2012 Football Preview: North Thurston and Rochester

North Thurston: Rams set at running back
Rochester: Warriors seeking turnaround

NORTH THURSTON RAMS
Coach: Rocky Patchin, 21st year
2011 record: 9-2, 2nd in EvCo; lost in 2A first round.
Offense: Coordinator (set) – Pete Smith (offset I).
Returning starters – 6.
Top players – RB Brandon Belisario, 5-11, 195, Sr.; TE Josh Cahill, 6-3, 205, Jr.; OL Ryan Glendenning, 5-11, 210, Sr.; RB Ande Grantham, 6-1, 220, Sr.; RB Mo Manning, 6-1, 185, Sr.
Defense: Coordinator (set) – Pat Dahl (4-4).
Returning starters – 6.
Top players – DL Ryan Glendenning, 5-11, 210, Sr.; DB Tru Hicks, 6-1, 185, Sr.; LB Hayden Maliska, 5-11, 195, Jr.; DL Alex Rice, 6-6, 315, Jr.
Outlook: What a 2011 season for the Rams, who won nine games (most since 2000) and scored nearly 42.0 points per outing. A big part of that attack – quarterback Ben Broeker, the Evergreen Conference offense MVP – is gone. But Belisario, Manning, Grantham and Maliska give Patchin his deepest group of tailbacks in two decades.

2012 North Thurston Football Schedule
Home games in CAPS. All games at 7 p.m.
* 3A Narrows League game
Friday, Aug. 31 -- at Steilacoom
Thursday, Sept. 6 -- BLACK HILLS
Thursday, Sept. 13 -- FOSS *
Friday, Sept. 21 -- at Lincoln *
Saturday, Sept. 29 -- WILSON *
Friday, Oct. 5 -- TUMWATER
Friday, Oct. 12 -- at Shelton *
Friday, Oct. 19 -- TIMBERLINE *
Friday, Oct. 26 -- at Mount Tahoma *

ROCHESTER WARRIORS
Coach: Chris Barnes, first year
2011 record: 1-8 overall.
Offense: Coordinator (set) – Chris Barnes (spread)
Returning starters – 7.
Top players: QB/DB Tyler Gedney, 6-1, 195, Jr.; RB/DB Tyler Yarber, 5-7, 150, Jr.; WR/DB Alex Markva, 5-8, 135, Sr.; OL Colton Smith, 6-3, 190, Sr.
Defense: Coordinator (set) – AJ Easley (4-4).
Returning starters – 7.
Top players: DT Matt Shields, 5-7, 220, Soph; LB Jacob Lambert, 5-11, 195, Jr.
Outlook: With Barnes at the helm, he is now the Warriors’ third coach in three years. Winning, too, has been hard to come by for Rochester, going 2-16 the past two seasons. Gedney, the starting QB, hasn’t had a full season of football since 2010. He only played in one series last year before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.

2012 Rochester Football Schedule
Home games in CAPS. All games at 7 p.m.
* Southwest Washington 1A Evergreen game
Friday, Aug. 31 -- RIDGEFIELD
Friday, Sept. 7 -- RA LONG
Friday, Sept. 14 -- at Rainier *
Friday, Sept. 21 -- at Hoquiam *
Friday, Sept. 28 -- ELMA *
Friday, Oct. 5 -- MONTESANO *
Friday, Oct. 12 -- at Forks *
Friday, Oct. 19 -- at Stevenson
Friday, Oct. 26 -- TENINO *