High School Football: Toutle Lake taking tackling seriously in 2025
Fowl Play – Fighting Ducks fixing their eyes on a postseason flight this fall
Jordan Nailon for Blast Zone Media / blastzonenews@gmail.com
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
The Basics
Team: Toutle Lake Fighting Ducks
Head Coach: Jacob Green, second full season
Helmets: White
League/Division: Central 2B League East
Last Year’s Record: 2-7, 1-5 Division
Finished 6th in C2BL East. No playoffs.
TOUTLE — The secret at preseason football camp in Toutle this year is this – there is no secret to success. It’s all about the number of bodies you start with, the healthy bodies you end with, and how you put them in motion in between.
And with that in mind, the Fighting Ducks made sure to line up as many two-a-day practices as possible over the first two weeks of the season. They’re working to make the most of their time, and to make the most of themselves before those Friday night lights flip on.
And the Ducks of East Cowlitz County didn’t wait until the last throes of summer to work on their formation and fitness.
“Went to a passing league with Kelso and Mark Morris and R.A. Long and W.F. West just to expose our kids to a different look and a different level than they’ve become used to,” Toutle Lake head coach Jacob Green said.
And the Ducks weren’t simply serving as table fodder for those bigger schools in the summer. They were hanging tough, and winning, all along the way. It’s that sort of work that has Toutle Lake believing this year will be different than those of recent memory.
Last season the Ducks picked up wins over Fort Vancouver and Winlock early in the schedule, but then wound up dropping their final six contests. A 42-37 loss at Mossyrock in Week 6 was bad news for Toutle Lake’s playoff hopes, and a 60-56 loss at home to Rainier (WA) in Week 7 served as the disappointing writing on the wall.
But the Fighting Ducks aren’t letting last season’s slide to the finish line cast a shadow upon their outlook for this season. Instead, they’re holding each other accountable and setting their sights high while they work out the differences between the I-formation and the Flying V.
— Toutle Lake’s Justin Offutt (blue) runs a reverse for big yardage before being tackle by teammate David Reynolds (white) during the Blue and White Scrimmage, Saturday, Aug. 23, in Toutle. / Video by Catrina Webber —
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