"I thought Ritzville had the best team in state by far," Graham recalled. "They whacked us pretty good when we played them the first time."

A couple of weeks later in the Tacoma Dome, Reardan turned the tables on its rival on a spectacular effort by Mason Garner at Grid Classic for the state title.

"I knew we'd go into the playoffs pretty deep, but getting a chance at the state finals and winning it is something special," said Graham. "For a guy who's been around awhile it was a bonus."

A repeat would be nice. But Graham, who says this is his last year as head coach, his 12th at the helm and 28th season overall in Reardan, doesn't necessarily consider his team a lock.

"At our level, you're one injury away from being pretty mediocre," he said. "You only have to lose one or two players to be very average very fast. It's the nature of B football."

Graham has compiled a 90-21 overall record and made 9 playoff trips in the last 10 years since taking over from Gene Smith.

The road to a repeat title, while doable, will not be easy, even with Lind-Ritzville gone to the Northeast A League this season.

Davenport and Wilbur-Creston will be threats within the Northeast B. And Southeast B-11 DeSales, which lost to Lind-Ritzville in the playoff quarterfinals, had only three seniors on its entire roster.

Waitsburg with several fourth-year varsity starters among its 11 seniors, and state semifinalist Pomeroy will again be very much in the thick of things.

Reardan, in Graham's swan-song, returns quarterback and all-state defensive back Garner.

"Mason's a football kid," said Graham. "He's a little pipsqueak, but he thinks he's big and that's all that matters."

Rushing standout Thomas Cassleberry and linemen Josh Cobb, an all-state tackle, and Jeramy Alberts also provide leadership on a team that returns nearly two-thirds of its roster.

"Dan's going to be number one," said Davenport coach Skip Pauls, part of the Northeast B triumvirate that has dominated regular and post-season play over the years. "And Wilbur-Creston is going to be good."

Expect the Gorillas to be good as well. They have 14 seniors, with three line starters, the backfield and wide receivers all returning. Like Graham and other B-11 coaching cohorts, Pauls said his team can't afford to get bit by the injury bug.

"We'll get stronger as the year goes on," Pauls said.

Graham is in his 34th year of education. He coached two years at Rosalia before moving to Reardan where he remains a teacher on the retire/re-hire plan.

And though he says it's time to move on, Graham isn't ready to retire entirely, and would look at other coaching options.

"I'd like to find another job," he said. "I'm too young to totally retire. If somebody needs somebody part time I'll look into that. Otherwise I'll be flipping burgers at Burger King."

B-8

LaCrosse-Washtucna and Touchet from the Southeast B-8 League, went one-two at Gridiron Classic in Tacoma last year.

Their league has expanded to nine teams., including Garfield-Palouse and St. John-Endicott from the B-11 ranks.

"We are not eligible for playoffs, so I haven't even looked into where we would place," said third-year Gar-Pal coach Craig Brantner. "I'm just looking for a great experience for our kids."

Both Columbia (Hunters) and Sprague-Harrington went deep into the playoffs from the Northeast B-8 League and will be just as potent if not more so.

"We have high expectations," said Lions coach Chuck Wyborney. "We will get after people."

Sprague-Harrington has a new coach in Darin Reppe, promoted from offensive coordinator. Reppe is a 1992 graduate of and former assistant at Touchet, against whom the Falcons open the season on Friday.

"We will be tested early, opening at a perennial power, then playing Oregon 8-man power Dufur (a five-time state champ since 1994)," he said.