POULSBO — The road to the 2A State Football Championship travels through Poulsbo.
The Vikings (5-1, 8-3) defeated SPSL champ River Ridge (7-0, 10-1) in the first round 17-6, Nov. 14 in Lacey. The Vikings now face Cascade Conference champions Archbishop Murphy (7-0, 11-0) at 7 p.m. Nov. 21 at North Kitsap Stadium.
“[Archbishop Murphy] tends to run strong athletic programs, but there’s always been a winning culture at North, especially in the Olympic League,” North Kitsap athletic director Matt Stanford said. “This year’s senior class gets to leave a legacy and hopefully that will create more of a tradition, as opposed to an oddity, to establish our winning culture of state tournaments.”
A win would catapult the Vikings to the semifinal against Tumwater or Squalicum next weekend.
According to longtime referee Virg Taylor, the last time North Kitsap competed in the semifinals was in 1996. Almost 20 years later, the pressure is on to take it even further.
“Anytime you get down to that last eight in state, you gotta feel pretty happy with what you’ve accomplished,” Stanford said. “This is a unique opportunity to host a game that determines who plays at the Tacoma Dome.”
Kickoff for the championship game — the Gridiron Classic —- is 10 a.m. Dec. 5 in the Tacoma Dome.“
Are you ready for the big game?” the Herald asked assistant coach Dave Snyder at practice on a stormy Nov. 17? “Not at all, but it’s early in the week. We will be,” he said.
“We’re feeling really good, the kids are beat up, but if you’re not beat up by now you’re probably not playing too hard,” said North Kitsap head football coach, Jeff Weible. “At this point, we’ve got nothing to lose. The kids gave everything they have. We talk about the man in the mirror and if you’re happy with his work ethic, then you’re probably doing just fine.”
Weible said preparing for an intense game is all about the prep.“We talk a lot about mental prep and knowing what the other team does. There’s a lot of work going through and slowing things down, but we’ve got a better mentality everyday.”
Leading up to the big game, coaches broke down footage for the team to watch. “They have spent countless hours preparing, they watched 40-50 hours of footage from Riverside, and they’ll do the same this week.”
Weible said North played Archbishop Murphy two seasons ago, but because Murphy is a private Catholic high school in Snohomish, they are able to take athletes from all surrounding areas. “They have the cream of the crop,” he said. “I don’t think we have the team speed they have, but we have the will to win, and the team is really tight. Our defense plays with reckless abandon, and we’re learning how to read [Archbishop’s] keys, so we can be in position to make the plays.”
Weible added, “Like Coach Snyder said, we have to be focused and better technique-wise. If you prepare and are willing to sacrifice and be selfless, then you will be rewarded.” As for North’s chances in the quarterfinal, Stanford said, “I think whoever’s able to execute, hopefully our guys have an advantage on their own field.”
Weible is relying on tough practices — and a little superstition. “On game day, I wash my hair the same, I shave — I only shave on game days — I eat the same breakfast (McDonald’s Sausage McMuffin, breakfast burrito, and a medium orange juice).”
Weible said although he was partial to Jack In the Box’s loaded breakfast sandwich, he ate McDonald’s against Fife; North won 49-7. “I’m sticking with that,” he said. Weible added, “I put my left shoe on first and I pray during the National Anthem.”
Stanford said a pep rally is planned the day before game day, and a tailgate party for students will start at 5 p.m. before the game. “The pep band will be there too,” he said. “We hope for a lot for community support at this one.” And if all else fails, try putting your left shoe on first.
Weible said, “The last thing we tell our guys before we head out there is: compete. Your enthusiasm and effort are the things you can control. Every play is a battle, and if you win the battle, you win the war. If we can do these things, then the winning takes care of itself.”
