Othello Huskies hoping to return to football playoffs

OTHELLO — The 2016 Othello High School Huskie football team hoped to rebound from two uncharacteristic down years when it opened fall practices yesterday.

The goal is to return to the level of play that produced a 2A state record 17 straight play-off appearances. That string ended when the Huskies lost a tie-breaker to Ephrata in 2014 for the CWAC’s final play-off berth

Last year, Othello suffered through a 3-7 record, its first losing season since 2005. However, four of last year’s losses were by a total of nine points – 46-42 to Grandview, 18-15 to Ephrata and a pair of one-point losses to Selah (21-20) and Quincy (15-14). The Huskies were not far from being a 7-3 team.

“You have to learn from it,” Coach Roger Hoell said. “You have to eliminate the mistakes, and you have to stay healthy. The kids just have to work hard and believe in what they are doing. The system hasn’t changed at all on both sides of the ball.”

Another reason for optimism in the Huskie camp is returning experience at the skill positions. Othello started last season with a pair of untested sophomores at quarterback and fullback and without any experienced wide receivers.

This year the entire backfield returns. That includes junior quarterback D.J. Guzman, junior fullback Trevor Hilmes and senior tailback Reese Jones.

“I think everybody would like skill positions returning with experience,” Hoell said. “Our philosophy is to always have young kids in there somewhere so the cupboard is never bare.”

Jones was the leading Othello ground gainer and one of the leaders in the CWAC. A second team all-league selection, Jones is a shifty runner who darts and slashes his way to the open field.

Hilmes is a tough runner who will pound the middle and an effective receiver coming out of the backfield. With Hilmes and Jones, Othello should have an effective inside-outside run game.

With a year of experience behind him and experience at the ball carrying positions, Guzman should be more effective in running the Husky option attack.

The Huskies’ ground and pound attack depends on controlling the line of scrimmage. That could be a challenge. Othello’s offensive line was depleted by graduation and injuries.

“If you don’t have an offensive line, you don’t have an offense,” Hoell said.

Othello used a number of different combinations during the team camp at Idaho. Husky head coach Roger Hoell personally coaches the offensive line and Othello usually fields a capable and effective unit.

“Our guys have a lot to learn because we change up blocking schemes each week,” Hoell said. “That is the great thing of when we two-platoon like we do. I see them every day. We have been working on pass blocking.”

If Othello is to return to its customary stature of a play-off squad, the pass offense and pass defense will need to improve. If a defense knows you are not going to pass, it can load up 11 defenders to stop the run.

The Othello offense was far too predictable to be successful last year. Othello did not throw often and, when it did, it was usually to Hilmes from the fullback slot or to Ruiz from the tight end position.

“We have been working on pass blocking,” Hoell said. “D.J. Guzman has improved a lot at running the offense. We do have some kids we can throw to. We need to do some things to take the pressure off Reese Jones, but Trevor Hilmes has gotten stronger and bigger.”

The Huskies seldom stretched the defense by throwing deep down field. Forcing a team to defend the field is key to offensive success. To do this, the Huskies will need to get Jones loose on the outside, and they will need to find a wide receiver with speed to get open downfield.

Othello had problems defending the pass last year. Most CWAC teams can throw the ball, and the top two teams – Prosser and Ellensburg – are designed to move the ball in the air. Hoell is optimistic.

“The secondary and line backing corps will be the strength of our team,” he said. “They gained experience, and we have a shut-down type secondary.”

If the Huskies can put together an effective offensive line and come up with a passing attack and a stronger pass defense, they can return to the top of the league. The bottom of the league was improved last year, but most teams lost a lot to graduation, and the league appears to be down this year.

If the Huskies can beat the three teams usually on the bottom of the league – Grandview, Toppenish and Wapato – and two of the traditional middle-tier teams (Ephrata, East Valley, Quincy, Selah), they will avoid a second losing season.

If the Huskies do as they plan, which is return to the level of play to which Huskie fans are accustomed, they’d have a shot at returning to the playoffs.

The Huskies have a favorable schedule. They open with a non-league contest at Manson, which won only two games last year.

The Huskies don’t face Prosser and Ellensburg until the final two regular season games.

“You have to be optimistic,” Hoell said. “The kids have been working hard and doing a good job. We have hope. Why should you line up and practice if you don’t.”