High School Football: Midnight practices jumpstart preseason on the gridiron

Working Nights – Wahkiakum, Woodland and Toutle Lake hit the ground running in 2025

Aug 20, 2025

Wahkiakum’s Joe Merz carries a set of ammunition boxes while working his way through a set of drills conducted by the United State Marine Corps during a midnight practice to open the season on Wednesday, Aug. 20, in Cathlamet. / Photo by Skyler Smith for Blast Zone Media

Jordan Nailon for Blast Zone Media / blastzonenews@gmail.com

High School Football

CATHLAMET — For football freaks and aficionados, the offseason can be a grueling stretch of the calendar. Friday nights lose their luster. Grandstands sit empty and grow cobwebs in the corners. And all the while, bored coaches draw up their X’s and O’s, while idle players dream of glory days and autumnal nights.

So it’s no wonder that several schools in The Blast Zone coverage area were ready to break down the gates and get back to work precisely when WIAA regulations allowed them to do so. Presumably, every prep football team in Washington will have its first preseason practice today (Aug. 20), but the Wahkiakum Mules, Woodland Beavers, and Toutle Lake Fighting Ducks made sure to beat the rooster to the punch by hosting midnight practices this morning in Cathlamet and the fringes of Cowlitz County, respectively.

— Wahkiakum football players are pushed through the paces of a midnight workout by members of the United State Marine Corps on Wednesday, Aug. 20, in Cathlamet. The midnight practices have become a first-day-of-the-season tradition for the Mules, who also enjoy some of the finest grass turf gridirons in all of Washington. / Video by Skyler Smith for Blast Zone Media

Editor’s Note: This is the first installment in our preseason series. Be sure to follow along with our work at blastzonemedia.com in order to learn all about each and every team within The Blast Zone prior to the opening kickoffs.

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“It’s a lot of fun,” promised Wahkiakum head coach Ryan Lorenzo in the hours leading up to the extra special first practice. “We try to keep it fun going into it. And then it’s a little bit of culture shock for some of the guys who aren’t ready for it… We’re going to turn the intensity up this year.”

Members of the United States Marine Corps were on hand in Cathlamet in order to help facilitate a grueling set of conditioning drills. And many of the Mules hit the field primed for the occasion with boot camp style buzz cuts to match their special instructors.

— The Wahkiakum High School football team works through a series of stretches and sprints during a midnight practice on Wednesday, Aug. 20, in Cathlamet. / Video by Skyler Smith for Blast Zone Media —

While the Mules will boast plenty of familiar faces this fall, including quarterback Jayden Stoddard, the Wahkiakum coaching staff has not yet settled on team captains. That’s something that the Mules are more than happy to let sort itself out over the next fortnight of preseason practices.

“We don’t have to have them picked until the first game,” Lorenzo said. “So we’ll see who shows up and who’s going to be the most reliable over these first two weeks.”

— The Wahkiakum football team wraps up a set of jumping jacks before being handed over to the United State Marine Corps for an extended physical conditioning workout during a midnight practice on Aug. 20 in Cathlamet. / Video by Skyler Smith for Blast Zone Media —

Last season the Mules dropped down to the 1B ranks and suffered some early growing pains while learning the intricacies of 8-man football on the fly. But it didn’t take Wahkiakum long to find its groove on the gridiron, with a postseason berth at the end of the road as a reward. That taste of success seems to have motivated the Mules in the offseason, when more than several players made themselves at home in the renovated weight room.

“I’ve got three or four kids who just want it,” Lorenzo said. “They play hard. They play physical.”

— The Wahkiakum Mules work through sets of stretches and sprints during their season-opening midnight practice on Wednesday, Aug. 20, in Cathlamet. The Mules are looking to make a deeper playoff run in their second season back in the 1B ranks. / Video by Skyler Smith for Blast Zone Media —

And if you were wondering how the Mules managed to wake everyone up and get them to the field ready to grind when the clock struck the witching hour, the secret may surprise you. As it turns out, video games are the trick to getting the players to their cathedral on time. The Mules actually arrived en masse a good six to seven hours before practice was set to begin in order to play out their annual Madden Football Tournament before swapping controllers out for cleats.

Wahkiakum will look to unleash their hit-stick in real life when its hosts Taholah in Week 1.

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Double Time in Toutle

The Fighting Ducks not only hit their field running and ready to work at the first possible moment on Wednesday morning; they also doubled down on the fun and got in a pair of practices before the sun came up over the mountain in East Cowlitz County.

Toutle Lake’s first time playing the part of the Midnight Riders came last season during Jacob Green’s first full season as head coach.

“The boys really liked it, so we’re doing it again,” Green said.

The Ducks kept busy during the offseason, and that preparation allowed them to hit the ground running this morning. When the clock struck midnight Toutle Lake went right into offensive individual drills and then progressed into a period dedicated to team offense.

After that first session, the Fighting Ducks retreated to the library to watch film and rest up a bit. Then they hit the gridiron again at 4 a.m. in order to get their reps on the defensive side of the ball.

Last season Toutle Lake finished its campaign with an overall record of 2-7, narrowly missing out on a playoff appearance. This year the Ducks intend to tie down the loose ends that left them on the outside looking in come postseason time.

“Every year that I’m here, the expectation is to be in the playoffs,” Green said.

Toutle Lake is set to host Ilwaco in Week 1.

No Wrest for Woodland

Woodland players take a knee and listen for instructions during a practice in the wee hours of the morning, Wednesday, Aug. 20, at Beaver Stadium. / Photo courtesy of Woodland Football

After repeating as 2A Greater St. Helens League champions in 2024, the Woodland Beavers were chomping at the bit to get back to work this season.

The Beavers took to their home field at midnight on Wednesday, and then followed that session up with another workout at 4 a.m., putting the finishing touches on their first official day of practice just in time to see the sun rise.

The sun says hello, or goodbye, depending on your perspective at Beaver Stadium. The Woodland football team started it season off with a pair of practices beginning at midnight on Wednesday, Aug. 20. / Photo courtesy of Woodland Football

According to head coach Glen Flanagan, Woodland saw 58 players turn out on Day 1.

Editor’s Note: Be sure to check blastzonemedia.com soon for full in-depth previews on the Woodland Beavers, Toutle Lake Fighting Ducks and Wahkiakum Mules, as well as reports on the rest of the teams in The Blast Zone.