Yelm football begins spring practice without head coach

For the first time in over a decade, the Yelm High School football team started its spring practices without the guidance of head coach Jason Ronquillo.

Worse, they started without a head coach, period.

When Ronquillo resigned amidst salacious rumors on Friday, May 23, he left a returning roster and coaching staff scrambling to steady a program just days before spring practice was set to begin on June 2.

Then longtime assistant Bryan Irion stepped down after 10 years, and a once promising spring suddenly looked bleak. For eight of those years, Irion served as offensive coordinator for a Tornado team that amassed a 71-17 record and five state playoff runs, none bigger than the one that culminated in its 2022 3A state championship win over Eastside Catholic.
Yelm had already lost key players, mostly to graduation, such as running back Nathan Ford, lineman Chris Hauss, edge Bol Bol and tackle Jacob Tracy. At least one, however, chose not to return. Quarterback Parker Myers recently decided to focus solely on baseball for his senior season.

Any great program needs stability, and Yelm’s was in serious jeopardy. Yet the Tornados have tried to retain it by leaning on each other — players and coaches included — and focusing on the game itself.

If you visited any practices over the last week, you may have been surprised to find tightly run segments, energetic coaches and players who looked happy to be there — not always a given when there’s no actual game in sight, and outside temperatures regularly hit the mid-80s.

Maybe that’s the DNA that Ronquillo and Irion left behind. Or perhaps it’s the DNA of the players and coaches that chose to push forward and build towards a second season in the 4A South Puget Sound League. After all, the Tornados are only a season removed from a 3A state title loss to Bellevue.

Why shouldn’t they bounce back?

The roster is a work in progress; most spring rosters are. In one particular 11-on-11 period during a June 5 practice, the Nisqually Valley News observed a fair number of passes hit the turf, along with some blown assignments. That’s ball. You’d have a harder time arguing the team lacked organization, or that the coaches didn’t have a plan — impressive considering the staff was juggling a varsity, junior varsity, and C team, all during the same practice. Again, without a head coach.

Current defensive coordinator Daniel Caldwell told the Nisqually Valley News he’s been impressed with how the players have handled the unusual off-season.

“The kids across the board have really taken ownership of the team (and) kind of taken ownership of the program,” Caldwell said after a practice on Monday, June 9, adding that one of the coaches’ points of emphasis is the idea that the best teams are led from within.
“And so we’ve really kind of reinforced that and leaned on that heavily and asked the kids to kind of help us step up and lead the team on their own, with our guidance and oversight, obviously,” Caldwell said.

Caldwell said the players have done a “phenomenal job,” and praised a number of leaders, including rising senior captains Jacob Ford and Jonah Smith. Ford is a unique and versatile athlete who has played linebacker, defensive back, running back and receiver during his time at Yelm. Caldwell described him as an “absolute athlete” that the coaches can put anywhere on the field.

Smith is an anchor on both the offensive and defensive lines.

Caldwell, who said he’s about to start his 13th year coaching at Yelm, has previously served as head coach of the C team, offensive coordinator for the JV squad, and varsity coach for the defensive line and linebackers, among other position groups.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding who the next head coach will be — and when they’ll be announced — Caldwell said the team is continuing to install plays, concepts and formations like they normally would during spring practice. He said the offense is very similar to the spread style developed under Ronquillo and Irion, known as the Zone 10 system, with the exception of a “couple tweaks here and there.”

“But for the most part, it’s the same offense,” Caldwell said.

The coordinator wasn’t able to comment on the status of the head coaching search.

The Yelm varsity football team finishes the spring season with a scrimmage against River Ridge on June 17 and concludes with a jamboree-like 11-on-11 practice at Pacific Lutheran University on June 19.