In the last Cascade Conference football coaches poll, released just before the season began, South Whidbey was expected to finish the year in third place behind Archbishop Murphy and Cedarcrest.

“That sounds about right,” said Falcon coach Andy Davis.

“ATM and Cedarcrest are the teams to beat; they always are. Realistically, we want to win all our games, and if we stay injury-free, we can compete against anyone,” he said.

Davis and co-coach Mark Hodson vividly remember when Falcon quarterback Hunter Rawls and running back Henry Mead were injured and missed the final three games last season, of which the only win was a defensive 6-2 victory over Coupeville.

Before that, the team had been 6-1 and was poised to battle for the top spot against Murphy.

The primary concern this year is the running game.

Last year, the Falcon offense rushed the ball 1,760 yards and passed for 1,276 more, a decidedly more balanced attack than South Whidbey has fielded in the past.

But in its first pre-season game in Grandview last week, South Whidbey threw 170 yards but posted only 70 yards on the ground in the 23-15 loss.

“We have some outstanding receivers, and Hunter is becoming a pinpoint thrower,” Davis noted. “But we need to rush the ball better, focusing the attack and making sure our game plan provides equal surprises when we take the field.”

Defensive lineman Joe Kinser said the team is spending quality time this week on positioning and heading downhill at every opportunity.

“Going ‘downhill’ means the defense needs to be more proactive by going straight at the other guys, hard, even if it means missing the tackle,” he said. “When you hit someone, that means you have to stop them.”

He said that, though teammates work hard in practice, it’s the game atmosphere — fans yelling, the lights, the excitement — that gets everyone’s juices flowing.

“We’ve always played well at away games,” he said. “It’s a shame we can’t play more home games for our supporters.”

Because one school changed its schedule at the last minute, Falcon fans only have three chances to watch the team, beginning on Sept. 25 against the Red Wolves.

Hodson confirmed that scrimmages this year were more tightly managed and productive as a more enthusiastic attitude trickled down to the players, especially after last year’s 7-3 winning season.

“This will be another good year for South Whidbey to be competitive as we fine-tune our players,” Hodson said. “We’ve got great kids to work with and a terrific coaching staff.”

Though he has taught history as well as coach for eight years, Hodson wasn’t sure if he would be on campus full-time because of seniority problems. So he and Davis decided to split coaching duties — Hodson for the defense, Davis on offense. Last month, Hodson learned he would be teaching on-site this year after all.

“Nothing will actually change from the last couple of years,” Hodson noted.

The two head coaches will be helped by offensive line coach Greg Bennett, defensive back coach Leo Langer, defensive line coach Don Elliott and running back coach Jim Thompson.

Running back Mead — who likes to be called “The Hank” — remains the go-to guy in the pocket, backed by Sam Lee and fullbacks Danny Zuver and Dustin Varney.

Catching the ball thrown by Rawls — or backup quarterback TJ Russell — will be the rapidly-improving line-up of Duck Hanna, Jon Poolman, Russell, Austin Bennett and Dalton Smith, with Tyler Norris and Dillon Parrick at tight end.

For the coaches, the time to ramp up the drills and overall pace is now.

Balance on the ground and in the air will be a keynote for 2009.

“The key for us is attention to detail, discipline and a well-rounded approach to the game,” Davis said. “Given the spirit and commitment we’ve seen so far, these guys can do it all.”

On Friday, Sept. 18, the team travels to Lakewood for its first Cascade Conference game.

A week later, on Sept. 25. they play at home against the Cedarcrest Red Wolves.