Greg Peach has had hundreds of teammates in his football days, from youth ball, to high school, to college, and then in the Canadian Football League.
One of the things that just floors him, though, is how few of his teammates — in college or professional football — have what he has: A state championship ring from high school football.
“It’s something really special and hard to do. It makes it even more of an accomplishment,” Peach said.
His teammates in Canada are impressed.
“They’re jealous, envious of it,” Peach said. “Every kid who plays high school ball, that’s the goal. If you don’t do it, you didn’t accomplish what you wanted to accomplish out of your high school career. To do it as a senior, to do it with some pretty cool dudes …”
Peach did not have to finish the sentence. It is clear: The 2004 state championship still means quite a bit to Peach and the Evergreen Plainsmen.
As The Columbian celebrates the 10-year anniversary of the only big school from Clark County to win a state football title, Peach has just completed his sixth season of professional football in the CFL.
Peach won the Buck Buchanan Award for the best defensive player in Division I Football Championship Subdivision after his senior season at Eastern Washington University in 2008. From there, he had the opportunity to go pro and ended up in Canada, playing for Edmonton.
After three seasons, he signed with Hamilton. An injury and a coaching change put him out of favor there. He was released, then picked up by Winnipeg, where he was the team captain and led the Blue Bombers in sacks this season.
In the offseason, he lives in Spokane with his wife Kolbi.
Peach had dreams of one day making it to the National Football League, but for now he is blessed to be part of the CFL.
“They treat us right,” he said. “They take care of us.”
His home in Spokane is about a mile away from Joe Albi Stadium. And yes, Peach will tell anyone who will listen what that stadium means to him. It’s there that the 2004 Plainsmen beat Gonzaga Prep in a semifinal game for the ages, 31-30.
“One of the craziest games,” Peach said. “I remember that game because Coach (Cale) Piland said we’re going to take the safety, give them the ball, and our defense was going to stop them. It was do-or-die for the defense.”
Sure enough, the defense did come through, twice in the final four minutes.
“That was almost like the championship. The Skyline game (the next week in the title game in the Tacoma Dome), we knew we were better than those guys,” Peach said. “That was our destiny. No way we could lose the championship game. There was no way.”
Now 10 years later, Peach is surprised that Evergreen is still the only big school from Clark County to claim a title.
“I know someone’s going to do it. I know one of these Camas teams is going to go do it,” Peach said. “I felt so bad for them. Last year was just a heartbreaker. When they do it, it will be awesome.”
Peach and the Plainsmen know what it feels like.
And trust Peach when he says this: Not everyone, not even professional football players, knows what it is like to win it all in high school.
