FOOTBALL 2001

Steve Bloom/The Olympian
New Rainier coach Jerrad Jeske (above) brought along experienced help in assistant coach Dan Schutz and returns a solid core of offensive players, including QB Mike Wolfe (below).

Castle

Tuttle

Woolsey

Wolfe

Mix of new, old could be spark for Mounties

Jeske, Schutz hope to get program on rise

DARRELL ROOT, THE OLYMPIAN

RAINIER -- When Rainier athletic director Dan Schutz hired Jerrad Jeske to coach the Mountaineers, Jeske knew whom he wanted to hire as an assistant.

"When Dan hired me, I told him it would be under one condition -- that he would come out and help," Jeske said.

"There was a little arm-twisting involved, but once he got back out there on the grass, I think it kind of hit him (that he missed it)."

Thus the Mounties, who have been a bit down recently and finished 4-5 last year, have a wealth of coaching talent to help get the program clicking again.

Jeske, who played linebacker when he was at Eastern Washington University, has been Rainier's defensive coordinator the last two years.

Schutz coached the Mounties to the B state championship game in 1990 and 1991 and is taking over the offense for Jeske.

"And Pete Zimmerman, my other coach, is kind of out of the same mold as Dan -- very emotional, very intense, very positive," Jeske said.

The Mounties have taken very well to their new bosses.

"Coach Jeske is a hard-working coach, and he's been coaching me since the ninth grade," running back Antony Castle said.

"Coach Schutz is a great motivator. He's really intense and tries his best to make us work hard. He tries to get the full potential out of us all."

One of Schutz's motivational tools has been to give the players a copy of the state title games to show them how the Mounties looked back then.

"We can see how everybody got on the ball," quarterback Mike Wolfe said. "That's something you really want to emulate."

"I always watched those teams to get motivated," Castle added. "It's really fun to watch."

As one might expect, Wolfe and Castle will be two of the most important cogs on a team that has only a couple dozen members.

Castle rushed for 1,063 yards as a sophomore and 1,301 yards last year out of Rainier's off-set I-formation.

At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, Wolfe is the rangy type of quarterback that Schutz likes to run the straight I-formation the Mounties will employ this year.

"Mike is a lot bigger than he was last year and got a lot better at camp this summer," Castle said.

"We should have a lot of success with our offense because we can run really well and have a lot of depth at wide receiver."

So the Mounties will throw the ball more than they have?

"Boy, I hope so," Wolfe said. "The offense we have fits our personnel perfectly.

"It's like the run-and-gun. And our line is so much improved. We will have a lot of time in the pocket if we need it."

The only things Jeske is concerned with is that his team gets a bit more practice on defense, and that it stays healthy with so few bodies available.

"We've worked on our offensive timing the last week," Jeske said.

"But we really have to stay healthy and be lucky. We'll put out a good 11, but we need luck. That's how it is with any program this size -- stay healthy and have a little luck."

The Olympian Copyright 2001

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Rainier Mountaineers

-COACH: Jerrad Jeske (1st year).

-2000 RECORD: 4-5.

-RETURNING STARTERS: 5.

-OFFENSIVE/DEFENSIVE SET: I-formation, 4-4.

-KEY RETURNERS: Antony Castle, RB/LB, sr., 6-0, 185; Mike Wolfe, QB, jr., 6-3, 210; Bobby Tuttle, OL, sr., 6-0, 220; Ryan Keller, FB/LB, so., 6-0, 190.

-STRENGTHS: A small but solid nucleus of returning starters that includes two-time 1,000-plus yard rusher Castle. Also the return of former head coach Dan Schutz as an assistant.

-WEAKNESSES: A lack of depth with just 20-25 players available.

-WHAT TO EXPECT: A team that can be very competitive, as long as it remains healthy.

Schedule

Fri., Sept. 7 at Napavine

Fri., Sept. 14 at Winlock

Fri., Sept. 21 at Ocosta

Fri., Sept. 28 NORTH BEACH

Fri., Oct. 5 ILWACO

Fri., Oct. 12 at Raymond

Fri., Oct. 19 ADNA

Fri., Oct. 26 WHITE PASS

Fri., Nov. 2 at Onalaska

*non-league

Home games in CAPITALS.

All games at 7:30 p.m.