It has been a long time since one walked into the Bremerton High boys locker room and saw football players. For more seasons than one wants to remember, the room has been occupied by a few talented athletes and young men who wanted to be called football players.
Saturday (Jun. 14th), in a full contact spring scrimmage with the Kingston Buccaneers, on the grass of Memorial Stadium, the Knights showed their parents and loyal fans that they were more than a cliché. They showed that they are stronger, more disciplined than last year, and willing to work together.
 |
| SAWICKI |
The most noticeable different is in the play of the lineman, both offensively and defensively. Over the last three years Head Coach Nate Gillam, returning for his fourth season, has put a lot of work into the line, resulting in minuscule improvements. Saturday, defensive linemen were making sole tackles on Kingston ball handlers, before they could get outside and into the open.
“I couldn’t get to the ball fast enough,” said senior middle linebacker Michael Powell. “More times than I can count, a lineman was already there and had the ball carrier wrapped up. All I had to do was finish off the Kingston player.”
Powell is the Knights’ defensive heir apparent, replacing All-West Sound leading tackler Chris Martindale. As a junior, Powell was having an All-League season, with 52 solo and 12 assisted tackle, before academic issued put him on the sideline the final two games of the season. In Saturday’s scrimmage, Powell led the Knights with 8 solo and 1 assisted tackle.
 |
SAULSBERRY |
“We have worked hard on how we approach the game,” said new defensive coordinator Derrick Saulsberry. “Last year we started each game flat. Today, we were ready to play as soon as the ball was put on the turf.”
The most memorable defensive effort of the day was produced by sophomore linebacker Kyle Kennedy. On a left end around, Kennedy hit Kingston’s lead blocker with such force that the player fell backwards into the running back. Without hesitation, Kennedy pushed the cascading player out of the way and stopped the Buccaneer ball carrier for no gain.
“The biggest difference is that this is the first set of players to come all the way through my system,” Gillam stated. “They are picking up what they are suppose to right away, which is allows us to teach them more advanced skills.”
Offensively, the 2008 team is different than last year’s team. Graduated is the state championship speed of Alex Griffin and the power of Jamiere Abney, Knight staples for the last three seasons.
The lead ball carrier for 2008 will be senior Travis Storey. Last season, Storey ran for 295 yards on 52 carries (5.7 yards per carry). Saturday, Storey ran for a game high 97 yards on 7 carries (13.8 ypg).
 |
BELDEN |
“This year’s offensive is designed to fit Travis’ running style,” said senior quarterback Jake Beldon. “He likes to find the hole, then cut back against the grain.”
On a 45-yard scamper near the end of the scrimmage, Storey showed an open field elusiveness he did not have as a junior.
Returning to the Knight offensive game plan is the fullback position, a staple in the Coach Chuck Semancik and Ted Berney eras. In the fall, expect to see Senior Andres Garcia and sophomore Kyle Kennedy at the position. Saturday, Kennedy racked up 29 yards on two carries of 18 yards each. Junior Tommy Hanberg scored one of Bremerton’s two rushing touchdowns, on a 14-yard run up the middle, that put the Kingston linebacker who tried to stop him on his back.
 |
GILLAM |
The portion of the Knights offensive that did not get much attention on Saturday was the passing game. Unusual, in that Belden was the first Bremerton quarterback to throw for 1,000 plus yards in close to a decade. The reason was threefold.
First, the Knights were without the services of senior wide receiver Dimitri Alston. Last season, Alston earned 1st-Team All-Olympic League honors with 16 catches for 376 yards and 4 touchdowns.
“Dimitri was suited up and eligible to play,” Gillam explained, “but had limited play due to minimal practice time. We didn’t want to risk injury.”
Second, Bremerton was breaking in new wide receivers, senior Andy Beliveau and junior Terrick McGhee. Beliveau was sidelined with a shoulder injury for most of the 2007 season and McGhee was seeing his first varsity action.
Third, Belden had just returned from quarterback camp.
“What you learn at camp is invaluable,” Gillam explained. “But camp takes the broad aspects of the game and breaks it down into little pieces. Right now, Jake is thinking too much about what he is doing. Over the summer, what he learned will become instinctive.”
Of the eight passes Belden threw, Storey caught one for four yards. Sophomore Jamaar Grace took his catch 40 yards for a touchdown. And, Beliveau celebrated his first varsity touchdown on a 1-yard strike.
 |
- photo by Joe Spencer |
Sophomore Sabian Perrigo driving the Kingston quarterback out of bounds |
One other sophomore that may get a shot at playing some varsity in the fall is Sabian Perrigo. Perrigo distinguished himself initially as the Knights right corner back. On a play in which the Kingston quarterback had eluded all Knight defenders down the left sideline, Perrigo sprinted all the way across the field to drill the surprised quarterback five yards from the end zone, preventing a Buccaneer touchdown. Offensively, Perrigo threw a 35-yard pass that ended in a touchdown and rushed three times for 53 yards. His most impressive run came on 4th down, with the Knights seemingly pinned on the 47. Forced to improvise, Perrigo scrambled to his left, dodging, spun, and bouncing off tackles on the way to the endzone.
“I like spring practice,” Gillam concluded. “It gives me and the coaching staff an idea of which student-athletes are serious about playing football. Kids who decided not to turnout in the spring and who miss summer workouts are going to be so far behind in the fall that they may never catch up.”
At the 2008 Spring Scrimmage, fifty-seven Bremerton players were in uniform and played.