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Evergreen football preview: ‘Sunshine Boys’ ready to make best out of five early kickoffs

The Columbian

Published: August 28, 2018, 6:54pm

Sam Wilson/for The Columbian Zyell Griffin (12) is the lone returning all-league player on a young Evergreen team, which has enough speed to be dangerous.

The Evergreen Plainsmen are No. 1.

Yes, they were No. 1 in 2004 as Class 4A state champions, and yes, were No. 1 in 2007, the last time the Plainsmen won a league title.

But this No. 1 is nowhere in the record books: Evergreen has the most afternoon kickoffs of any team statewide. Five of their nine games kick off 5 p.m. or earlier.

This might not be an official nickname for Terry Hyde’s Plainsmen, but the coach did offer this:

“We’re the Sunshine Boys,” he said.

What’s noteworthy, too, is the youth and athleticism. It’s the least experienced Evergreen team in Hyde’s four-year tenure. He said it reminds him of his 2009 Prairie team when it came to varsity experience.

“This going to be similar,” he said. “… A lot of those kids will get their first varsity experience.”

That’s good and bad, though, Hyde added. No bad habits to break, for starters.

“That’s the good,” he said.

The bad, if there is any, is “how fast will they mature and grow enough to participate at the varsity level.”

A number of holes need to be filled because of graduation but also a recent injury. Senior safety David Crawford, the team’s only returning all-league starter on defense, will miss the 2018 season after tearing his ACL in July. That leaves junior Zyell Griffin as Evergreen’s only returning all-league player (running back, special teams).

Senior Ryan Blaize doesn’t believe there will be much of a learning curve, though, especially with so many quick learners and versatile players.

Both Hyde and Blaize were pleased with how Evergreen competed at team camp against Oregon 6A powers Sherwood and Clackamas.

“They stepped up to the competition,” Blaize said. “A few games into the year, we won’t be too inexperienced.”

3 THINGS TO KNOW

• Least-experienced team in coach Terry Hyde’s tenure.

• Lost all-league DB David Crawford to season-ending knee injury.

• Team plays five of nine games at 5 p.m. or earlier.

2017 season: 4-5, 2-3 3A GSHL

Best state finish: State champion in 2004

Schedule

Home games at McKenzie Stadium

League games in bold

Aug. 31 at Heritage 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 7 Centralia 7 p.m.

Sept. 14 at Lakewood 6 p.m.

Sept. 21 Rochester 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 28 at Fort Vancouver 5 p.m.

Oct. 5 Kelso 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 11 at Mountain View 4:30 p.m.

Oct. 19 Hudson’s Bay 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 26 Prairie 7 p.m.

3 THINGS TO KNOW

Schedule

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