The prep football season is upon us and that means one thing — bring it on, Ryan.

For the past eight months I’ve had to grudgingly put up with the incessant smack talk of my partner in crime, Ryan Divish. The Montana native managed to beat me every which way but sideways in our prep picks contest last season. And I’ve pretty much been reminded of that fact every day since November — if not by Ryan then by other TNT sports staffers who like nothing more than to whack people when they’re down like a candy-starved school kid

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Signs were more than telling in Nick Mullen finding a new residence in high

school football.

For starters, the main road leading to Timberline High School is none other

than Mullen Road.

Mullen played for the Puget Sound Loggers. He’s coaching the Timberline

Blazers (incidentally, there is a minor tree removal project going on in

front of the school this week).

Hired for his first head-coaching job in Lacey was an easy transition. His

wife, Julie, works for the city.

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Near the end of a late-morning football practice Monday at Lakes High School, an endless stream of puffy dark clouds moved in over 11-on-11 drills.

An ominous sign for Lancers’ opponents in 2007?

It could be.

This is arguably Lakes’ most talented squad in coach Dave Miller’s eight seasons. He has super-talent Kavario Middleton, the state’s top NCAA Division I recruit, back on the field. He’s 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds. He makes the tough catches, high and low. He sheds blockers. He punishes whoever gets in his path

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Kevin Hanis looked around the Mount Tahoma Stadium and couldn’t help but smile.

Of course, the pristine facility still seems brand new with its spotless field turf and modern stands. But it was the players running around the field that had Hanis grinning.



You see at just about every position, whether it was defensive line, linebacker or defensive back (Thursday was a defensive practice) there was speed to burn.

"We have some speed," Hanis said. "You can’t teach that."

And you can never have enough.

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There’s something comforting about seeing Tom Ingles walking around Sparks Stadium with a whistle around his neck. The longtime prep football coach is back for another year, leading perennial power Puyallup into the 2007 season.

And once again it looks like the Vikings should have a pretty solid squad. Sure they lost some very good players to graduation. FS/RB Aaron Brown is playing college football in California, and TNT all-area offensive lineman David Tyler is at Idaho State. Also gone is OL/DL Chris Duenas, feisty LB Nick Goretti, FB/LB Jeff Killsgaard and all-conference kicker Mike Jarrett.

But

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No more Roman Pula? Apparently that’s no problem for the Lincoln Abes, who return back to the comfy confines of Lincoln Bowl after a one-year absence.

Pula, the hard-to-tackle running back who started at Lincoln since he was a freshman, is now plying his trade at Eastern Washington University.

But the boys at Lincoln believe they will be just fine, according to seniors Gerrell Wilkins and Chad Walker. They will heed Pula’s advice by working hard and playing with intensity. But they also believe they have enough talent and senior leadership

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Wednesday morning provided an opportunity for 27 players to put on football pads for the first time — ever.

Evergreen Lutheran – a small, private school in Des Moines — started a football program from scratch for the first time in school history this season.

Most of the players had never played football before, and got their first taste of popping pads at Zenith Park, with a 100-yard field chalked by head coach Jeff Kurbis.

Kurbis, shown above, coached football in Arizona. He led the effort to get

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Like all high football practices that open today across the South Sound, optimism reigned at the Bellarmine Prep practice field Wednesday morning.

But the Lions, members of the Narrows Bay Division, have reason to be positive after a 5-5 campaign last season beset by injuries and a lot of green individuals getting varsity playing experience.

Bellarmine returns all 11 starters on offense and nine on defense this season.

Junior Lucas Schindele, shown above, will lead the lions offensively. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound quarterback has gotten the attention of some college scouts over

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