The Naselle offense will be led by junior first team all-league quarterback Jacob Lindstrom, on left, and junior running back Jack Strange, right, an all-league selection at wide receiver last season.

NASELLE — A fast and athletic Naselle football team plans to use their team speed to carry them back to the postseason this fall.

The Comets, ranked fifth in preseason WIAA 1B Top 10, are considered among the best 8-man football teams in the state heading into the 2023 season, led by junior first team all-league quarterback Jacob Lindstrom. Lindstrom will be joined by junior running back Jack Strange, an all-league selection at wide receiver last season. Sophomore first-team all-league kicker Scott Henington will handle the special teams duties this fall.

Naselle will compete in the 8-team 1B Southwest Division, along with Chief Leschi, Mossyrock, Muckleshoot Tribal, Oakville, Sound Christian, Taholah and Winlock. Last season, Naselle finished second in the division behind Mossyrock, who defeated the Comets 64-42 during the regular season. The Comets ultimately fell in the state playoffs to Odessa in a 76-74 shootout, capping a solid 10-3 campaign.

Graduated however are 2,000-yard running back Kolten Lindstrom and defensive stalwart Elmer Toftemark from that successful run, but the Comets return a core of players that have tasted the same postseason success.

“We only have two seniors, but we have five returning starters on each side of the ball. We have a nucleus,” said head coach Kevin McNulty, returning for his 37th season as a football coach overall, and his third since returning to the Naselle sideline in 2021.

“We have decent numbers for us. We have 20 players, and that’s the biggest turnout we’ve had in the past three years.”

Need for speed

The Comets will be tested the first week of the season against Quilcene, the 10th-ranked 1B team in the state.

“The concern is the big, physical teams. We’re going to find out week 1 against Quilcene. They’re ranked in the top 10 and so are we,” McNulty said. “And, of course, our nemesis in our league is Mossyrock. They’re big and physical with good numbers. This is their last year in 1B before they move up. Mossyrock and Neah Bay will be the teams on the west side to look out for, but the east side has a few as well. We’re hoping to be in the mix at the end of the season.”

Naselle junior lineman William Anderson, a second-team all-league selection last season, is the sole player over 200 pounds on the roster. Anderson will be counted on to anchor the offensive line while matching other teams’ mite in the middle of the Comet defense.

“We’re not big. We have one kid over 200 pounds on our team, but the thing we do well is run. We have good team speed, so that’s always an asset in football, but especially in eight-man. Sometimes those big kids that can’t move are more detrimental than someone that can run,” McNulty said.

With a strong returning cast of players that have experienced postseason success, the sky is the limit for the Comets this season.

“The kids have some goals that we didn’t get to last year, it was a tough loss (to Odessa) to end the season. The kids are looking forward to getting going. We’re going to grow each week,” McNulty said.

Naselle will deploy a multi-formation offensive attack that stems from the ‘I’ formation.

“We traditionally do a lot of spread stuff with motion and options. We’re still going to continue to do that, but we’ll have a little bit of ‘I’ form. Everything we do starts with ‘I’ formation, then it evolves from there,” McNulty said.

“Defensively we’re going to be aggressive and come after you. It bodes well with us, especially with our team speed. Our test will be how we step up to the big, physical teams.”

Naselle football

Sept. 2 Quicene (a) 1 p.m.

Sept. 8 Ocosta (h)

Sept. 16 Sound Christian (a) 6 p.m.

Sept. 22 Winlock (h)

Sept. 29 Oakville (a)

Oct. 6 Muckleshoot Tribal (h)

Oct. 13 Mossyrock (a)

Oct. 21 Taholah (a)

Oct. 27 Chef Leschi (h) “senior night”

Games at 7 p.m. unless otherwise indicated