Warriors take on big schools from Seattle in football camp
With Coach Foristiere at the center of the circle, the team works on reaction to the center snap. False starts and off-sides were a problem last year.
MATTAWA - When Wahluke High School coach Mike Foristiere wants his boys to be tested, he means it.
Foristiere took his boys to Seattle last weekend for the end of spring camp, and they played Rainier Beach, Hazen and Ingraham in three scrimmages.
Six schools visited Rainier Beach on Saturday for a jamboree type of scrimmage day. Foristiere said his boys did a good job of facing off with the big schools.
The Warriors played good defense in all of their scrimmages. They started tentatively on offense, then picked up the pace to score eight touchdowns.
"The biggest battle we face is between our ears," Foristiere said. "The whole purpose was to go to an unfamiliar setting against larger classifications and compete."
"The boys did a respectable job," he added. "There is still a lot of work to do, but I'm very proud of their efforts."
The Warriors now turn to the Tri-City Football Camp from June 15-19 at Hanford High School.
Overall, Foristiere was pleased with the results of spring football. He joined the program last year just in time for spring ball and had to concentrate on explaining his football and coaching philosophies.
This year the players knew and understood him better. They were able to go right to work on football fundamentals and specific offensive plays and defensive schemes.
"They retained a lot from last year, better than I expected," Foristiere said. "If we keep making strides, we have a chance at a good summer and football season. That will be up to the players in the program."
The Warriors had 35 players in spring camp last year. There were 50 this year.