Almira/Coulee-Hartline looks to return to state championship

COULEE CITY - Almira/Coulee-Hartline has built a reputation as a source of pride in its three communities by being a perennial state title contender out of the 1B Bi-County Northeast Conference each year.

Head Coach Brandon Walsh has developed a speed and execution scheme around the 8-man game in recent years, anchored by a state championship in 2007 and top three finishes in 2010 and 2011.

There were high hopes surrounding the Warriors 2012 campaign, lead by a veteran senior class featuring wide receiver Mike Evans and quarterback Drew Isaak before the ACH charge was slowed by two losses late in the season to Cusick and LaCrosse-Washtucna.

The team was 8-1 heading into the Cusick game, where they fell 70-6 and subsequently lost to Washtucna by a score of 52-36.

Despite the significant point totals allowed by the Warriors defense, Coach Walsh is confident that this year's team can overcome last year's vices with persistence and perseverance from the 2013 group who is committed to the formula that has brought so much success to ACH in recent years.

"We haven't made any changes in our scheme to stay in games or keep them close. We believe in what we do and the goal is always to teach fundamentals so the kids have a chance to compete in every game they play in. Last year we just ran up against a couple of teams better than us and the games got out of hand in terms of the scores," Walsh said.

Although the makeup of this year's squad will be vastly different from a year ago the Warriors' philosophy won't meander from what has worked for them since making the move back to playing 8-man football in 2005, which is clearly a better fit for ACH and their style of play.

"Because we graduated 10 seniors last year we are pretty inexperienced this year. We haven't changed much in terms of scheme as much as we've pared it down to some degree. We are keeping it simple for the time being until players get more comfortable in their roles." Walsh said.

With that type of turnover maintaining consistency from the coaching staff down will be a key element to the success of Almira-Coulee-Hartline in 2013.

These types of transitional years are often difficult for any team at any level, but Walsh is no stranger to rebuilding a team, as he has done so with success during his 15-year tenure as head coach at ACH. The Warriors will have the luxury of four returning seniors and a group of players stepping into new roles who know the system to combat the high level of turnover in personnel.

"Sophomore quarterback Dallas Isaak and junior running back Johnathan Hughes have stepped up and taken on leadership roles on the offensive side of the ball, while Senior linebacker Boyd Knopp and senior defensive end Cory Boutain will provide veteran presence for the defense," Walsh said.

As has been the case in recent years for ACH, what they lack in size they will look to make up for with speed.

Isaak and Hughes bring even more quickness and scoring ability to an offense that averaged just over 45 points a game in conference.

Boutain will provide unique speed as a defensive end and wide receiver, playing both sides of the ball. This skill set is seemingly the perfect fit for ACH exemplifying toughness and speed.

His quickness makes him a quarterback's nightmare coming off the edge, applying pressure and rushing the decision making of opposing offenses; while his toughness will allow him to run for yards after the catch and lay blocks on outside linebackers and ends to spring Warrior running backs to the outside for big gains.

The Warriors will rely on the likes of Isaak, Hughes, Knopp, and Boutain among other returning players to step into new roles seamlessly with focus on execution and technique to build upon last year's 8-3 record.

"The teams to beat this year are our two main rivals, Odessa-Harrington and Wilbur-Creston," Walsh said.

Although ACH defeated Wilbur-Creston by 40 points and Odessa-Harrington by 20 points, the Warriors know anything can happen in a rivalry game and these two teams have had 12 months to think about those blemishes on their 2012 record. In that same vein the Warriors are looking to avenge their 46-0 loss to Liberty-Christian, who went on to win the state 1b Championship, and were the only team to shut out ACH in 2012.

The bad news for the boys from ACH is that they will have to win two of those three big games in front of opposing fans, as both Liberty-Christian and Odessa-Harrington are road games for the Warriors in 2013.

"Our schedule is a tricky one this year. We only play three games at home this year. We aren't sure how this is going to affect our young team," Walsh said.

It won't be long before Walsh gets the chance to see how his young team responds as the Warriors play four of their first six games on the road.

The team opens the season Friday at home against Columbia-Inchelium, who they beat by six scores last year, before their first real test of the season when they travel to Liberty-Christian on Sept. 13.

ACH is currently ranked number 9 among 1B teams in Washington state.

"Our goals are to improve each week and be peaking as we get toward the playoffs. We want to make it into the playoffs this year but in order to do that we have to continue to get better week in and week out," Walsh said.

ACH definitely has their work cut out for them entering this season, losing 10 graduated seniors, playing only three home games, relying on a new sophomore quarterback, and playing three teams ranked in the top 11, the challenges are plenty.

Amidst all the obstacles that lie ahead Coach Walsh remains pragmatic in his approach and is confident in his system that has kept the Warriors in contention consistently for over half a decade now.

"Our main focus is on improvement and growth. We have some athleticism so we believe we can be competitive. But, like I mentioned before, we are pretty inexperienced so we have to stay focused and get better each week." Walsh said.