Mercer Island coach Brett Ogata remembers the last time the Bellevue Wolverines lost a KingCo 3A league game.
He was there on Aug. 31, 2007, roaming the sidelines as quarterbacks coach for the then-3A Skyline Spartans in a 6-0 victory over the Wolverines. Skyline quarterback Jake Heaps threw a 60-yard touchdown pass to Gino Simone for the game’s only score to defeat the reigning 3A champion Wolverines in the season opener at Bellevue.
The Spartan victory snapped a 14-game Bellevue winning streak. Skyline went on to win the KingCo 3A league title and then the 3A state title over O’Dea 42-35.
Since then, Bellevue reclaimed and held firm its place atop the KingCo 3A standings. But this fall, so long as recent sanctions handed down from KingCo to the beleaguered football program stand, KingCo 3A will see a new champion for the first time since the 2007-08 season.
The details surrounding Bellevue pose a seismic shift in how the narrative will unfold for the 2016 campaign. But the changes don’t end there. KingCo 3A will also see a shakeup of the teams that make up its stable. Redmond High will move into the 3A class, while 2A football programs Liberty and Sammamish will move out of the KingCo 2A/3A division.
Factoring Bellevue’s proposed inability to compete in the postseason, the 2016 season could pose a five-team race for three playoff spots between Mercer Island, Juanita, Lake Washington, Interlake and Redmond.
Returning starting linebacker Will Krause said he tries to ignore the news coming out of Bellevue when it comes to preparing for next season. But the potential for opportunity is hard to dismiss.
“It’s definitely given us more motivation,” Krause acknowledged. “But I don’t think it’s going to affect a lot of what we do.”
However the process plays out with Bellevue, Ogata isn’t getting ahead of himself. After suffering a rash of injuries in 2015, the Mercer Island coach hopes his team can stay healthy enough to compete for the postseason, which the Islanders have missed the past two years.
Injuries combined with lower-than-usual turnout numbers among sophomores and juniors bespelled trouble for the Islanders.
“We had more injuries than I’ve ever had in my entire coaching career,” he said, noting he had to cancel the 2015 JV season due to injury call-ups. “Ultimately by the end of the year, we were really a JV team with some seniors mixed in.”
The silver lining to suffering so many injuries was that a lot of younger players saw action and got in their varsity reps. Each member of Mercer Island’s returning offensive line saw starting time in 2015.
Though quarterback was a revolving door of five different players last season, projected 2016 starter Nikhil Nayar saw starter minutes as a sophomore. Nayar split duty as signal-caller with Blake Swanson before both saw their respective seasons cut short to injury. Swanson will move from quarterback to wide receiver.
“What Nikhil’s doing right now, he’s looking really good,” Ogata said. “He could potentially be a big-time player for us.”
Also returning is running back Jordano Mark, who capped his junior season in record-breaking fashion. Mark’s nine receptions for 230 yards against Nathan Hale in week 10 broke the school record for most receiving yards in a game. Jason Marr set the previous record in 1992 with 212 yards against Inglemoor.
Mark was a workhorse for the Islanders last season and saw his role elevate with the team amidst the injuries.
“Having a lot of players injured, people have to step up. As a leader on this team, it was kind of my responsibility,” Mark said. “Last year, we had a lot of potential to be great, it’s just the injuries slowed us down.”
Similar to last season, overall depth is the biggest question mark facing the team. Ogata said he’s seen turnout go from over 100 kids a year to around 85 the last few seasons, which he acknowledged may be due to safety concerns from parents.
“The dilemma every year is our depth,” Ogata said. “You add 15 kids every year to our depth, I guarantee you we’re a lot better football team.”
Ogata called 2015 the toughest year he’s ever had as a football coach. That being said, he believes his players are hungry for a return to the postseason.
“We’re competing every year for that spot,” he said. “I think this year, we’re gonna be right there again.”
2015 season: Mercer Island (3-7, 2-4 in league) tied for fourth place in KingCo 2A/3A standings.
All-KingCo losses: First team defense — Jonny Osman, LB; Honorable mention offense — Griffin Kane, WR; Eric Kim, WR; Honorable mention defense — Jackson Caputo, LB
All-KingCo returners: Second team offense — Jordano Mark, RB; Jaeden Pritchard, OG; Second team defense — Andy Bliss, DE; Honorable mention defense — Will Krause, LB
Mercer Island 2016 schedule (all Friday games at 7 p.m.):
9/2 vs. West Valley (Yakima)
9/9 at Liberty
9/17 at Eisenhower (kickoff 2:30 p.m.)
9/23 vs. Kingston
9/30 vs. Interlake
10/7 at Redmond
10/14 at Bellevue
10/21 vs. Lake Washington
10/28 at Juanita
