Wolverines’ football team is already showing their skills

By Heather Spaulding • September 26, 2024 1:30 am
Heather Spaulding Staff photo Coach Rob Ross, Jackson Feliz, Eydan Sanchez, Finn Levasheff, Marcos Soto, Coach John Smith (in back) Victor Velasquez, David Markham, Atreyu Welty, Julio Sanabria, Coach Justin Nibler( in back) Jaden Harrison, Vincent Clark, Whiley McCutcheon, Pierce Klein, Cyrus Rollins, Nolan Smith, Nick Chambers, Jace Rodriguez, Mason Smith, Jax Martines, Kelly Donoho, Eydan Sanchez Chavez, Alistar Kinnaman, Izeac Davis, Logan Delgrosso, Boaz Mosses, Canning Kleine, Auden Garner, Rafael Sanabria, Triston Bremer, Cyrus Rollins, Hunter Ross, Irving Ponce, Parker Aylward, Jojo Holt. Phenix Thomas and Djati Kurniadi.
Heather Spaulding Staff photo Coach Rob Ross, Jackson Feliz, Eydan Sanchez, Finn Levasheff, Marcos Soto, Coach John Smith (in back) Victor Velasquez, David Markham, Atreyu Welty, Julio Sanabria, Coach Justin Nibler( in back) Jaden Harrison, Vincent Clark, Whiley McCutcheon, Pierce Klein, Cyrus Rollins, Nolan Smith, Nick Chambers, Jace Rodriguez, Mason Smith, Jax Martines, Kelly Donoho, Eydan Sanchez Chavez, Alistar Kinnaman, Izeac Davis, Logan Delgrosso, Boaz Mosses, Canning Kleine, Auden Garner, Rafael Sanabria, Triston Bremer, Cyrus Rollins, Hunter Ross, Irving Ponce, Parker Aylward, Jojo Holt. Phenix Thomas and Djati Kurniadi.

The Wolverines’ football team has already shown itself to be tough competition with XXX wins, including shutting out the East Jefferson Rivals during the first home game of the season. This is the first year Shawn Kleine serves as head coach, but he is no stranger to either football or coaching.

“I was a part of the very first youth football team that was established in 1993 by Don Galt Senior under the pressures of other coaches like Ruben Woodruff to establish a football program to better compete at the high school level, I’ve always loved coaching youth sports, football, baseball, basketball, anything to be involved with developing young athletes,” Kleine said. When the opportunity to become Friday Harbor head coach came up he jumped,

Kleine started coaching Football in 2013. “Growing up on the island my whole life I had so many great coaches growing up that I felt a need to give back what they had given to me,” He said.

This year is one of the larger football teams in Wolverine history, totaling 39 players this year. “Some of these players, I’ve coached since the age of five at the youth level,’ Kleine noted, so there is already a bond between athlete and coach.

“The main focus as a coaching staff is to translate lessons on a football field into life,” he said. “The teamwork, responsibility, accountability, commitment, and everything else that makes a successful adult moving forward into life.”

The goal for the season, although this will be the first year with this particular coaching staff, is to continue what was started years ago with these young athletes. “All of us have coached these players for years winning multiple championships,” Kleine said.

The biggest rival is Coupeville, as they stand in the Wolverine’s way of a league title. The team, however, is ready for the challenge.

“We have multiple players who have been thinking about playing at the college level and they have been talking to college programs.” Kleine said. Those players include Victor Velasquez, and Pierce Kleine. Whiley McCutcheon is also coming off of an epic season with Allstate nominations on offense and defense player of the year. “We hope the players take away the time and effort that they have put in together as a team for over 10 years. The bonds and lessons learned through football will hopefully translate into their adult lives. This is not a team. It is a family,” Kleine said.