FORKS — An old trope has turned into a truism: High school football games are won in the weight room. Increased speed, power, agility and injury resistance are all positive outcomes of strength and conditioning training while fostering teamwork, character development and mental toughness.
This offseason, the Forks football team put in the work required to have success. Head coach Trevor Highfield said his squad is far better prepared for this fall — even if the team already has suffered a significant loss.
“Monumentally different,” Highfield said of the tone in offseason sessions. “We had close to 30 kids on average coming to workouts during the summer. They really bought in. They probably didn’t enjoy the outcomes of last season, and they realized they need to be prepared properly.
“I really felt it during the beginning of the offseason with the current junior class. There’s a lot of playmakers in this group, and it was time for them to take the reins of team leadership and they realized it, and I’ve really felt like that group worked to maximize our opportunities this summer.”
Knee shuts down Bubba
Unfortunately for Forks, junior quarterback/defensive back Bubba Hernandez-Stansbury suffered a torn ACL and meniscus injury to his knee on a non-contact cut. The second-team Class 2B Central League West Division two-way pick is likely to miss the football and basketball seasons this year.
“That’s obviously a huge blow to us on both sides of the ball, losing somebody who could be fighting for conference player of the year,” Highfield said. “He’s back at it, putting in the rehab. He was in early this morning.”
Senior Landen Olson will take the reins as the starting QB.
“He’s a big tough kid. It’s his senior year and he’s done a great job as team captain,” Highfield said. “Landen is an excellent leader and we’ve had him running at quarterback since the spring. He’s a competitor in all the sports that he plays (basketball, baseball) and he doesn’t get too up or too down emotionally. He’s a really steady guy.”
Forks won’t change what it considers its bread and butter: a tough running game. The Spartans have options in the backfield.
Highfield’s son Kade is up to 185 pounds and will be the primary running back and was a second-team all-leaguer at outside linebacker last fall.
“Kade will start, but a lot of guys will carry the ball,” Highfield said.
Sophomore Lane Helvy will get some snaps in the backfield and start at free safety.
Sophomore Kingston Steffan will carry the ball and slot in at outside linebacker, and Esteven Ramos also will get the ball and play defensive back.
“We’ve had him running that since spring,” Highfield said. “He’s a competitor in all the sports that he plays. He’s a steady guy.”
Forks lost another all-leaguer in wide receiver Gage Willenbrink, who moved out of town.
Cash Barajas will see some passes at wide receiver, and Highfield said Kaden Ward and Connor Clark will play tight end. Ward was a second-team pick at linebacker last fall.
Rowley out for team
Basketball standout Titus Rowley is out for the team and could see passes his way at wideout. Rowley will start at defensive end.
Linemen include Logan Ramsey at center, Bradley Bennett and Kenny Daman at one guard and tackle spot and Mario Reyes and Carter Coverly on the other side. Daman earned honorable mention honors in all-league voting last fall.
“There’s a lot of potential with these linemen,” Highfield said. “Everybody weighs more than 200 pounds, which we haven’t had since the [2023 state] quarterfinal team. We have a couple of guys that are 6-foot-5.”
Highfield said state runner-up Napavine remains the program everyone is chasing in Class 2B Central League play.
“Until something changes and somebody knocks them off, they are at the pinnacle and doing it every year,” Highfield said. “They represent our league and the tough brand of football you’ll see every week.”
Forks Spartans
• Head coach: Trevor Highfield, sixth season (29-23 record).
• Last Year’s record: 3-7.
• Key Returners: Landen Olson, Sr., WR/DB; Cashtien Barajas, Jr.; WR/DB; Kade Highfield, Jr., RB/LB; Noah Foster, Sr., WR/DB.
• Newcomers: Lane Helvy, Soph., RB/DB; Titus Rowley, Sr., WR/DE.
• Strength: “These guys are coachable,” Highfield said. “With our practices, we say slow is smooth and smooth is fast. We are going slow to make sure everything is smooth, and we can move faster when it’s game time.”
• Areas to improve: Will run-heavy Spartans have enough in the passing game to keep teams honest defensively?
• Outlook: Junior-led squad has shown maturity in taking leadership roles this offseason. If accountability remains high, Spartans should bounce back with a winning season and playoff berth.
• Schedule: Sept. 5, 7 p.m. Sequim; Sept. 13, 7 p.m. at Port Angeles; Sept. 20, 1 p.m. Kittitas; Sept. 27, 7 p.m. at Meridian; Oct. 3, 7 p.m. Ilwaco (league game); Oct. 10, 7 p.m. at Adna; Oct. 17, p.m. Pe Ell-Willapa Valley ; Oct. 24, 7 p.m. at Raymond-South Bend (at South Bend) (league game); Oct. 30, 7 p.m. Napavine.
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at sports@peninsuladaily news.com.
