With Harper at helm, Enumclaw’s path to a title is paved in new-look 2A SPSL
As the clock dwindled and the Hornets trailed, Malcolm Harper found himself where he least expected: in the huddle and at the helm.
It was 2019, and Harper was merely a sophomore backup quarterback. But then-starter Cameron Brauer took a shot to the head and left the game. The injury forced Brauer off the field, and Enumclaw sent Harper onto the field, down three in the final minutes in a meeting with Todd Beamer.
Harper grouped his teammates together, and relayed a simple message: We’re going to go win the game.
“I was like, you know what, this is the game right here,” Harper said. “This is my point to prove. I felt like if I proved my point, then I could play. And that’s what happened. We went down there and scored and won the game, and I proved my point.”
Harper led Enumclaw to a fourth-quarter comeback in what became a 21-17 victory over Todd Beamer two years ago. It was his only appearance that season as QB — and as a junior last spring, Harper contributed to a timeshare at the position, but this time around, Harper has the starting job to himself.
“It’s like Matt Hasselbeck (with the Seahawks in 2004), you know, ‘We’re gonna get the ball and go score.’ But he actually did it,” Coach Mark Gunderson said with a laugh, referencing the quarterback’s famous coin-flip gaffe.
Enumclaw posted a 3-2 record in their inaugural season with the 2A SPSL, but the scoreboard may tell a better story than the standings. The Hornets lost to Steilacoom and Eatonville by a combined 19 points, and outscored teams 161-24 across a three-game win streak.
Their season-opening loss to the eventual league-champion Steilacoom Sentinels was by a score of 14-7, and Enumclaw had a chance to tie the game late in the fourth quarter.
Against an undefeated team with an offense that consistently threw 40-plus points on the scoreboard, Enumclaw held their own.
“We definitely think that we can play with anybody,” Gunderson told The News Tribune. “We can move the ball on anybody, and we’re gonna make teams beat us. We’ve got a solid rushing attack and passing attack (where) if you miss a tackle, it could be fight-song time.”
If Enumclaw wants to pounce on the league, now’s their chance; Steilacoom graduated standouts such as the nationally top-ranked receiver Emeka Egbuka and TNT All-Area receiver Logan Brady and quarterback Chance McDonald. Eatonville, meanwhile, no longer competes in 2A. The stage is set, and the path is clear.
“We’re a scrappy bunch,” Gunderson said. “We’re not going to just give points away. We make teams sustain drives and things like that. … We have tough kids. We’ve got disciplined kids that like to be coached hard.”
They’ll return five starters on each side of the ball, and 21 of Enumclaw’s projected 22 starters have seen varsity time.
They’re made up of leaders, too. Last Tuesday, one of Enumclaw’s offensive linemen stood up in the locker room after practice to make a promise: he’d stay after practice every day, and answer questions from any newly-named starters.
“I mean, we didn’t tell him to do that,” Gunderson said. “That’s our leadership, you know? (It’s) unity... it’s nice to see your kids doing that.”
Dylan Watterson is another Hornet you’ll see flying around at Pete’s Pool this season. Named an all-league defensive back last spring, and starting at wide receiver, too, Watterson squats 450 pounds, and becomes a threat to find the end zone whenever the ball is in his hands.
“He could play any position he wanted to,” Harper said of Watterson. “You put him (somewhere), and he’ll play it.
“And he’ll be the best at it.”
Both Harper and Watterson have one season remaining on the high school team, but it’s far from the first. As early as elementary school, the duo lined up together on the field, building a very strong rapport.
“We have chemistry when we’re playing, but it’s not even that he knows where I’m at,” Watterson said of his quarterback. “When he scans the field, he’s smart enough to make the right decisions… I have full confidence in him leading us to a championship for sure.”
Enumclaw spent their summer conditioning. In an attempt to become faster, the Hornets focused on sprinting and agility after their daily weight room sessions. They took advantage of last spring’s unorthodox season, quickly commencing spring and summer camps soon after.
And because they jumped right into preseason training, the team is ahead of where they’ve ever been, Gunderson said. The Hornets consistently reached the playoffs in recent years, but have yet to advance beyond the first round.
They’re ready to change that.
“We are a really close team,” Watterson said. “Sometimes we say it’s like a family-type thing. We’re really close, and we have that bond that I feel like not very many teams have. And that’s why we can compete with those teams that are up there.”
ENUMCLAW HORNETS
Coach: Mark Gunderson, 10th year
Spring 2021 record: 3-2, fourth place in 2A SPSL
Offensive coordinator, base scheme: Lauren Standiford, 2 back-multiple
Defensive coordinator, base scheme: Mark Gunderson, 5-2
Top players: CB/RB/WR Dylan Watterson, 5’9, 175, sr; QB Malcolm Harper, 5’11, 165, sr; RB Dawson Harding, 5’9, 175; C Zeke Luchi, 6’1, 265; S Emmit Otero, 5’9, 170; DL Keanu Lafaele, 6’1, 245; OLB Austin Paulson, 6’1, 180.
Outlook: Enumclaw posted a 3-2 record last spring, but the scoreboard may tell a better story than the standings. The Hornets lost two games by a combined 19 points, and won the others by a combined 137. Malcolm Harper leads the Hornets offense after appearing once as a sophomore and splitting time as the quarterback last spring. Lifelong teammate Dylan Watterson looks to start on both sides of the ball. After Eatonville moved to 1A -- and Steilacoom graduated a star-studded senior class -- the Hornets now have their chance at a deep postseason run.
This story was originally published August 29, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "With Harper at helm, Enumclaw’s path to a title is paved in new-look 2A SPSL."