorable mention all-state at linebacker.

Doherty totaled 42 tackles last season, including 4.5 sacks.

Munyagi added 41 tackles, eight fumble recoveries and two interceptions.

“I think we will play him even more on defense this year at maybe linebacker or even defensive end,” McCaulley said of Munyagi.

McCaulley said linebacker Nate Tyler “dropped some weight and is looking fast.”

“He has a broken hand right now, but he should be back in there early on.”

Senior Chris Tageant also should see plenty of playing time in the defensive backfield for the Red Devils.

Neah Bay also is waiting on some contributors from last season to turnout for the team.

“Our core is pretty good, but we aren’t near as deep as we have been in the past,” McCaulley said.

“We are young on the bottom end of it, really young and small.

“Our starters are solid but if we start getting injuries we could struggle. I’m used to having 30-35 kids, and we probably only have about 20-25 kids right now.”

A smaller roster could be an issue to start the season.

Neah Bay hosts Chimacum for an 11-man game to open the season Friday, Sept. 2 and also will play 11-man games on the new FieldTurf field surface at Forks on Friday, Sept. 23, and against Class 2B Morton-White Pass on Saturday, Sept. 8.

McCaulley said it’s been tough for years to find quality nonconference 8-man games.

“One reason is they are the best games possible for us, competition-wise,” he said.

“I’ve wanted to play Forks for the longest time for the gate [ticket sales]. They bring a lot of people to the games, it’s a great atmosphere to play in because of the support they get, and I’d been trying to get them on the schedule for quite a few years. I hope that continues for awhile.

“And down the road here I think we will be B-11 [Class 2B which plays 11-man football] with how the enrollment is going (Neah Bay is the largest 1B school).

“We have to prepare ourselves for that, and we need to prepare and get those games under our belts.”

Lummi, last season’s state runner-up, will be tough.

“They always are,” McCaulley said. “Lummi, I don’t know that they won’t be better this year. I know they lost Hank [Hoskins] and a couple of their big guys. But with Trazil Lane getting a year older and the Borsey kids [Raven and Free] coming back, I think they are going to be stout.”

McCaulley said the key to the season will be getting strong play from his lines.

“If we can put it together up front there’s no reason we won’t be in the playoffs,” McCaulley said. And after last year’s thing [the loss] we should have a fire under us.”

Neah Bay capsule

•Offense: I-formation

•Defense: 3-3-2

•Contributors: Cole Svec RB/LB; Rwehabura Munyagi Jr. QB/WR/LB/DE; Cameron Buzzell WR/DB; Nate Tyler FB/LB; Noah Rascone OL/DL; Leroy Greene OL/DL; Chris Tageant WR/DB.

•Key newcomers: Eighth-grader Merrick Kanichy impressed McCaulley during summer 7 on 7 passing league games. “He should get some time this year,” McCaulley said.

•Expected team strength: Skill positions are loaded with speed and talent.

•Question mark: Team lost top three leading tacklers on defense. Who will step up and get stops?

•Player they’ll miss the most: Leading tackler defensive end Jericho McGimpsey had 68 tackles and four fumble recoveries last season.

•Game to watch: Neah Bay plays Lummi twice, first in week two at home in a nonconference game, and in its final regular season game on the road in a Northwest Football League game Friday, Oct. 28. The second game will likely decide the league’s top seed to the state playoffs.

________

Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.