By SOPHIE BONOMI
sbonomi@northkitsapherald.com
POULSBO — The 2A North Kitsap Vikings meet the 3A Central Kitsap Cougars on Sept. 9 in Silverdale for the teams’ first meeting in at least six years.
“We haven’t played them since I’ve been coaching,” Jeff Weible, North Kitsap head football coach, said. “It seems funny since we’re just the next town down, but they were 4A for a while and in a different league.
“We’re expecting a hard-fought game on Friday night and [we’re] looking forward to rekindling a good rival relationship with this team. Hopefully, we’ll be coming up on top.”
Both teams go into the game with season — opening wins, and Weible expects a tough game.
“They’re coming off a good win against Olympic and they are good athletes,” he said.
The Cougars opened their fall football season with an away win of 23-7 over Olympic on Sept. 2.
The Vikings finished the last season 8-4 and on Sept. 1 was rated 10th among 2A teams in Washington by The Seattle Times. The Vikings overwhelmed Bainbridge Island 52-7 on Sept. 2.
“Tonight is the last big practice day of the week,” Weible said Sept. 7. “We do our last preps and walk-throughs tomorrow and then the game is Friday at 5.”
Games usually start at 7 p.m., and Weible hopes the early start is not going to affect anything.
“We go out there and play with enthusiasm and passion with the game,” he said. “We feel if we do those things right, the scoreboard will take care of itself.”
Central Kitsap Coach Mark Keel was not available for comment Sept. 7. But in an earlier interview with the Central Kitsap Reporter, he said of his team:
“Last year, I believe, we did what we could with who and what we had. We need to build off the experience we gained last year, learn from our mistakes and have a more successful season.”
The Cougars went 4-3 district, 4-6 overall in 2015.
The team’s improvement will rest largely on the shoulders of some key returning players, including linebacker Roque Blas; running back D’Andre Sincere; defensive backs Tristan Barr, Bradley Dykstra and Alika Sarono; outside linemen Thomas Ingles, Elijah Sousou, Reece Wood; defensive lineman Derrick Lovelace; and quarterback Tyler Tubbs.
“All of these guys will bring much-needed experience to our team,” Keel said.
