TACOMA — Neah Bay is the last football team standing on the North Olympic Peninsula.
The Red Devils, 11-2, will end their outstanding season today at least as the second-best team in Class 1B.
But second-best isn’t their goal as they play undefeated and top-ranked Almira Coulee Hartline (13-0) for the state championship in the Gridiron Classic at the Tacoma Dome starting at 4 p.m. today.
The Red Devils are ready to go, coach Tony McCaulley said Thursday afternoon just a couple of hours before Neah Bay’s final practice of the year.
“We have had some really good practices this week,” he said. “The kids have been really focused this week.
“[Thursday night] we will be going over special-teams play.”
The Red Devils are just as focused as they were the week they practiced for the then-No. 1-ranked Lummi Blackhawks in the quarterfinals, McCaulley said.
In that game, Neah Bay rolled over powerhouse Lummi 58-40, and that was after the Blackhawks opened with a 20-0 lead and were within five yards of making it a four-touchdown advantage in the first quarter.
But a forced fumble, a Neah Bay recovery and a long touchdown run two plays later and the Red Devils were back in the game.
McCaulley doesn’t want to go through that again, though.
“We don’t want to do that again,” he said.
The coach said he isn’t afraid that the state championship atmosphere will give his mostly young team the jitters.
“We have played there [Tacoma Dome] twice in the past two years in the semifinals,” McCaulley said.
“The kids are used to playing there.”
The artificial turf shouldn’t give an advantage to either team, McCaulley added.
“The turf will be good for us and it will be good for [Almira]. I think we match them pretty good for team speed.
“They have one guy that might be a little faster than us.”
That’s standout senior quarterback Derek Isaak, who looks extremely quick on film, McCaulley said.
“I haven’t seen him in person, so I don’t know if he is as fast as he looks on film.”
On the other hand, Neah Bay’s top playmakers, Josiah Greene and Titus Pascua, aren’t slowpokes.
“They are pretty fast,” McCaulley said.
The game, though, won’t be decided on speed, according to the coach.
“It will come down to toughness,” he said.
“I think if we can go out there and have a physical game, we will be just fine.”
