TOLEDO — For Mike Christensen, he’s entering uncharted territory.
His tenure at Toledo High School has been all about the quarterback position and the constant turnover. Since he became the head coach, he has picked and installed his offense for a different signal caller every season.
Until the 2024 campaign.
It took seven years at the helm, but Eli Weeks marks the first repeat starter for the Riverhawks and the junior isn’t taking the opportunity for granted.
“We’re always the underdogs, so we’ve got something to prove this year,” the right-hander said.
There’s a certain swagger that Weeks showcases in practice. At one moment, he’s throwing deep shots to his receivers. The next he’s snagging one-handed catches for fun.
When he’s running the offense, relaying the play and the cadence is noticeably quick in and out of the huddle.
There were the first-time varsity QB rep jitters that Weeks dealt with as a sophomore. Through camps and workouts, he feels improved.
“I’ve grown a lot with this team,” Weeks said. “The things I did (well) were learning the playbook pretty fast. This year, I’ve been working harder.”
His teammates echo that sentiment.
“He helps everyone out; he’s a good young leader,” returning offensive lineman Leland McCree said.
Having Weeks back in the fold has allowed Christensen and the Riverhawks to focus on defense. Gone is tackling machine Bayron Rodriguez, who leaves eight sacks and five forced fumbles to be filled.
McCree, Alex Vazques and Nico Acosta will be the backbone of a committee approach in trying to replace Rodriguez’s numbers
“A lot of sophomores were starting for us and they have definitely taken that physical maturity step,” Christensen said. “We’ll be pretty sound.”
Putting up points will be at the disposal of Carter Swafford and Nathan Beaver out of the backfield and Weeks finding weapons such as split ends Trevin Gale, a state qualifier in the sprints, and Adam Kruger.
The Riverhawks have dug deep into the playbook and early returns in the spring, summer and fall have been positive.
“We were all not confident last year; no one had a voice,” Swafford said. “Everyone is picking it up easily.”
The season-opener a year ago was a shootout, but Toledo started out 4-0 before a 20-0 loss to Onalaska. It lost a five-point heartbreaker to Kalama and in the quarterfinals at state, were blanked by Northwest Christian 41-0.
The Riverhawks have three non-league games, two on the road, before opening C2BL South division action hosting Toutle Lake.
They’ll get a rematch with Onalaska – who beat them 20-0 – in Week 8 on the road.
“We all want it that bad,” Swafford said. “We all want redemption.”
Not getting a top-four seed and matchups have halted the Riverhawks from getting past the quarterfinal round in recent memory.
Yet Christensen didn’t mince words about, at least on paper, what this version can become by the season opener versus Adna.
“As far as my years here, this is the most talent that I’ve had,” he said. “We always want to run the football, that’s our identity. The fact that we don’t have to run the football is a benefit to us. They have a ton of work to do.”
Husky Stadium is the final destination for many programs in the state. McCree feels, if the talent translates to the field, isn’t the only accomplishment Toledo can check off.
“We’re not gonna lose a game,” McCree said.
