Naselle players and staff surround head coach Jeff Eaton after a 48-22 victory in his final game as head coach on Thursday, March 18 in Naselle.

NASELLE — Does a coach teach football or life lessons?

Jeff Eaton hopes he has done both.

The Comets’ long-time head coach is retiring after being the program’s backbone for three decades.

He made public his decision to retire at Thursday’s season-ending game against Mossyrock.

“I have been thinking about it for a couple of seasons,” said Eaton, who built a squad of just 12 into a winning unit. “This one has been a pretty challenging year.”

Pull Quote

‘I am pretty laid back, but football does bring out some stuff.’

— Jeff Eaton

Retiring Naselle football coach

With free time looming this fall, he is eager to catch up on 30 years of missed elk and deer hunting.

So how will fans remember the Eaton Era?

“I think I have done a good job,” he said, uncomfortable when asked to measure his own success. “I did it because I always wanted to — I wouldn’t have wanted to do it anywhere else. I love the community and the school and wanted to give back.”

Taking on a challenge

Eaton is 57. He grew up in Naselle, sharing a Halloween birthdate with life-long friend Kevin McNulty, who lived next door and also became a coach and educator. Eaton was initiated into the mysteries of the offensive line in seventh grade, and even kicked field goals during his school years.

He graduated from Naselle High School in 1982 then played lineman at Western Washington University for three years before transferring to Eastern to complete his degree in community health and physical education.

He returned to his hometown to work at the Naselle Youth Camp. Eaton joined McNulty as Ilwaco’s defensive coordinator for a year in 1988 before coaching legend Lyle Patterson, their highly respected mentor during high school, asked both men about the Naselle job. Eaton said McNulty declined because he had made a commitment to the Fishermen.

“It was a challenge and something I wanted to do,” Eaton recalled. It meant taking a demotion at work so he could switch to the graveyard shift to allow evenings for coaching, a lifestyle that lasted an unexpected five years.

As the years passed, Eaton served as head coach, occasionally taking supporting roles, such as when Robin Andrea took the helm in the early-mid 2000s. Assistants have included his current trusted crew of Matt Scrabeck and Pete Riley, who also work at the Naselle Youth Camp; Francis Fabela also contributed greatly to the Comet program, Eaton noted.

He recalled many highlights. One was in 2008 when Naselle advanced to the state 2B semifinal against powerful Napavine. “They were supposed to beat us up,” said Eaton, remembering the 18-13 scoreline with pride, even though it was a loss. “They went on to win a close final against Asotin, which was highly favored that year.” (28-24, with a long passing touchdown in the final minute.)

Football family

For the Eatons, football is all about family. Jeff’s wife, Amber, has baked countless batches of chocolate chip cookies that refuel exhausted players after the handshakes are done. It’s been common for a dozen boys to cram into their home Sundays to watch videos of upcoming opponents.

In the years that followed that Napavine loss, Eaton coached his two sons to statewide recognition in Comet uniforms. “That was probably the biggest highlight, looking back,” he said. “Both boys were good football players. They played all sports, but football was their best sport.”

The oldest, Robert, now an oysterman, was an all-state football player selected for the east-west all-star game in 2012. Dustin, a deputy with the Pacific County Sheriff’s Office, received all-league recognition at quarterback, all-state football honors and selection for the all-star game. Unsurprisingly, daughter, Abbie, was active in sports, too.

The brothers’ playing years coincided with success for Seth and Sam Scrabeck, sons of Matt Scrabeck, now in charge of Comet special teams.

The four boys contributed greatly to Naselle’s success in that era, with Jeff Eaton mindful to allow his other coaches more direct contact with his sons, especially when Dustin played quarterback.

“I knew that I could not be the offensive coach,” Eaton laughed, adding a guarded reference to fathers who coach their children setting unreasonable expectations. “If I had been the offensive coach, we probably wouldn’t have talked at dinner!”

‘Army of 8’

Little changed in 2015 when the WIAA shuffled the Comets into 1B, insisting they play eight-man football with the likes of eastern Washington powerhouses Odessa and Almira-Coulee-Hartline. Eaton had a blue and yellow “Army of 8” T-shirt printed, and wore it whatever the weather.

With three fewer players on the field, one missed tackle almost guarantees a score. But Eaton reminded his speediest runners they had larger gaps to run through.

His last two “normal” seasons were measured by playoff success. Quarterback Cole Dorman and Eaton’s nephew, Jacob, spurred the Comets through a sparkling season into a state semifinal loss to Almira-Coulee-Hartline in 2018; the following year saw Ethan Lindstrom lead Naselle to the state championship game. A rainy day and a pulverizing by mighty Odessa couldn’t dampen Comet fans’ spirits as they celebrated the rare achievement of reaching the final.

“Those semi- and final highlights were when we were getting into the groove with 8-man,” he said. “We had a good solid group of kids those years — they were big moments.”

This school year the covid pandemic wrecked hopes of fall sports and eventually forced the WIAA to switch football to a February start, with a curtailed season and no traditional championship path.

With only 12 boys turning out, and only 10 available for each game, Naselle walloped Mossyrock in its home opener 46-0, swamped Winlock 38-14, defeated Ocosta 52-12 then piled on 58 unanswered points against Taholah. Thursday’s second matchup with Mossyrock ended 48-22 and the Comets were undefeated as Region 4 champions.

Lessons in football and life

For Eaton, a coach’s mission is not just replicating the perfect three-point stance at the line of scrimmage.

“One of the biggest reasons for me is to be out there with the kids and teach them some things to help them along the way,” he said. “Maybe in years to come, they will be saying, ‘Old Coach Eaton said that way back.’”

Lessons from the training field continue, he believes.

“There are life things — sticking to it, not quitting, showing up for jobs. Life lessons,” he said.

Among his favorite achievements has been guiding boys who were not immediate stars.

“It’s seeing those successes, especially kids that were not the great athletes, who found a niche. They were able to do good kinds of things. That was pretty rewarding, especially when they learned things like when not to quit.”

Eaton rarely publicly laments his players’ errors. Instead, a withering look or a brief, quiet word guides them back on track.

But sometimes his voice reverberates across Rueben Penttila Field, amplified this season with fewer fans at the stadium because of covid rules. The decibel level rises mostly when referees didn’t penalize opponents making unsafe tackles.

“I am pretty laid back, but football does bring out some stuff,” he conceded. “It’s the safety things that really concern me — I yell a bit more.”