PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Forks embracing blue-collar mentality

FORKS — Forks head football coach Emil West doesn’t utilize one unifying theme, a slogan or a handful of buzz words you might find coming from the mouth of a motivational speaker to pump up his players.

But specific themes begin to emerge when speaking to West, an Alaskan native and former NCAA Division II offensive lineman, now in his third season as a Spartans coach and second in charge of the program.

Cohesion, confidence and consistency should assist Forks in its run through nonleague and Evergreen League 1A play this fall.

The Spartans, lighter on numbers than last year’s district playoff qualifying squad after hefty graduation losses, return numerous experienced varsity players.

This includes an offensive line boasting four returning starters, all of whom saw extensive action as underclassmen the past few seasons.

Coaches and players believe that unit, made up of left tackle Luke Dahlgren, left guard Shane Queen, center Corbin Baker, right guard Eden Cisneros and Iziah Morton at right tackle, will be the team’s biggest strength.

“That group has been with me since they were freshmen,” West said.

“They are going to be a pretty good group for us and make a name for themselves. They’ve got the offense down, the blocking schemes down, we can do more formations and they’ve gotten bigger, stronger and faster.”

Senior captain Cole Baysinger agrees.

“Our o-line for sure,” he said when asked what would be the team’s best asset. “They are seasoned because they started varsity as freshman and are juniors now. Our running game will be huge for us. We don’t have as many backs as last year, but we have talent back there. [Tristen] Pisani will get a lot of carries. I got moved back there to tailback and Colby Demorest should get some carries.”

West said his tight end group also will help the team carry the load.

“And add Brett Moody at tight end,” he said. “He’s a phenomenal athlete, the type of kid you want at tight end. He can be part of both worlds. He can block really well and run great routes. So he’ll be part of setting up our play-action and a big part of blocking for our run game.”

Reece Blattner also will see time at tight end, so Forks will offer up a number of looks offensively.

“We like to mix up our formations, so with those two we can mix in some double tight end packages. And both of those guys will see some time at fullback.”

Junior quarterback Gabriel Reaume returns for his second season as a signal caller.

He’ll be handing off to Pisani and Baysinger in the backfield.

“Tristen was really our guy at running back last year,” West said. “I know Jack [Dahlgren] got the ball a lot toward the end, but Pisani was our most consistent runner.

“Tristen will probably get more touches at tailback, but he’ll also be playing fullback. Tristen will be in the backfield most plays unless he’s just dead [tired]. He won’t leave. He can block really well, and he’s really nice with the ball in his hands.”

Baysinger, who has previously started at quarterback and wide receiver, is adding to his resume with another position swap.

“Cole can do it all, too,” West said. “The big thing for me as the offensive coordinator is how can we get the ball in his hands more often because we want the ball in his hands as much as possible. And the easiest way to do that is to hand the ball off to him. So we are going to do some of that. And he’s going to play some wide receiver, there’s going to be some Wildcat stuff coming along. He’s one of the fastest players in the state, so whatever I can do to get the ball in his hands and tailback makes the most sense.”

Sophomore Gabriel Terrones and freshman Tony Flores will be in the mix at wide receiver and defensive back as well as Baysinger.

Terrones started as a freshman last season, and West has a high opinion of Flores.

“He’s one of the best athletes I’ve seen at that age,” West said. “He’ll probably end up starting both ways. He catches everything, great closing distance when he goes to make a tackle. He really made a name for himself at team camp, and he’s got great speed, so good luck trying to catch him.”

Baysinger also has seen some promising signs from Flores.

“He is going to be huge for us on the defensive side of the ball,” Baysinger said. “He can lay the wood to some people.”

Pisani and Cisneros lead a host of linebacker candidates, and the offensive linemen will rotate through on defense to try and stay fresh.

Forks players are confident that they will be able to outwork and outlast the opposition, a belief system instilled by West’s insistence on grueling conditioning drills.

During the two-a-day portion of preseason practices, Forks junior lineman Dahlgren said the team doesn’t even touch a football during their first practice of the day, a two-hour session. Then there’s more running for the afternoon practice before the football drills begin.

“We are going to be in shape. We are conditioned to hit and continue to play when other teams can’t and get tired,” Dahlgren said.

Dahlgren and West believe the Spartans will be in the playoff hunt again this season.

“We aren’t the only school in the league to have lost a lot of seniors,” he said. “So the league maybe is not quite as skilled as it was last year, so I think we should be in it.”

Forks will need to play its smashmouth, ball-control offense and tough defense to do so.

“We need to play our version of football,” Dahlgren said. “We can’t get down if we give up a touchdown or a big play. We can’t start chipping at each other; that’s hurt us the last few years.

“We have to finish out our games, too. We were up at halftime against Hoquiam and didn’t come to play in the second half, we were up against King’s Way and didn’t finish it out, we were up on Neah Bay and let it get to overtime and didn’t finish. So coach West has talked to us about that.”

Baysinger said he wants opponents to remember Forks when they head home.

“That the bus ride home is going to suck and they need some ice for the ride,” he said. “That’s one thing we like out here in Forks, win or lose, we like to let teams know that they have played Forks and they are going to be feeling it for a few days.”

West said that attitude fuels his belief that he was right in restoring the team’s tough style of play.

“The big [lesson I learned] is that I was right all along,” West said. “I knew that this group of kids could make the playoffs and compete with teams like Hoquiam and [Montesano]. The coaching staff and I were right all along that they can compete, they deserve it and there’s enough talent in this town that they can get to the playoffs and go deep. So we have to keep doing what we are doing and do even more.”

Forks Capsule

• Last Year: 4-5 overall, 2-2 in Evergreen League 1A. Lost in district playoffs to La Center.

• Offense: I-Formation, Double Tight, One-back.

• Defense: 4-4-3 base.

• Contributors: Cole Baysinger RB/WR/DB; Tristen Pisani RB/LB; Luke Dahlgren OL/DL; Eden Cisneros OL/LB; Bretty Moody TE/DE; Gabriel Reaume QB/DB; Iziah Morton OL/DL; Shane Queen OL/DL

• Key Newcomers: WR/DB Tony Flores will get ample playing time as a freshman.

• Expected team strength: Four of five starters return on offensive line, a group that has vast varsity-level experience.

• Question mark: All-around depth. Forks is thin on numbers and has a small senior class. Injuries to key players could sink the Spartans.

• Game to watch: After opening with two nonleague road games, the Spartans will return for three straight home games capped by their Evergreen League opener against powerhouse Montesano. An upset win in that game and Forks could be off to the races.