The EMAK Report 2016 King s Knights Memories Photo by Sam Roach December 7, 2016
The EMAK Report The EMAK Report: Volume: 7 Issue 13 K I N G S H I G H S C H O O L F O O T B A L L B U I L D I N G C H A M P I O N S W H I L E P U R S U I N G C H A M P I O N S H I P S December 7, 2016 Memories: Two Stories that Stole the Show By Sam Roach If you ask Coach Shapiro about the teams he s coached over the years, one thing he will tell you is that each season is different because each team and the circumstances surrounding them are different. 2016 was no exception. What was different however were the two stories that definitely stole the show. One happened off the field and the other, while happening on the field, was driven by events that happened across the Cascade Conference. This issue of the season ending EMAK Report will examine those two stories and the role that King s High School played in them. Story Number One: Barnes Island Breakaway was amazing, there s no other way to put it. Beginning like the previous seven Breakaways it took on a life of its own and morphed into a life changing event. It began in normal, Breakaway fashion. The Knights had their first contact practice of the season on Saturday morning and then the sophomores through the seniors boarded a bus and headed to Anacortes where they would be shuttled on a fishing boat to Barnes Island in the San Juans. Like always, the Knights were broken up into four teams and two teams were shuttled off to the island while the other two teams waited at Anacortes to take the second boat. The first team arrived at the island and unloaded the gear. Everything was going without a hitch. Then, there was the second trip with the remainder of the team. Normal went out the window. The engine in the boat caught on fire and, although no one s life was in danger, by the time the fire was extinguished, the engine was ruined. A second vessel, a small shuttle, was dispatched to transport the rest of the team, six people at a time, from the boat to Barnes Island. Three shuttle trips later put the agenda at least an hour behind schedule but, once dinner was served, team names were chosen and chants were performed, it looked like everything was getting back to normal. No one knew exactly how 50 or so people were going to get back to Anacortes but there was time to put those details back together. Saturday during the day went without a hitch. It was all about bonding and team competition. The bean bag toss, the whiffle ball home run hitting competition, Spike Ball, and smacking golf balls into Puget Sound were the primary activities. Then came Saturday night, in an event that has already been documented several times, the skits were the darkest ever seen in the over 20 years of Breakaway Retreats. If not addressed immediately, the skits, and more importantly, the character issues that provided their foundation, had the potential to derail the entire season. What followed was nothing short of a miracle as God began to act and reveal both His sovereignty and His character. He used a group text sent by Coach Coleman to begin the convicting process. He worked within the coaching staff who were on the island to allow Him to be in charge and in control as they shared their hearts. In addition, several individuals had been alerted that there was a problem via text messages and they began to pray. God honored those prayers. And then, God began to move in and convict the hearts of the players concerning their sin. They began to see things through God s eyes rather than their own and internally, within the corridors of their minds, they began to respond. The catalyst was when Luke Wicks asked Coach Shapiro to baptize him, right there, in Puget Sound. Shapiro figured that he was going to baptize Wicks and that would be it. He was mistaken. As Wicks left the water, Shapiro looked up to see a line of guys desiring the same thing. Twenty two players were baptized that night and a revival began with a ripple effect that continued throughout the season. One of the first things to change when players returned from Barnes Island was the spiritual growth of the players themselves. A Bible study that was player initiated and player led met weekly. The players who took part in that study met consistently for the ten weeks of the season. Another change happened within the structure of Thursday night practice. Thursday nights are typically a team meeting and a final run through practice where the team will rehearse all phases of the game before Friday night. It s been this way since forever but this year, as a result of Breakaway, that format changed just a bit. The team meeting became Accountability Thursday, where players could reveal how they were doing athletically, academically and spiritually and ask for prayer. For the record, Accountability Thursday is now woven into the DNA of King s High School Football. In the end, in terms of wins and losses, the 2016 season was not a story book season. A field goal on the last play in Week 10 ended it. The team was disappointed but they ended the season in a way that honored what they had begun on Barnes Island.
K I N G S H I G H S C H O O L F O O T B A L L B U I L D I N G C H A M P I O N S W H I L E P U R S U I N G C H A M P I O N S H I P S Memories: Two Stories that Stole the Show (continued) The coaching staff didn t find out about this until later but while they were still putting things away, the players met in the weight room, prayed and gave the season back to God. It s been said that no one can really tell how successful a high school football season has been for at least 20 years. It takes that long for long term character to be revealed and I suspect it will be the same way for this team. Remember that one time 22 kids got baptized at Breakaway? That was a great season. Coach Shapiro said this in a text to the coaching staff on November 9, 2016. If these young men continue to grow in the vein of what was started at Barnes Island, I suspect it he will be able to send that same text on November 9, 2036 and it will be as true then as it is today. Story Number Two: The Talent Disparity in the Cascade Conference tion that could be made to work. Most people figured that ATM would probably be the champions and that South Whidbey would be down. Then the season began and perceptions changed drastically. When the season started, South Whidbey suited up approximately 20 players and lost 41-10 to Coupeville. There were serious concerns whether or not they would be able to compete at the varsity level. They certainly could not compete with Archbishop Murphy. Two weeks before they were to play Archbishop Murphy in Week 4, the Falcons announced they were forfeiting to ATM. Archbishop Murphy on the other hand, with a roster loaded with both size and talent, began their season by defeating two teams who had played in their respective state tournaments the year prior, Issaquah, a 4-A team 73-0, and 3-A Bishop Blanchet 59-0. Game three was their Cascade Conference opener with the King s Knights. Week Three began normally for the Knights, Sunday night team dinner, Monday and Tuesday practice. ATM was going to be the toughest game of the regular season but it was all routine. Then came Wednesday, Shapiro was late to practice due to a meeting with the administration. At the end of the practice Shapiro informed the coaching staff that the Cascade Conference was seriously contemplating forfeiting all football games to ATM. The primary issues were that Archbishop Murphy could draw from a 50 mile radius and that their 2016 football roster contained players who were bigger, faster and stronger than the rest of the league to the point that player safety was a legitimate concern. Across the Cascade Conference, administrators felt that was time to act. At an emergency league meeting the next day it was determined that each institution would decide whether or not to play Archbishop Murphy. In the end, over the course of the next four weeks, five schools would forfeit. The process in each community typically involved administrative meetings, parent meetings and, in several cases, team meetings as well where, at Sultan and at Granite Falls for example, the players voted to forfeit. In the case of the rest of the Cascade Conference, the schools had time to make their decision of whether to play or not. King s didn t have that luxury. It was 4 p.m. on Thursday and kickoff was scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, the team had less than four hours to give input and the administration had less than twelve hours to make a decision. It was go time. In the Thursday night meeting before practice, the team was apprised of the situation. The reaction of the players could best be described as one of disbelief. Jaws dropped. As Jordan Burtt recalled the meeting, when Shapiro was explaining what was happening, Burtt said, I knew we were playing that game. There was no way Shap was forfeiting that game. In retrospect, other players said the same thing. They knew they were playing that game. What Shapiro did in that meeting was remind his team of who they were. They were the 1-A state runner up. They had been to the playoffs, finishing no less than the quarterfinals in the past seven years straight. He reminded them of their heritage and their motto, we ll play anyone, anywhere, anytime. It was time to put that to a test. At the same time he addressed fear that his team In 2016 there was a major talent disparity within the Cascade Conference. At the top in a class by themselves was Archbishop Murphy, the eventual 2-A champion. Below Archbishop Murphy were the Knights, a playoff contender, followed by Granite Falls, Sultan, Cedar Park Christian and Cedarcrest. At the bottom of the league, was South Whidbey with numbers so low that the school struggled to field a team. To say that the situation was complicated would be an understatement but in the summer leading up to the season, it still appeared to be a situamight have and he opened the floor for feedback. The seniors began to speak up. Andrew Cline in particular said, Guys, they aren t Superman, we can play with these guys. Cole Critchlow reminded his teammates to play hard 100% of the time. Caleb Perry echoed the same sentiment, that King s was good enough to compete in this game. He also reminded them that football was a game and it was supposed to be fun. Let s go out there and play and have fun. He said. It was then put to a vote. Players could express their feelings and then indicate whether they wanted to play or not. Several acknowledged fear but 100% voted to play. As far as the Knights were concerned, it was game on. The game was competitive. At the end of the first quarter, ATM led only by a field goal and the Knights gave up a touchdown on a long pass late in the 2nd quarter to trail 10-0 at the intermission. In the end, ATM pulled away to win the game 38-0 but King s had accomplished something that, as it would turn out, only three teams would be able to do in 2016. They finished a game with ATM without the mercy rule having to be invoked and the running clock that went with it. They had also accomplished something that no other team in the Cascade Conference was willing to try. They forced ATM to get a W on the field and in the process, they made another memory that will never be forgotten.
K I N G S H I G H S C H O O L F O O T B A L L B U I L D I N G C H A M P I O N S W H I L E P U R S U I N G C H A M P I O N S H I P S Memories: Smaller stories that cannot be forgotten Backlash of the talent Disparity in the Cascade Conference The talent disparity in the Cascade Conference has already been documented as it related to Archbishop Murphy and Week 3 but there was more to the story than just that one game. As the story of the forfeits played out in October and was picked up by local, national and international media outlets such as the Seattle Times, ESPN, the BBC and Jimmy Fallon, even though King s was not a major player in the story, they were not immune from the fallout of it either. They still had to deal with the talent disparity between themselves and the rest of the Cascade Conference and, like Archbishop Murphy, they were a private school. Shapiro admitted that there was pressure. The challenge was how to compete differently or, more importantly, because the outcome in several games wasn t really in question, how to win differently from most teams in the state. The test was how to demonstrate to the rest of the league what the EMAK brand of football looked like. The coaching staff got creative. Throughout the season King s did things they hadn t done in the past. At home games, they suited up every available player from freshman to seniors who was eligible and they played too. Against South Whidbey, after the Knights scored 46 points in the first quarter, the second and third unit players were in the game and by the fourth quarter, Shapiro had emptied the bench. When the Knights were on the road, even though there wasn t enough room on the bus to take everyone, Shapiro had a rule. If a younger player was eligible to play and could get themselves to the game, they could suit up and possibly play. Several players took advantage of this and yes, they played in a varsity road game this season. There were two results of this disparity that deserve mentioning. On a positive note, several teams in the conference recognized what King s had done and were appreciative of it. The down side was that in Week 10 against Meridian, King s hadn t been seriously challenged since the Archbishop Murphy game in Week 3. Meridian s entire season, on the other hand, had been one dog fight after another. That was a factor in the final game, especially in the fourth quarter. Caleb Perry Senior Caleb Perry was the primary running back for the Knights in 2016 rushing for 1220 yards on 106 carries and scoring 19 rushing touchdowns. For a running back to put up those kinds of numbers at King s High School is not unusual but, according to Shapiro, the thing that made Perry s numbers so impressive was that he did it with fewer games, in some cases as many as three, and with fewer carries than his predecessors. In addition, he accomplished this with significantly fewer carries than his predecessors as well. In 2009 for example, Thomas Vincent rushed for over 1600 yards but he did so with 208 carries. Because many of the Knight s games were decided by halftime, Perry seldom played in the second half. All this is not to say that Perry did not get the attention of college scouts because he did. At the time of this publication, Perry has five scholarship offers to play college ball at the next level including offers from Missouri, Cincinnati, and Washington State. Jack Van Dyke On the offensive side of the ball, the untold story that developed as the 2016 season unfolded was the emergence of Jack Van Dyke as a quarterback. Van Dyke saw his first significant action at quarterback in team camp last summer as the Knights were searching for an answer to their quarterback problem. In an intense three day camp Van Dyke performed admirably and when King s began their two a day workouts in August and the coaching staff began the process of deciding who the starting quarterback would be, he was in the conversation. Van Dyke saw action as a back up in Week 2 and Week 4 and took over the starting role for good in Week 5 against South Whidbey. Van Dyke finished the season with a 54% completion percentage completing 36 of 67 passes for 554 yards and seven touchdowns. At the conclusion of the season, Van Dyke was named to the All Cascade Conference team as a 2nd team quarterback. Atley Shapiro A story that went largely untold in 2016 was the role that junior Atley Shapiro played in the Knights secondary. When Coach Shapiro took over as Defensive Coordinator he introduced a new defense that, on the one hand was simpler than the defense they had used in previous years, but on the other hand it was more difficult to master because it involved more reading of the opponents offense and making adjustments in the secondary. This meant that the secondary had to communicate with each other on the fly so that everyone was on the same page. As the season progressed, the person who increasingly made the calls and made sure that people were in the right place was Atley Shapiro, a second year starter at free safety. At the end of the year he was named to the All Cascade Conference team as a member of the first team secondary. The Coaching Staff For the coaching staff of the King s Knights, 2016 was a year of adjustments and changes in roles. Taking over as Offensive Coordinator was Offensive line coach Kevin Peterson. Shapiro switched back to defense as the Defensive Coordinator. Roy Coleman remained as the running backs coach but also added coaching the linebackers. In addition, the Knights added two new coaches, Aaron Hansen who coached defensive line and tight ends, and coaching the quarterbacks was first year coach Tim Carter. On the surface it looked like changes like this could produce at least a few growing pains but it didn t. In the end the coaching staff was one of the most cohesive staffs ever to coach at King s High School.
The EMAK Report: Roses: Awards 2016 Cascade Conference All League Awards Co-Offense MVP - Caleb Perry Caleb Perry - 1st team linebacker Jack Van Dyke - 1st team kicker, 2nd team quarterback, 2nd team secondary Andrew Cline - 1st team running back Luke Wicks - 1st team wide receiver Jordan Burtt - 1st team offensive line Taylor Schoenfeld - 1st team defensive line, 1st team offensive line Atley Shapiro - 1st team secondary Will Daniel - 1st team defensive line Jesse Hibbard - 2nd team defensive line, 2nd team offensive line Chris Metzger - 2nd team offensive line Blake Dornay - 2nd team tight end Jerad Stretton - 2nd team linebacker Brennon Blevins - 2nd team wide receiver Logan Perrigo - 2nd team running back Cascade Conference Offense Co - MVP Caleb Perry
The EMAK Report: Roses - All League Awards Caleb Perry Atley Shapiro Taylor Schoenfeld Jack Van Dyke
The EMAK Report: Roses - All League Awards Jesse Hibbard Andrew Cline Jordan Burtt Chris Metzger
The EMAK Report: Roses - All League Awards Jerad Stretton Logan Perrigo Will Daniel Blake Dornay
The EMAK Report: Roses - All League Awards Brennon Blevins Luke Wicks 2016 King s High School Football Team Awards Varsity MVP Offensive Skilled Player - Caleb Perry Varsity MVP Offensive Lineman - Chris Metzger Varsity MVP All-Purpose Lineman - Taylor Schoenfeld Varsity MVP Defensive Skill Player - Atley Shapiro Varsity MVP Defensive Lineman - Will Daniel Varsity MVP Special Teams - Jack Van Dyke Every Man A Knight Award - Jordan Burtt Varsity Most Improved - Jerad Stretton Varsity Most Improved - Chase Root Coaches Award - Jordan Burtt Team Captain - Caleb Perry Team Captain - Luke Wicks Team Captain - Jordan Burtt Team Captain - Jack Van Dyke JV MVP Offensive Skilled Player - Davis Coats JV MVP Offensive Lineman MVP - Colin Hamilton JV MVP Defensive Skill Player - Ben Haberman JV MVP Defensive Lineman - John Hollinrake JV MVP Special Teams - Max Lane J.V. Every Man A Knight Award - David Galloway JV Most Improved - Aden Nguyen JV Coaches Award - John Hollinrake
The EMAK Report: Standings Schedules and Results Final 2016 Cascade Conference Standings League Over-all W L W L ATM 6 0 14 0 King s 5 1 6 3 Granite Falls 3 3 4 6 Sultan 3 3 6 4 Cedarcrest 2 4 4 6 Cedar Park Chr. 2 4 4 6 South Whidbey 0 6 1 8 Around the Conference ATM beat Liberty 56-14 Finished as 2-A State Champions Cedarcrest beat Sehome 46-19 Finished season 4-6 Cedar Park Chr. Lost to Lynden Chr. 3-32 Finished season 4-6 Granite Falls lost to Lynden 7-40 Finished season 4-6 King s lost to Meridian 7-28 Finished season 6-3 South Whidbey lost to Cedar Park Chr. 6-40 Finished season 1-8 Sultan lost to Mount Baker 6-41 Finished season 6-4 2016 Varsity Schedule 2016 Junior Varsity Schedule August 27 @ King s (Jamboree) Sept. 2 King s 7 Burlington 38 Sept. 9 King s 35 Lakeside 28 Sept. 16 King s 0 ATM 38 Sept. 23 King s 45 Cedarcrest 21 Sept. 30 King s 60 South Whid. 32 Oct. 7 King s 51 CPC 13 Oct. 14 King s 63 Granite Falls 20 Oct. 21 King s 48 Sultan 7 Oct. 28 bye Nov. 6 King s 14 Meridian 17 Sept. 12 vs Bellevue Chr. CANCELLED Sept. 19 King s 14 ATM 47 Sept. 26 King s 13 Cedarcrest 38 Oct. 3 King s 35 South Whid. 7 Oct. 10 King s 36 CPC 18 Oct. 17 @ Granite Falls CANCELLED Oct. 24 King s 8 Sultan 34