Week 1: Fort Vancouver finds silver lining

Trappers struggled on scoreboard but made strides elsewhere

It was the second snap of the season.

The Fort Vancouver Trappers lost a fumble. And they lost their starting quarterback for the game due to an injury.

A tough start indeed. But also an inspiring beginning for new coach Neil Lomax.

He was not at Fort Vancouver last year, nor the previous seasons. But he has heard the rumblings.

“When things got bad, it got worse,” he said he was told.

On Saturday, though, he liked what he saw after such an inauspicious start to the 2018 season.

“We have composure. Our kids are getting more mature as far as keeping their heads about them when others are losing theirs,” Lomax said.

The Trappers, a Class 3A program, dressed 23 players for their varsity game against 1A Seton Catholic. Just 23. So when one gets injured, it is a big deal.

Lomax said his players could have caved. They did not.

Oh, the execution suffered. The game was lost on the scoreboard. But Lomax appreciated the effort from the Trappers.

While it turned into a 40-point loss, Lomax was encouraged by the defense. Seton Catholic, after all, had two defensive touchdowns, and other Fort turnovers gave Seton prime field position.

“Defensively, I was very impressed with how we stayed in proper alignment, in the proper coverage, the proper assignments,” Lomax said.

The Trappers will need to improve the mental approach on offense.

“We were slow and fearful. Can’t be slow and fearful. Gotta play fast and fun,” Lomax said. “We reverted back to old habits. That’s our job, to create these new habits. That’s going to take some time.”

Individually, Lomax shined a spotlight on the play of Nick Laurenza, Jonathen Heather, Anthony Wilhite, and Tyler Runkle on offense. On defense, he pointed out Jonavin Salavea, Myron Lawrence, and Niko Liufau.