by Michael Bunnell

Author of The Friendly Little War of Lyman Cutler available at Amazon.com

Gone but not forgotten by many former high school football players are the days when a school the size of Friday Harbor High School would have two, or at most three coaches, (typically physical education and history teachers) who would also coach basketball.

Today’s Wolverine coaching staff consists of head coach and offensive coordinator Garrett Holmes; defensive coordinator Brock Hauck; 21-year Wolverine coaching veteran Shannon Plummer, who does logistics and coaches defensive backs and wide receivers; Cliff Swirtz, who also works with DBs and WRs; Rob Walters and Dan McCay, who coach the offensive and defensive lines; and former standout FHHS player Nate Steenfolk, who coaches running backs and linebackers.

This is a very young and inexperienced team, as coach Holmes readily points out. The 22 eligible players include eight freshmen, five sophomores, three juniors and six seniors. Only two of the seniors have prior playing experience.

Conditioning and fundamentals will be the major focus of this year’s team. Since this is one of those “building years” that most teams go through from time to time, coach Holmes refrains from speculating about a final wins-and-losses record.