A new challenge awaits for Hermiston’s title-touting football team

When David Faaeteete looked around at the Hermiston High School football team this summer, he thought he might have something special.

“We looked at the state of Oregon and the teams that made it last year, and then the guys we had on our team,” said Faaeteete, the Bulldogs’ third-year coach. “I thought we’d make a deep run if we were playing hot at the end of the season.”

That hunch proved insightful on Saturday, as No. 3 Hermiston (11-2) beat No. 4 Churchill (12-1) 38-35 to win the 5A state championship, which served as a proverbial mic drop on the state of Oregon as it was the Bulldogs’ final football game as a member of the OSAA.

“It was a great opportunity for us and our kids,” said Faaeteete, who was the defensive coordinator for Hermiston when it won its first state title, in 2014. “To be able to go out on top and leave the state of Oregon with a championship, it was really great for us.”

Now begins a new challenge for Hermiston, as it gains membership to the WIAA and prepares to compete in the often stingy Mid-Columbia Conference, and it will do so without several of its key players over the past few seasons.

The Bulldogs will graduate 17 seniors by the time next fall rolls around, including two-way star Jonathan Hinkle (a feature running back and motor of the defense at linebacker) and wide receiver/defensive back Dayshawn Neal (emerged as one of the top prospects in Oregon after an impressive performance in spring 7-on-7 ball with Portland’s Team Lillard).

“I think it (the MCC) is one of the best conferences in the state of Washington,” Faaeteete said. “You look at teams like Richland, Kamiakin, Chiawana, in years past they’ve been amazing football programs.

“That’s a tough conference to be competitive in. We’re gonna hang our hat on doing what we do and being prepared for every game we play. Are we going to make a splash? Who knows?”

If Hermiston has success next year, it will likely fall on the shoulders of their dual-threat quarterback Andrew James. As a junior this year, he racked up 3,541 yards of combined rushing and passing, and accounted for 30 touchdowns, including a pair of TD passes to Neal in the title game.

“It’s gonna be on his shoulders for a lot of the season. He’s gonna be the glue that holds everything together,” Faaeteete said of James. “He’s going to have to hold everybody accountable for training, and conditioning and workouts.”

Because James has started on the Hermiston basketball and baseball teams since his freshman year, and on the football team since his sophomore campaign, Faaeteete said he expects his quarterback to thrive under the expanded leadership role.

“I think he’s ready for that pressure,” he said. “I think it’s one of those things that he relishes and has been a part of his identity since he’s been in high school.”

The first non-Washington-based school to gain membership to the WIAA, Hermiston will likely be classified as a 3A school next school year. That would be a big help for the MCC, as it would give it an even four schools in that classification (currently Kamiakin, Kennewick and Southridge), guaranteeing the level its own state playoff berth in most sports.

But the big winner in the move is Hermiston, which avoids having to travel a projected average of around 350 miles round-trip for conference games, which would have been the case were it forced to stick around for the OSAA’s 2018-19 reclassification.

This story was originally published November 27, 2017 at 8:08 PM with the headline "A new challenge awaits for Hermiston’s title-touting football team."