Little went right on offense for the Adna football team last season. But when Aaroch Cochran arrived from Goldendale to take over as the Pirates’ head coach, he had one focus above all others.
“Everywhere I’ve coached, the offensive line has always been the highest priority,” Cochran said.
After kicking things off with a midnight practice and grinding away for two weeks, Cochran’s first line at Adna is beginning to take shape, with sophomores Jackson Knittle, Oryn Nelson, and Levi Slape, junior Ben Andrew, and senior Noah Hellem teaming up in the trenches.
With the position battles starting to figure themselves out, the name of the game becomes gelling as a unit to set the tone for the offense and skill players around them.
“It’s definitely difficult when you have a young offensive line, but they’ve done a really good job, they’ve picked things up,” Cochran said. “The kids have been really smart, just learning on the fly and seeing things thrown at them.”
That line will be blocking for a scheme that will lean hard on its run game, though the Pirates toting the rock will be different this year. Quarterback Lane Johnson is back, and will get his own fair share of rushes, but the trio of junior Luke Mohney, senior Elijah Jimenez, and freshman Beau Miller will combine to take over for graduated all-league tailback Jaxon Dunnagan.
“Those kids have done a nice job,” Cochran said. “Just like the O-line, it’s a process. We’ve got a really young team, whether it’s on the O-line or not. We’ve got some older kids in our skill position spots, but they’re kids who are moving into starting spots for the first time.”
Cochran’s tenure in charge won’t get off to the gentlest of beginnings, with Adna set to welcome defending 2B state champs Napavine to its home turf to open the 2023 season.
Last fall, the Tigers routed the Pirates 40-0 in what ended up being their closest win until the state title game. Adna has lost five straight to its rivals to the south, by an average margin of over 36 points.
“We’re excited to see how we can measure up against that,” Cochran said. “It’s kind of a rivalry, and our kids are excited. And I’m excited. They’re a good football team, there’s no arguing that, but we’re going to try to put the work in and see what we can do, and get after it.”
