“They had so many sophomores last year. They could be a pretty good group. A lot of underclassmen got a lot of varsity minutes. If they achieve, they could win league in the next two years.”
— Rival GSHL coach on Prairie football
One day soon, the Prairie Falcons might appreciate what they went through in the 2014 football season.
The Falcons only got two wins, but they also gained some valuable experience.
Several sophomores did more than just spot duty here and there. They started games. Finished games. They endured through the tough times.
Now, everything is fresh at Prairie.
A new head coach.
A new attitude.
And a handful of players who now understand what it takes to play at this level.
Jaelen Stephen, a defensive back, recalls his introduction to varsity.
“I remember one play against Hockinson. They did a fade route on the goal line. I was in perfect position,” Stephen said.
And then …
“He just jumped over me, caught the ball, and scored a touchdown. That’s when I knew there was a big difference between C team (freshmen) and varsity,” Stephen said.
That was Week 2. By Week 8, he said he played his best game, even if it was a loss against league champion Columbia River.
“I just felt confident.”
On the other side of the ball, Kevin Aguirre got six starts at quarterback as a sophomore.
“At first I was a little intimidated … coming in against all these juniors and seniors. But it was a good learning experience coming into this year,” Aguirre said.
“After taking some of those losses, and keeping my optimism, that made me think I can do this. Hopefully I can lead my team to a winning season.”
Kevin Baker, who has been an assistant at Prairie, took over the top spot in the spring. He said being a part of the program helped in his assessments.
“It’s good to have (insight) into what the kids are capable of doing,” Baker said.
So Baker was able to quickly adjust to the talent he has with the system he wants to run.
“Jaelen is a smart kid and a good, hard worker,” Baker said. “His specialty is probably defense, but he’s fighting for a starting offensive position, too.”
Baker also is excited to see what Aguirre can do after a year of playing quarterback “under pressure” as a sophomore.
“He’s smart. He’s athletic. He can make a kid miss,” Baker said. “And he’s a great leader. The kids respect him.”
Now, the Falcons want to earn the respect of the rest of the football community. Prairie has had one winning season this century.
“We’re trying to start something new here,” Stephen said. “We’re being more positive. We’re going hard 100 percent of the time. Things have changed around here, and it’s looking pretty good.”
No one associated with Prairie is guaranteeing anything in terms of number of wins, but Aguirre said the mentality has to start with believing it can be done at Prairie — believing that anything can be done at Prairie.
“Every year should be a state-championship mindset, a playoff-bound mindset, a league-championship mindset,” Aguirre said. “We hope not to settle for anything less than that.”
Stephen and Aguirre know what others think of Prairie.
“We just want to prove everybody wrong,” Stephen said. “We want to prove Prairie has changed and we’re looking for a great future.”
That future just might have started last season.
