Upon first glance, the Lindbergh Eagles’ roster looks offensive. No, it isn’t unpleasant or repugnant. It is, however, built to score a serious number of points.

After a 4-6 season in 2007, the Eagles have the pieces to be much better in 2008.

• A returning veteran quarterback? Check.

• Leading rusher back for another season? Check.

• Experience on the offensive line? It’s there.

• Depth and speed at wide receiver? There’s plenty of that.

This team passes the first test – it looks good on paper. The second test, proving its prowess on the field, is the much more important task.

After getting a taste of the playoffs last season with a 42-39 loss to Bonney Lake in a Seamount/SPSL crossover playoff game, the team is expecting a full meal this year.

“We expect to make the playoffs,” said Jake Allie, Lindbergh starting quarterback. “Anything less is a disappointment.”

To achieve that goal, the Eagles need to avoid a similar start to last season, when the team stumbled out to an 0-4 record.

“We kind of got down on ourselves after that start,” Allie said. How do they avoid a similar start this season? “We just need to come out with fire right from the start.”

Lindbergh head coach Dominic Yarrington takes more from the Eagles’ 4-2 finish than from the 0-4 start. He said some of the senior leadership on the team wasn’t as strong, which led to grade troubles early, which kept some players out of games and played a role in the slow start.

“It wasn’t how we started the season that made us,” he said. “It was how we ended the season.”

Senior leadership isn’t an issue this season. Perhaps learning a lesson from last year, there are no grade problems on Lindbergh’s team in 2008, everyone is cleared to play.

Offense

The Eagles’ spread offense will operate mostly out of the shotgun, with four receivers on the field. In such a system, the quarterback is the most important piece.

“We definitely have high expectations of Jake,” Yarrington said. “And he certainly has high expectations of himself.”

Allie piled up 1,721 passing yards, 15 passing touchdowns, 82 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in 2007. The only thing to improve on is his 15 interceptions.

At wide receiver, the Eagles have experienced game breakers in Derek Herley and Willie Creear to go along with talented sophomores Diondre Toms and Isaiah Corwin.

Herley was second on the team in rushing last season, with 156 yards (8.7 yards per carry). He ran the eighth fastest 40-yard dash time at the Competitive Edge Combine, with a time of 4.61 seconds. The Competitive Edge Combine was held in Sumner in May and featured 300 prospects. Herley also posted a top broad jump distance at the combine.

Yarrington described Creear as “very athletic, very fast with good hands” and said Creear could be the league leader in most receiving categories this season. Toms and Corwin are both intriguing prospects as sophomores that should make an impact this season. Add in junior Frank Cange who will move between running back

and wide receiver and Lindbergh has five talented receivers able to play big roles.

The running game should be in good hands with senior David Valentine and Cange returning. Valentine rushed for 872 yards (6.23 yards per carry) and six touchdowns last season on the way to all-Seamount second team honors. Valentine should take the majority of the carries with Cange working in at both running back and wide receiver. The versatile Cange has great speed – he ran in the 100-meter sprint at the 3A state track meet this spring. Look for him to get a lot more than his 16 carries from a year ago.

With returning starters Jimmy Doyle, Zack Nielson and Nick Anderson, the offensive line will hold up well giving Allie time to throw. Senior Chris Staymates will be starting at center for the first time and junior Andrew Seddatah – who moved from fullback to offensive line this spring – will also play on the line.

Defense

The same speed that will make Lindbergh’s receivers tough to catch up to will make the defensive backs group tough to beat. Cange, Creear and Adam Freed will all play in the defensive secondary. Freed ran the second fastest time in the 40-yard dash (4.51) at the Competitive Edge Combine.

“He just flies around and hits people,” Yarrington said of Freed.

Nielson, Doyle and Robert Wilson will hold down the defensive front. While Herley and senior D.J. Norris add experience to the linebacker group.

But the team’s secret weapon might be Dawson Asuega. The senior started for Lindbergh his sophomore season, then moved back to Samoa for his junior season. Yarrington Asuaege will have a huge impct for the team at the middle linebacker spot.

Experience and talent on offense and defense is certainly a good way to start the season.

“We expect good things to happen this year,” Yarrington said. “We expect to be in the top half of the league and we have the talent to do that.”