If the North Thurston Rams football team could make one wish to the football gods for the 2026 fall season, it would almost certainly be stability.
Chaos clouded the Rams’ 2025 campaign before the calendar flipped to Puget Sound League play. On Sept. 18, 2025, the day North Thurston traveled to Vancouver to face Evergreen in Week 3, then-head coach James Stippich resigned, and defensive coordinator Deon Toliver was asked to step in on an interim basis.
The Rams slogged through an 0-9 season in which they were outscored 352-25, including 208-3 in the month of October.
Toliver interviewed for the head coach position after the season and was named the permanent leader of the program. In his first offseason as the full-time head coach, he’s working his magic to accomplish what he’s done in his three previous stops: get the train back on the tracks, and fast.
As the head coach at Gardena, Leuzinger and Dominguez high schools in California, Toliver turned around losing programs and brought them to the playoffs in a short period of time.
Although he didn’t expect to be at the very forefront of the program’s rebirth, Toliver believes North Thurston will be next on his list of successful rebuilds.
“I’ve been known in the Los Angeles area to pick up a couple of programs, even when I’m the defensive coordinator,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s me or I just don’t like to lose.”
Day one of spring practice Wednesday afternoon at South Sound Stadium was all about discipline, something the Rams struggled to maintain on the field in 2025. From the moment the Rams took the turf field in helmets, shorts and T-shirts — or, to Toliver’s condemnation, no shirts — on Tuesday, everything was centered on controlling the controllables.
For linemen, this entailed discipline at the line of scrimmage. If a lineman jumped offside, the whole group was tasked with up-downs. Linebackers and defensive backs spent time making reads and adjusting their footwork on the fly.
“There’s definitely more discipline. Everything is more strict. You’ve gotta be on time. You’ve gotta do everything right or Coach [Toliver] is gonna get on you, and in a good way,” senior lineman Benjamin Vasquez said. “He’s gonna make you better. We’ve been struggling in the past with flags and unnecessary stuff, or we haven’t been taking practice seriously. Coach T is getting on that, and he’s making the captains take more accountability.”
Another problem for the Rams in the past has been tackling, and the coaching staff spent plenty of time emphasizing proper tackling techniques. Players practiced getting off blocks before chasing down and tackling a moving padded tire.
Offensively, it seemed as if nothing could go right for North Thurston a season ago. Toliver said this season should produce more points on the scoreboard with the correct personnel, led by junior quarterback Nicholas Nutu, a transfer from Olympia. The lefty gunslinger has quickly adapted to what he called a “brotherhood” at North Thurston and has established himself as a leader within the offense.
“I’m trying to be a little more vocal and trying to talk with the guys and get to know them,” Nutu said. “I try not to yell at them but be firm with them to make sure we’re all doing what we’re supposed to and get to where we’re supposed to be.”
The Rams’ running back room, which Toliver described as a “raw group,” will be anchored by sophomore Toa Tunai and junior Tasesa Maiava. Senior wideout Jackson Brewer will likely miss the first couple games with a hamstring injury, but he will be one of the prominent passcatchers upon his return along with former quarterback Mateo Henry, Toliver’s grandson Deyton Toliver, Embry Washburn and Darius Lane.
Up front, the offensive line has spent extra time training and getting reps, which has caught the eyes of people around the program. Vasquez and sophomore Pepe Neemia are among the returners. But with the Rams facing teams like Timberline, Lakes and Peninsula with towering and talented linemen, Coach Toliver hopes his offensive line can step up to the task every Friday night.
“We’re gonna have to get the ball out fast, and we’re gonna have to play fast and hard. They’re definitely gonna outnumber us, and they’re probably gonna be stronger than us,” Toliver said. “If we can hold our own, I think the rest of the guys can hold their own, as well.”
North Thurston flashed its talent on defense at times in 2025, particularly in the linebacker room. Toliver believes Tunai is a college-caliber linebacker just one season into his prep career, as he and senior Colton Ranes were both All-PSL Second Team selections last fall. Senior William Doerrheim is another returning veteran in the linebacker room who picked up an All-PSL honorable mention.
Vasquez will lead a defensive line that loses a key veteran in Henry Hovde, and the secondary must find a temporary free safety to replace the injured Brewer. Seniors Josiah Tucker and Deashawn Manning will be among the playmakers at cornerback.
In a small class of just under 20 freshmen, Toliver has been impressed with the efforts of Sebastian Alagar, Silas Egelhoff and Tyrell Bethel so far.
Toliver will call the offensive plays, while former River Ridge head coach Kyle Dunn is in his second season as the defensive coordinator at North Thurston.
The 2026 schedule will feature a non-league slate that includes road games at Mountain View and Rogers (Puyallup) and a home contest against Shelton. North Thurston will open up PSL action with three consecutive games against teams that will contend for the top of the Nisqually Division in Lakes, Timberline and Peninsula.
Historically speaking, Toliver has been proven to be the right man to fix a struggling program like North Thurston, which has a record of 6-31 over the last four seasons. If North Thurston can surprise a couple of PSL teams in 2026 and make a run at a postseason berth, it will be evident that the Rams got their wish from the football gods in their search for stability and growth.
“I believe in coaching. I believe that coaching can change a lot of things. I’m old school. I think my mentality goes to them,” Toliver said. “They listen, and they know how I want it to be. If they care enough, then they’ll play like I want them to play because of how I bring it to them. I don’t hold no punches. I ain’t your mama.”
