MOSSYROCK — The 11-man game isn’t a complete unknown for the Mossyrock Vikings.
Prior to this past classification cycle, the Vikings solely played 11-man, and even in the past four seasons, they’ve sprinkled in the occasional 11-man game.
Last season, the varsity squad played its opener against Pe Ell-Willapa Valley, and the junior varsity squad played a few traditional matchups.
A full year back up in 2B is a different challenge, however, and the Vikings and coach Eric Ollikainen are doing what they can to prepare.
Learning on the fly
Ollikainen was on the coaching staff at Mossyrock the last time they were a full 11-man squad, but much has changed in the last handful of years.
Obviously, for starters, every player from that time frame has long since graduated. And even
though some coaches are still around, Ollikainen hasn’t been able to fully dive into each squad to note what wrinkles they’ve added since then.
“I think we can compete with any team in our league,” Ollikainen said. “If the ball bounces our way, we could have a really good year. The wheels could fall off too … We’re just gonna put the chips on the table and see what happens.”
Ollikainen and his staff have been working on implementing adjusted playbooks for games this season, and while it is different than the last few years, Ollikainen did note that it’s more of a return to normal than anything else.
“In 8-man, you kind of have to make up names for certain things,” Ollikainen said.
It’s back to standard football. Everyone’s speaking the same language again.”
Hopeful O-Line can be a strength
One of Mossyrock’s biggest returners is 2023 League Offensive MVP Easton Kolb, and Ollikainen is optimistic that he’ll be well protected throughout the course of the season.
Cameron Kuberth and Maciah Collum both earned second-team all-league honors last season, and they’re back to anchor the offensive line. Russell Eckloff, a sophomore, is also expected to jump in on the starting O-line.
“We’re gonna rely heavily on those guys,” Ollikainen said. “It’s a learning process, though. It’s a steep learning curve, and they got a lot to learn. It doesn’t matter how big and strong you are, if you don’t know your assignments, it doesn’t help.”
Motion a focal point offensively
A large portion of practice was spent running through several plays that involved a lot of pre-snap motion.
Ollikainen said that teams could expect to see a lot of motion from the Vikings throughout the year. He also mentioned that they have a lot of deviations off of those plays that they’re saving to use at different points.
Understandably, he didn’t want to give away any specifics. But it was clear he was excited about what the offense has in store, as he finished his statement by simply grinning from ear to ear.
