10-0 team is talk of the town
Last year the walls of the Darrington High locker room were bare. No newspaper clippings, no notes of praise, no nothing. But now those walls are covered with about a dozen articles celebrating the unbeaten Loggers.
“It’s a confidence booster, knowing that we’re doing well and people are acknowledging it,” said senior running back Justin O’Dell.
People in the small town of Darrington are noticing, all right. The Loggers have done a 180 and put memories of a winless Northwest 2B League season last year behind them with a 10-0 overall record and 6-0 mark in league this season.
For the team, significant changes on the field have led to a change of attitude off it. At the center of it all is Fred Emerson, a 71-year-old coach who has taught Darrington how to win.
And winning means a lot to Darrington. Tucked away in the Cascades, the small logging community of approximately 1,500 people has rallied around.
Local businesses have signs in the windows supporting the team. Those drinking their morning coffee at the Glacier Peak Cafe will be talking about Loggers football.
For last week’s 52-17 preliminary-round playoff victory over Seattle Lutheran High, some 250 Darrington fans made the trek to see the Loggers play at West Seattle Stadium, about 60 fans cramming onto a bus for the long ride.
And in the town that night? Not a whole lot. When the Loggers are on the road, “town will be pretty quiet,” said Emerson, the coach.
Winning is a big change from last season, when things were bad for the Loggers. A 2-7 record. Winless in league. Seven straight losses ended the year, including a one-point overtime loss to rival Concrete High in the season finale. It was so bad that Emerson, then in his first year with the team, apologized to his players because he felt he’d let them down.
“Last year [when we went out on the field] we thought we were going to lose,” said senior quarterback Mark Jones.
But after winning its first five games this season, Darrington knew things were better. And after a thrilling, come-from-behind win over Concrete in early October, the Loggers realized this team was something special.
Down 14-7 in the fourth quarter, the Loggers scored with a 61-yard touchdown pass on fourth down and then - on the road - went for the two-point conversion and the win. Darrington was victorious, 15-14.
“The year before, we would have lost that game,” said Emerson, a former coach at Western Washington University who began his coaching career in 1959. “They’re thinking now: Win.”
What’s changed? Aside from the optimism and confidence that comes with winning, some on-field changes have led to the Loggers’ success.
Emerson moved Jones from running back to quarterback. Senior Justin O’Dell went from quarterback to running back, and senior Mike Parris went from wide receiver to running back.
“Those were three big changes that helped us,” Emerson said.
Darrington, a four-year high school of about 130 students, also got help when junior tight end/defensive tackle Scott Regelbrugge transferred from San Diego and senior offensive and defensive lineman Chris Vargas came back to the team after taking his junior year off.
“One of our big weaknesses last year was our middle,” said O’Dell. “Those two anchor our defensive line.”
The Loggers also ditched the Wing-T that Emerson tried last season. That formation relies heavily on play fakes, and, said Jones, “We didn’t know how to fake well. We’re not a really good faking team.”
Darrington now goes out of the I-formation, and that, coupled with the position switches and additions on the line, has helped the Loggers run all over their foes.
This season, the Loggers have outscored opponents 374-87, scoring more than 30 points six times and pitching three shutouts on defense. Darrington has rushed for over 300 yards a game, O’Dell leading the way with 1,131 yards. Parris (852 yards), senior fullback Joe Dolph (564) and Jones (461) are also significant contributors.
The Loggers will look to keep the ball on the ground when they meet Toutle Lake High in the round of 16 Saturday at Darrington at 2 p.m.
Emerson not only had the task of taking over a team struggling on the field, but he faced the duty of replacing longtime coach Rob Wales, who had died of cancer.
“Wales was loved greatly in the classroom and on the field,” said O’Dell. “It was pretty hard. But I think coach Emerson has done a great job with us. It’s been an easy transition.”
At first, Emerson wasn’t even considering taking the job. After coaching at Western and at numerous Washington high schools, he was nine years deep into retirement. But when he was asked if he’d be interested in the Darrington job, he said, it was hard to turn down another chance to coach.
“I was flabbergasted,” Emerson said of being informed that he got the job. “If I were the AD [athletic director], I wouldn’t hire me.”
It’s been a good move for the Loggers. Emerson might be older than most high-school coaches, but he has that extra football knowledge from his decades of coaching and a history of success.
“I told the kids early that I’d teach them how to win,” Emerson said. “I know what it takes to win.”
Now, so do the Darrington Loggers.