Talented Viks seek to get over Week 10 hump | Inglemoor High football preview

The Inglemoor Vikings, by any stretch of the imagination, are a better football team than their last two season records of 6-4 (2011) and 5-5 (2010) would indicate. But as longtime head coach Frank Naish knows well, thus is life in the ultra-tough 4A Kingco league — a conference that has sent a team to the state finals every year since 2003.

The Inglemoor Vikings, by any stretch of the imagination, are a better football team than their last two season records of 6-4 (2011) and 5-5 (2010) would indicate.

But as longtime head coach Frank Naish knows well, thus is life in the ultra-tough 4A Kingco league — a conference that has sent a team to the state finals every year since 2003. Titus Makasini

The 2012 season once again holds a lot of promise for the Vikings, as many impact players return including one of the state’s top lineman prospects in Titus Makasini, (right) a 6-foot-5, 270-pounder who loves putting the hurt on the opposition.

“Titus is a legitimate D-I prospect,” lauded Naish. “What makes him nice is that he runs really well, he’s not just a big, slow guy — you can use him to pull and run counter plays. He’s effective.”

The 34th-year coach also has the luxury of returning both of his starting quarterbacks from last year, Hans Fortune and Brandon Edwards, giving them depth and options at that position few other teams have.

“It’s up in the air still,” said Naish on which of the two would be tabbed as the starter. “I have that much confidence that both of them can play. They’ll both get reps.”

Inglemoor got a tough break early this season, losing a key piece of its line, Mikey Tupou, to injury. Tupou is scheduled to return mid-season, but Naish is excited to return his entire backfield, some secondary defense and most of his special-teams players, in addition to a trio of tailbacks that can fly around the field, led by Jacob Jones.

During last year’s season opener, Jones returned a kickoff 70 yards for the only touchdown in the Viks’ 10-0 win over Snohomish.

“We’re coming into a season, unlike last year, where we didn’t know anything,” Naish said. “These are guys that really feel they know how to play.”

The Vikings haven’t made it past Week 10 of the football season since 2007, when they made it to the state quarterfinals.

That year, they were shut out 35-0 by eventual champion Lewis and Clark, and it’s safe to say the 2012 Viks are looking for a little postseason redemption.

“You gotta get to (Week 10) and be healthy, last year we were pretty beat up in that game,” Naish recalled. “You gotta get to that game and not have… team drama, team issues, and that was two years ago. Once you get to that level, you better be playing really well.”

The Vikings take on 3A Juanita in their season opener tonight on the Rebels’ home turf, kickoff at 7 p.m.

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REPORTER “QUOTE OF NOTE”

Frank Naish, in his 34th year as head coach of the Inglemoor Vikings, has been at the helm for about twice as many years as his current players have been alive. The Reporter recently asked Naish what he enjoys most about his gig, and what keeps him coming back every year.

Naish: “I enjoy kids, and I enjoy coaching. What’s fun about football, too, is that it’s real cerebral. I tell the kids that with baseball, you learn what to do in about fourth grade. If you play shortstop, they hit it to you and you throw to first base. In football, the knowledge piece is ever-evolving. We’re running ‘pistol,’ a pretty new offense, and you’ve gotta defend all that new stuff. The cerebral part, and the kids, that’s what keeps me coming back.”