From 1-8 to an Undefeated Season: The Remarkable Story of the Edmonds-Woodway Warriors
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by SSreporters
Back in the 1990's, I was still in diapers growing up in East Bay, California. A thousand miles north was the Edmonds-Woodway Warriors football team in Edmonds, Washington. The Warriors were a bad high school team, no one watched their games according to this report. Head coach John Gradwohl came in and turned this team around. In 2000, they finished 6-3, just missing out on the playoffs. This team was turning around the corner.
Fast forward to 2006, the WesCo 4A team had achieved something none of the other teams from Edmonds High or Woodway High had before the merge, a perfect regular season and a WesCo South championship for the team from Snohomish County in the North Seattle Area. The Warriors, led by then junior QB Kyle McCartney, had an improbable run to the state semi-finals. The incredible story was dashed by Bothell High 28-14. Bothell's dream was dashed by Oak Harbor High 21-14 in a thriller.
The Warriors were devastated, but to finish the regular season undefeated a decade after going 1-8, that is a major accomplishment.
This year, this dream has continued for E-W. They finished the regular season 10-0 again, and dominated Snohomish High and Ballard High by a combined 61-19.
Senior QB Kyle McCartney threw for 17 TD's with just 4 INT's. Their running game has been beyond this world. Junior Tony Heard has averaged 182 yards per game this season, and 2003 rushing yards overall in the 12 games played. Heard also ran for 26 TD's, leading the team in scoring. Their defense continues to be stout, holding their opponents to a combined 130 points (10 in the 1st quarter), in all 12 games. The first half has been the key for the Warriors, who scored 297 of their 430 points there.
Now the seniors on the squad have one last chance to go to Tacoma to play in the state 4A finals. Tomorrow at Memorial Stadium near the Space Needle, the Warriors will face their toughest challenge yet. Eastlake High has lost just 1 game, a 19-13 heart breaker to Bothell High. Can E-W reach the Tacoma Dome for the first time ever?
These last 2 seasons will never be forgotten, and it took one man in coach John Gradwohl, to turn a lousy football program, into a state powerhouse.
