Willapa Valley Jon Nissell

 
EDWALL, Washington - Bsports.org Pacific League Preview & Projection

2007 Finish Overall League
1. Naselle 9-3 6-1
2. South Bend 9-3 6-1
3. Willapa Valley 8-3 6-1
4. Ocosta 5-5 3-4
5. Tacoma Baptist 5-5 4-3
6. Raymond 2-8 2-5
7. Northwest Christian 1-8 1-6
8. North Beach 1-9 0-7

2008 Predicted Finish
1. Naselle
2. Willapa Valley
3. South Bend
4. North Beach
5. Ocosta
6. Northwest Christian
7. Raymond


2008 Pacific League Playoff Contenders


Could this be the year that somebody in the Pacific keeps Willapa Valley from winning the league title, or at least a portion of it? That could be the Naselle Comets who are geared up to win the Pacific league coming off a great season in 2007 that saw the Comets win a state playoff game for the first time in 21 years. The Comets have a big turnout this year on the football field, which should help add some depth. Junior Austin Burkhalter will move from wide receiver to quarterback to take over for graduating brother Kyle. Burkhalter will be a duel threat QB to either run or pass. All- League running back Tony Fletcher will miss the first two weeks of the football season due to academic reasons. This should not hurt the Comets long term, but will surely change things with his absence. Nick Hines will have the opportunity to step up and contribute on the ground for the absent Fletcher. Senior All-League and All-State candidate Mike Shirley will anchor both the offensive and defensive lines, which will average around 240lbs across the board. Junior Alan Erickson will anchor a linebacker crew that should cause a lot of trouble in the opponents run game.

The Willapa Valley Vikings come into the 2008 season with a young experienced team. Many of the returners got to see a lot of action in 2007, a team that finished Co-League Champions. The Vikings will have 6 homes games this season a change from a year ago from two homes games due to the construction of a new high school. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if Willapa Valley won the league. One asset the Vikings have is an experienced offensive and defensive line. Junior Jon Nissell returns at the tailback position where he led the team in rushing last season. Sophomore Matt Friese will line up under center and become the full-time Viking signal caller. Friese is one of the kids that works their tail off, so don’t be surprised to see the Vikings running on all cylinders by season end. Jake Gerow and JJ Carney will anchor the defense at the linebacker position. The defensive backfield could be a weakness the Vikings work to improve on throughout the season.

South Bend Indians come into the 2008 season after a great 2007 campaign to the state playoffs. The Indians graduated some exceptional talent, but return a core of young players that have played together for many years. Sophomore David Lorton takes over at the QB position and will have some big shoes to fill running the veer for the departing Randy Eang. Junior running back Zach Boyes will have to shoulder much of the Indians ground game along with Shaquille Acrey. Most of the Indians offensive and defensive lines will be sophomores. The Indians entire defense only consists of one senior as a starter. South Bend is a young team that will improve over the course of the season, and challenge the top teams in the league. The Indians are a team that will gain a ton of experience this season, and watch out for the next two years South Bend is going to be tough.


North Beach comes into this season with a new outlook and a new coach. Hugh Wyatt succeeds Vik Reykdal who resigned last spring. Wyatt, the former coach at Hudson Bay in Vancouver has been working the past few years offering clinics, and videos all across the nation on the double wing offense. One beneficiary of Coach Wyatt’s double wing will be Jamaal Lind, the best running back in the Pacific League and one of the best in the state. Combine that with big size on the North Beach line, around 240lbs average, the Hyaks will be the surprise team looking to turn around a 1-9 season of a year ago. Pending league allocations this could be a league that only gets two births to the state playoffs.