Sunlake Seahawks Have Stepped Up Their Game

This summer has been a good one for the football team. The Seahawks got valuable passing game experience in 7 on 7 competition, several starters have emerged, and senior linebacker Nick Morrison is just about rehabbed from his knee injury.

“I feel fine," Morrison said. "Running wise, I feel 100 percent."

The coaches are still holding him out of contact, but it’s mainly as a precaution. However, with the full set of pads on, Morrison couldn’t help but lay out one of the younger receivers on a short crossing route. Morrison is a keystone of the Seahawk defense, and his full recovery will be a huge asset to this year's team.

Meanwhile, the quarterback/receiver development got a jumpstart with the 7 on 7 competition of the summer.

“It helped a lot with reading defenses and throwing against defenders,” said senior quarterback Cameron Stoltz.

“They helped me with getting off of jams," said junior Eddie Burgos. "I lined up against a lot of good corners, and that’s where I feel I need to improve."

Even head coach Bill Browning was pleased with the way Stoltz has progressed over the summer.

“He’s coming along," Browning said. "He played very well in our 11 on 11 team camp. He’s a tough kid. That’s a requirement at Sunlake.”

The picture of the offensive line is a bit more clear now, too. It looks like senior Brandon Franklin will start at right tackle. Next to him, junior Aaron Protch will play guard. Protch got to start the last three games of last season, so he has a little bit of experience.

Leading the way up front will be senior Nate McCoole, a three-year starter. According to offensive line coach Matt Smith, McCoole is super-strong (he benches 450 pounds), has good feet and is a hard worker.

On the left side, senior Brian Walters will line up at guard, next to senior left tackle Canon Clark, a two-year starter. Senior Randy Silverwood and junior Nick Hoffman will sub when needed. 

On defense, some leaders have emerged as well.

Senior Ben Shin is looking like he will be able to hold down the nose tackle spot. Hoffman and senior Paul Scott are looking more like starters on the defensive line at this point.

Senior Jerome Samuels was also recognized by linebackers coach Jim Bragg.

“(Samuels) can bench 315, and he’s got 4.6 speed (in the 40-yard dash),” Bragg said. “These kids worked hard over the summer.”

A few players have emerged in the secondary, including sophomore Ricardo Williams at corner and junior Matt Watson at safety. Browning also mentioned Joe Baptiste as someone who raised his game over the summer.

“We’ve got out whole secondary back, and we’ve found backups,” Browning said.

The Seahawks might just have a shot at the district this season, as long as the pieces keep falling into place.

The rivalry with is as fresh as ever. According to Sunlake's  Rashaud Daniels, the smack-talking .

Eddie Burgos has about heard his fill of it.

“They can say what they want," Burgos said. "We’ll se what the real score is on Oct. 20."

Up next for the Seahawks in a preseason matchup against Fivay on Thursday, Aug. 25. They open the regular season Sept. 2 at home against Hudson.