TUMWATER — A whopping 32 schools from around Washington state flocked to Tumwater this weekend for the Thurston County Team Football Camp, which included seven programs from Thurston County.
Capital, North Thurston, Olympia, River Ridge, Tenino, Timberline and Tumwater suited up in helmets and pads for three 45-minute varsity scrimmages and two 45-minute JV/C-team scrimmages Friday and Saturday.
The sample size is fairly small, with each varsity team competing on the gridiron for two hours and 15 minutes each day, if they were in attendance both days. But every Thurston County squad displayed signs of what Friday nights will look like around the county during the exciting camp.
Here are a couple of takeaways from what each Thurston County team showed on Saturday, excluding North Thurston, which competed at the camp Friday but not Saturday.
Capital Cougars
The Capital Cougars will be a much younger team than they’ve been in recent memory, as 21 seniors from last year’s squad recently graduated.
Minimal starters are back on both sides of the ball, but the Cougars will get starting quarterback Nolan Potts back after he suffered a broken leg in the fourth game of the season last fall. Sophomore running back EJ Singleton popped a couple of big runs for the Cougars on Saturday, and junior Nolen Rea will also be involved on offense. Three returning starters at receiver helped Potts feel comfortable in the pocket during the camp.
However, the entire offensive line is made up of new starters, and only three defenders were starters last year, two of which weren’t in town for this weekend’s camp.
It will be a rebuilding season for Capital, but head coach Terry Rose has seen some potential out of his young squad. Freshman free safety Landon Bartlett flashed his skills in the secondary and should get plenty of playing time on Fridays.
“Our linebackers are pretty strong and solid, and they have experience playing on Friday nights. We have corners that are brand new,” Rose said. “It’s a puzzle that we’re putting together.”
Without returning starting defensive tackle Karver Bulloch, Capital’s defensive line still wreaked some havoc against Emerald Ridge and Jackson, but overall, the defense will be a work in progress with a handful of new pieces.
Olympia Bears
Olympia, under new head coach Cary Nagel, will deploy an entertaining offense this season, led by rising senior quarterback Tucker Downing and senior running back Aden Carr. Carr torched defenses all weekend, scoring multiple times on outside runs. Carr brings the lightning to the backfield while David Ukwu brings the thunder with a powerful rushing style.
Some offensive penalties prevented more scores for the Bears offense on Saturday, but the potential for a fun offense is there. Olympia held its own against a formidable Bellevue team to close out the morning session of the camp.
“I saw improvement as the day went along with getting more confident in the things we do. The physicality started to rise, which was really good for the coaching staff and the kids to see,” Nagel said.
While a couple of key pieces from last year’s defense graduated, including First Team All-State linebacker Hunter Liberty and First Team All-SPSL linebacker Austin Stull, most of the starters are back. The secondary is loaded with experience in Braden Barrett, Charlie DeBord, Kameron Kronmeyer and Carr, and edge rusher Braydon Cook will be a menace for opposing backfields after a First Team All-SPSL campaign last year.
Nagel aims to bring an elevated level of physicality to the Bears in his first season, and Olympia showed its muscle all day Saturday. Physicality and experience will play in Oly’s favor in 2026.
River Ridge Hawks
Following a disappointing 2-7 season in 2025, the River Ridge Hawks believe they have the pieces in place for a turnaround campaign under second-year head coach Tim Claridge.
The headliner is a returner at quarterback, somewhat. Ryzen Nunez, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound quarterback and defensive end, is back at signal caller after taking snaps as a freshman and taking two years off from the position. The left-handed quarterback brings mobility, physicality, athleticism and a high IQ to the field for the Hawks offense.
River Ridge’s run game will be fueled by Ozias Tinitali and Xavier Street, and the Hawks will look to present multiple formations under new offensive coordinator Kendall Johnson. Defensively, River Ridge was especially impressive in goal-line reps against White River, holding the Hornets out of the end zone and stuffing the rushing attack.
Two of the Hawks biggest offseason additions are brothers Ayden and Zay Rookwood, who moved from Kansas. They’ll line up at wide receiver and cornerback for the Hawks.
But, in Claridge’s eyes, the most significant change this offseason has come from the hires of Johnson at offensive coordinator and Adam Kulhawik at defensive coordinator.
“Both of those guys have brought a different vibe to the team and a different level of football IQ to the field that we’ve really needed,” Claridge said. “I think the players are responding extremely well to them as coordinators, and it’s something that’s bringing some good vibrance to the team. I think we have the talent to be extremely competitive going into the season.”
Tenino Beavers
Tenino’s defense was a force to be reckoned with in 2025, and it appears that will be the case again in 2026.
Linebacker Parker Minerich is the “heart and soul” of the defense, according to Beavers head coach Darren Tinnerstet, and he was a menace on the field on Saturday. Not many hits could rival one he had against a run in the backfield against Lakewood in the second scrimmage of the day, as he blew up the play immediately with the loudest pop of the weekend. He also intercepted a pass in that same scrimmage.
Minerich will be involved on offense in a new-look backfield that includes former starting quarterback Mason Metcalf, who is transitioning into a running back. Sophomore Evan Morey will take over as the starting quarterback. Metcalf was dicing up the Mark Morris defense in the third and final scrimmage of the day.
“Mason’s the fastest guy on our team, and he runs hard. We were light at the running back position. We experimented with it, and we think we’ve found a home for him,” Tinnerstet said. “It’s going to be fun to watch. He’s pretty special.”
Tinnerstet added that Morey “pushed” Metcalf and was “nipping at his heels,” and Metcalf was more than open to the idea of switching to running back.
Tenino has size and experience in the trenches, headlined by Jeremiah McKague and Sawyer Noonan. The secondary is young but was one of the most communicative units on the field of all the area teams throughout Saturday’s action.
Tenino will have a challenging non-league schedule with tests against Rainier, Kalama, Tenino and Napavine, and its two crucial Evergreen League matchups against Rochester and Montesano will both be at home. This appears to be the Beavers’ best shot at a league title with a senior-heavy roster, but not if the Warriors and the Bulldogs have anything to say about it.
“Our goal this year is to compete for a league title. We’ve got to beat Rochester and we’ve got to beat Monte,” Tinnerstet said. “In years past, it’s come down to that. We have to take care of business.”
Timberline Blazers
Timberline’s defense will be electric in 2026.
After a 1-9 season in 2024, the Blazers improved with a 5-5 campaign in 2025, largely due to a step up from the defense. Many of the players responsible for that spark are back, and Timberline also added a few pieces, including University of Washington commit Maurice Williams at cornerback.
Oregon State commit and defensive tackle Kataferu Galoia was a monster up front, frustrating playcallers all day by bursting into the backfield repeatedly. No one was able to consistently handle his speed off the ball, and Galoia made them pay for it.
Head coach James Jones said the entire defense has matured and has put in the time on the field and in the weight room. The defensive front shined at times against a physical Bellevue team.
“They’ve done the work to be better, and now we’re seeing it out here. Our front guys are ferocious,” Jones said. “They play hard, they’re big, they’re fast, and they do what they’re supposed to do. When we have all of our guys healthy on the back end, they can cover and tackle.”
Williams, who also lines up at receiver, has been dealing with injuries and did not suit up for the camp, and neither did Timberline’s other two top wideouts. Running back Cooper Jones took the bulk of the offensive workload during Timberline’s scrimmages, and he was unstoppable, seemingly getting stronger as the day went on.
“When things aren’t going great, we just turn around and give the ball to Cooper,” Jones said with a laugh. “That solves a lot of problems.”
Tumwater Thunderbirds
The best programs reload, and Tumwater appears to have reloaded. The T-Birds, fresh off of their third consecutive state championship game appearance, lost some significant contributors like quarterback Jaxon Budd, running back Peyton Davis, lineman Vann Hannukaine and running back/linebacker Blake Heryford.
But Tumwater is always prepared for such losses due to its depth year after year. Senior quarterback Jake Reid will take the reins from Budd after “waiting in the shadows,” head coach William Garrow said.
“He’s in control. It’s his offense,” Garrow said of Reid. “He loves competing. He’s smart as all get out. He runs our offense really well, and he’s going to do an awesome job.”
Tumwater’s rushing attack was just as potent as ever behind Grady Wall, Tyler Briscoe and Jayden Hinchcliffe, who torched just about every opponent they faced. Jacob Riedl and Alex Stewart also got some reps against Capital and produced chunk plays. The Thunderbirds’ misdirection on offense was a problem for defenses all day.
“They looked the part out there,” Garrow said of the running backs. “I was pleased with their effort.”
Tumwater’s defensive line was one of the most consistent units amid the team’s run to Husky Stadium last fall, and the secondary, led by Harvard commit Ethan Bello, will force plenty of turnovers.
The T-Birds’ schedule will look a bit different this fall with the football merger of the EvCo and the GSHL. Tumwater will host Ridgefield and take trips to Woodland and Mark Morris, and the T-Birds will also get Black Hills at home and Aberdeen and W.F. West on the road.
