TENINO — Michael Vassar has circled the 2024 season on his calendar.
He and the rest of the Tenino High School senior class have been playing football and all sports together since they were in elementary school. They have grown up together, been through highs and lows and are still chasing the ultimate high.
Numbers are up. Intensity is up. And the Beavers believe something could be brewing.
“I’ve always been thinking of senior year,” Vassar said. “We just want to do special things.”
Off a 2-8 season that started 0-5 is viewed as a thing of the past in the Stone City under second-year head coach Darren Tinnerstet heading into the regular season opener versus county comrade Rainier.
Much of the optimism is surrounded by the senior class. As juniors, they played pivotal roles in a state tournament berth in basketball and a final four spot in baseball. Now a year older and wiser, they want similar success on the turf.
“We’ve known each other for years and all the chemistry we have together,” wide receiver Jack Burkhardt said. “Going through high school and all these different experiences, we’re coming together at the right time.”
Burkhardt, Vassar and Austin Gonia make up the skill positions that return a lot of production. Vassar was an all-area running back after bulldozing his way for 806 yards and nine touchdowns. Burkhardt and Gonia were the top-two pass catchers in a balanced offensive attack.
Tinnerstet lauded those three plus Parker Minerich, another ball carrier.
“(Mikey) is a warrior. He’s in shape and he’s just a nasty running back,” Tinnerstet said. “(Jack and Austin) are matchup nightmares.”
The person in charge of delivering the ball to his playmakers is sophomore Mason Medcalf, who takes over as QB1 after a year of playing safety.
Teammates and coaches have raved about his grasp of the offense and his placement on passes. Medcalf will have two starters back on the offensive line in Rowdie Tafoya and Kaden Iselin-Kalland.
“I have a lot of confidence in Mason,” Gonia said. “I know he is going to go out there and perform.”
Outside of getting blanked by Montesano, there were only four additional games where Tenino’s offense were held to under 20 points.
The flip side was the defense struggled for much of the fall. The Beavers allowed 30-plus points in the first four games and 40-plus in the last three.
In the middle portion of the year, they won two games and were within two scores versus Eatonville.
Tinnerstet’s former mentor at Capital High School – JD Johnson – takes over as the defensive coordinator. He spent a decade being the head coach at Capital and comes with plenty of experience.
“We listen to him and do what he tells us,” Vassar said.
Vassar will be the MIKE linebacker and Jerry Kahn, a sophomore, brings back eight QB hurries and over four sacks. Gonia and Mikey Lanning are back in the secondary.
“We got very, very, very lucky to get him out of retirement,” Tinnerstet said. “He’s the best defensive coordinator I’ve ever been around. He’s got a very aggressive style.”
The gold standard in the 1A Evergreen league has been Montesano. The Beavers host the Bulldogs for the second straight year on the blacktop.
Has the talent gap shrunk? That’s what Tinnerstet and the players want to see firsthand.
“If we play to our potential, it’ll show what we are,” Burkhardt said.
