A return to normalcy for high school football

Justin Johnson | Sep 01, 20220

Justin Johnson / File photo count

Shelton High School players celebrate after winning the spring 2021 Mason County Cup against North Mason. The Highclimbers won the game 45-6 and lead the series 5-4.

After two seasons filled with disruptions due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year's version of Friday Night Lights feels like a return to normalcy.

Perhaps that's tempting fate, but, for now, Mason County's three high school football teams are heading into this week's season openers with a full, structured offseason for the first time since 2019.

Amid the height of the pandemic in 2020, the fall football season was postponed until spring 2021 when, after a rapid week of practice, teams embarked on a truncated seven-week season in late February and March.

With the end of that school year's athletic calendar dragging into early June, it left a short window for offseason training.

While Shelton ultimately escaped much of its 2021 without major COVID impacts, North Mason wasn't nearly as fortunate.

The Bulldogs' first three games of the year, including that season's iteration of the Mason County Cup rivalry, were canceled because of outbreaks on the team.

North Mason opened its season with a rout of Kingston on Sept. 25, but another outbreak the following week canceled its week 5 game against Port Angeles and the Bulldogs never recovered.

Out in Matlock, Mary M. Knight was flying high with just two losses, but saw its season abruptly end the day of its scheduled playoff semifinal after an outbreak hit the team.

As the new season begins Friday with 10th annual Mason County Cup between the Highclimbers and Bulldogs, all three county squads are confident and well-prepared for the new season.

And with good reason.

Shelton narrowly missed a regional crossover game last season after coming up heart-breakingly short following a two-point road loss to Aberdeen on the final day of the season. The loss forced the Climbers into a three-team tiebreaker that ended with Rochester stealing away the final postseason berth on a two-point conversion.

Still, the Climbers return key playmakers and an added emphasis on special-team play that could make coach Mark Smith's third year the breakthrough season.

Up in Belfair, longtime assistant coach Rob Thomas takes over the top spot. The Bulldogs went just 1-5 last season, but Thomas and his players feel like getting a full deck of training and games will make a big impact, especially late in games where conditioning and stamina is critical to closing out opponents.

Out in Matlock, Owls' coach Tom Kerr's program is 7-3 over the past two seasons, but returns the least amount of experience heading into their Sept. 10 opener against Clallam Bay. Despite the lack of playing time, MMK has a proven history of being able to win games and this season should be no exception.

Let's go Mason County.