BY CHASE HUTCHINSON
Updated August 16, 2018 11:43 AM
A layer of smog wasn’t going to dampen the enthusiasm at Enumclaw Stadium on Wednesday.
The Hornets are eager to start the 2018 football season, given what they accomplished last year. Enumclaw recorded its first winning season since 2009 while winning a league title for the first time in 21 years after finishing 8-2.
“We’ve been preaching the last couple years a lot about buy-in and that group last year sure was bought in,” Enumclaw head coach Mark Gunderson said on the first day of fall practice. “It was a lot of fun last year and we’re just looking to build off of that.”
Gunderson even noted there were lessons to be learned in their rare defeats, most notably a 42-7 loss to Skyline in the Class 4A district playoffs.
“We saw firsthand what a top caliber program looks like and the level that they play at. That was good for us to see,” Gunderson said. “The level of play that they were at, that’s obviously where we want to get as a program and we weren’t there.”
Experience and a returning starting quarterback gives the Hornets a lot of optimism for this year.
Senior Kellen Kranc had a breakout year as a junior, earning all-league honors. Gunderson expects Kranc to take another step up while leading the team in 2018.
“Kellen has definitely emerged as even a better leader than he was last year. We relied on him big time down the stretch,” Gunderson said. “He called two game-winning drives on his own last year that we needed to finish where we wanted to be.
“He’s had a great offseason and worked with a lot of different people. We’re just really excited about where he is and where he’s going.”
Kranc said he feels confident in his abilities and the team’s potential to have a successful season. But one thing won’t change: He wants to win.
“The same goals are set for this season. We’re gonna keep pushing to play as a team and have our best season pretty much,” Kra... Click here to read full article
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