By Jacob Dimond
jake@yelmonline.com
Coming off a historic 14-0 season in the 2022 campaign, the Yelm Tornados, reigning and defending 3A state football champions, have high expectations for the season ahead.
Kicking off at 7:15 p.m. on Sept. 1 at Doc Harris Stadium, the Yelm Tornados will officially begin the new season in a non-conference matchup against the 4A Greater St. Helens League member Camas Papermakers.
During the upcoming 2023 football season, the Tornados will compete for the opportunity to claim its fourth consecutive South Sound Conference championship.
Coach Jason Ronquillo, entering his 10th year as the Tornados’ head coach, said his expectations for the upcoming season are high.
“We have one goal, and it’s to make it back to the state title game and get to Husky Stadium. Once we get there, we want to win it obviously, but our goal is to get to the state championship game,” Ronquillo said. “On the first day of practice, we talked about ‘one mission, no ego.’ I think it’s a tough deal to get over that we won the state championship last year, so it’s a continual battle to make sure we leave our egos in the past and continually focus on getting better every day.”
Ronquillo credits a talented group of returners to the team for making a potential championship repeat a possibility. He pointed to the team’s offensive line and claimed they’d be a big part of the team’s success this season.
“It will start up front with our offensive line and the depth we have there,” Ronquillo said. “We have a really good line right now. We’re returning Landen Barger, Tyler Blevins, Shane Creegan, Kyle Kaaiwela and Chris Hauss up,” Ronquillo said. “A lot of those guys have a lot of playing time under their belt, and they’re kind of the nucleus of the team as we continue developing on the perimeter.”
He added that senior Onyx Carter, former first team all-SSC defensive end, will continue to make big plays for the Tornados. The coach also pointed to senior quarterback Damian Aalona and senior defensive back AJ Henderson as standouts through preseason practices.
In 2022, Yelm’s success gave them the opportunity to play their junior varsity in the second-half of a majority of their varsity competitions. Two athletes who benefitted from that opportunity last season are linebacker Nathan Ford and running back and defensive back Anthony Kiamco.
“Nathan Ford will carry the ball for us, too, but more often than not he’ll be on defense for sure. He’s a super talented kid, and he’s got large shoes to fill behind Ray Wright. But he’s got the work ethic to do it,” Ronquillo said. “Anthony Kiamco is such a great player on both sides of the ball. He just has a motor, and it seems like he never gets tired. He’d start at running back for any team in our league. He’s super talented. I’m really excited to watch him play and get more carries this year, and he’ll also be our starting nickel on defense.”
Standout freshman Maurice Williams will contribute for the Tornados in the upcoming season, and his coach and several teammates had nothing but positive comments about the ninth grader.
“He’ll end up starting for us,” Ronquillo said. “He’s got a lot of learning to do, but I’d say mid-way through the season he’ll be acting like a veteran.”
Quarterback Aalona said Williams has stood out as a receiver throughout summer, and Carter described him as a good athlete who has stepped up and will continue to work hard.
Ronquillo added that active competition throughout the season will keep Tornado athletes motivated. He made it clear to his athletes that they’re “always competing for a spot” and know that, at any given moment, someone can earn a starting spot through performance.
Aalona, who threw 29 touchdowns and just two interceptions in 2022, said he aims to leave his mark on Yelm High School during his senior campaign. He said, in order to get back to the 3A state championship game, the team has to continue to push and keep a winning mentality.
“There’s also some new faces on the team this year, and we got a few guys back that were injured like Gio (Sanchez),” Aalona said. “There’s guys that’ve stepped up from JV and stepped into a varsity role, like Jordan (Lasher), Jameson (Patin) and Jacob Ford. Our whole receiving corps is new besides our one returner, Marius (Aalona). We’ll all step up and keep it going.
“I just want to leave my mark on the school and get back to the state championship,” Aalona continued. “I want to make my family, team and this town proud. Praise God.”
When asked about how the defense will perform after losing key-starters William Carreto, Ray Wright and Kyler Ronquillo, the senior defensive lineman Carter had a simple answer.
“The next guy steps up. The best guy starts, and he’ll learn, play and do what he’s supposed to do,” he said. “We all work together. We know what we have to do, and we get it done.”
He said in order to get on track to another state championship appearance, the team just needs to win. He said they’ll continue to stay focused and grind with their heads down to make it possible.
Senior offensive lineman Tyler Blevins, like his coach, has high expectations for the team and the offensive line.
“The expectations are the same as last year. I’m expecting to put up the same amount of yards or more. I think our offensive line is really well developed, and we have three, three-year starters. We’re expected to perform the same way we did last year,” Blevins said. “Coach (Brian) Foote has been a huge part of getting us ready, especially developing our backups and creating depth. I trust a lot of those guys to go out and perform just like we are.”
Blevins described the upcoming matchup against the Camas Papermakers as being one of the team’s “toughest matchups of the season.” He described the program as being historic and a powerhouse “these last several years.”
“As a football team with a ring under our belt, it’s not going to change us,” Blevins said. “We still have an underdog mentality and that’s important for us.”
The Tornados will open up at home on Sept. 8 against the Union Titans, and Ronquillo said he “can’t wait” to see the crowd and the support they show the team.
