MORTON — Morton-White Pass coach Lee Metcalf put it bluntly.
“Last year was rough,” he said. “It wasn’t a good year for us.”
After making a crossover two straight years, 2023 was a clear step back for the team, as the Timberwolves won just one game last year and ended the season on a seven-game losing streak.
But with only three starters from last season out of the picture, Metcalf is hopeful that a better season is in store.
“There’s some things to look forward to,” Metcalf said.
The T-Wolves entered last season as one of the younger teams in the C2BL, and they started getting battered in the trenches early.
In Week 3, in a loss against Forks, multiple offensive linemen went down with injuries, creating an issue up front that lasted throughout the rest of the year.
With better injury luck expected, a core group led by senior Judah Kelly and junior Kohen Ingalsbe are optimistic about a step back towards contention.
Kelly, an All-C2BL North Honorable Mention at QB last season, finished second on the team in rushing yards last season, and he also averaged nearly 15 yards per completion through the air.
With former all-league second-team running Brecken Pelletier is out, Ingalsbe will step up to be the lead back.
Those two lead a skill position group that has also seen an influx of track athletes, and Metcalf is excited to get the ball into their hands.
“I’m excited about the athleticism side of it,” Metcalf said. “We’ll see how they respond.”
Kelly and Ingalsbe also lead a defensive unit that has most of its playmakers back, including sophomore Logan Mays, who led the team in picks, and junior Michael Biacan, who led the team in passes defensed.
To get back to a crossover, the Timberwolves will have to earn a top-four spot in the South. Onalaska and Toledo are expected to compete for a division title, which leaves Rainier, Mossyrock, Winlock, Toutle Lake, and MWP fighting for two crossover spots.
Metcalf was an assistant in the early 2010s, when the T-Wolves made three consecutive state title games, and he said not much has changed when it comes to the difficulty of the C2BL.
“It’s just a meat grinder,” Metcalf said. “It’s just a battle of attrition every year … They say steel sharpens steel, so we’ve certainly benefited from it in the playoffs.”
Regardless of how this season plays out, it’ll be the second-to-last of the MWP partnership. After the 2025-26 season, the two schools will part ways athletically, meaning 8-man football is on the horizon for both schools.
“Hopefully they’ll go out and enjoy their last couple of years at 11-man,” Metcalf said. “It’s looking good.”
