Welcome back to 2B, Mossyrock.
The Vikings are no strangers to the classification, as it was their longtime home prior to this past cycle.
With numbers back up, Mossyrock returns to 2B and the 11-man game, and coach Eric Ollikainen is excited to get back.
“It’s back to standard football,” Ollikainen said. “Everyone’s speaking the same language again.”
Mossyrock did get a small taste of 11-man football last season, losing to Pe Ell-Willapa Valley 26-8 in last year’s opener.
The Vikings have had no shortage of success the last four years in 1B, going 28-10 and making the 1B quarterfinals in 2022 and the semifinals last fall. They’re entering a tough C2BL, though, one that is headlined by annual state contenders in Onalaska, Napavine, and Toledo.
Mossyrock doesn’t face Napavine this season, but it does hit the road to face Onalaska and Toledo, the two favorites in the C2BL South.
Ollikainen kept it simple when discussing his outlook of the season.
“I think we can stay in a lot of games this year,” Ollikainen said. “Our floor is pretty low,” he added with a laugh. “But our ceiling is still pretty high. As long as we keep getting better.”
Leading the charge for Mossyrock is 2023 League Offensive MVP Easton Kolb, who is entering his third year under center.
In 19 games across the last two seasons, Kolb has thrown for over 2,000 yards and 31 touchdowns while throwing just six interceptions. He’s also added nearly 1,250 yards and 27 touchdowns on the ground.
“It’s absolutely huge,” Ollikainen said of having Kolb back. “To have a returning all-league player in the back of your pocket is amazing.”
Kolb should be well protected, even against tougher defensive lines, as second-team all-leaguers Maciah Collum and Cameron Kuberth return to anchor the offensive line.
Sophomore Russell Eckloff, someone Ollikainen said will “be something special to watch,” will slide into a starting role alongside Collum and Kuberth.
Outside of that, there are a lot of unknowns. Of the seven Vikings to earn MVP or first-team all-league honors last season, five are gone, including Co-Defensive MVPs Marshall Brockway and Hunter Isom.
Ollikainen has high hopes for several younger players who are stepping into those roles, including Eckloff, Ethan Johnson, and Kyle Brockway. But the questions that remain can’t be answered until they take the field Week 1.
“We’ll just put in the work every single day,” Ollikainen said. “That’s all you can do.”
