The Seattle Lutheran High School Saints football team is under new direction this year but their destiny, as described by new coach Jeffery Scott and players alike has always been shared.

At a media day, held on Saturday Aug. 25, at West Seattle Stadium, the team and cheerleading staff were put through their paces for photos and video. The West Seattle Herald spoke to coach Scott and got a sense of what he hopes to see this year. "I knew they had great sportsmanship, they had great fellowship. I think it's just a higher calling. I wanted to go somewhere, where I could develop a program that had these things so I think we're a good match."

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He thinks "We're going to take one game at a time but like any other team there are 300 hundred other football teams around the state so we're shooting for the Tacoma Dome, late November. Our team is fairly young. Over 90% of our players are freshmen and juniors so we're still developing and learning but I think we'll compete."

He said the team's fellowship is its greatest strength. "We just got back from what we call 'Hell Week' and we learned about each other and what makes us tick. We did three day of hell over there, got up at 6 am and practiced, had breakfast, came back and did chalk talk, had lunch, did practice again, did an evening practice then we did devotion and fellowship. These kids are unique because they've been in each other's lives for ten or more years and they've played multiple sports together. The fellowship and chemistry between them is our strength. We're building on that."

Scott has coached previously at Ingraham High School, Evergreen High School, and in Tacoma at Mt. Tahoma.

He named three impact players for the upcoming season.
"Zach Nigon is a returning player and he's going to our right guard and middle linebacker. Cody Jones, our starting Quarterback is 6'3" He's phenomenal and he's been working on his mechanics. He's one of the few players I think can play Division 1 ball. Ben Sanders is our Tight End and will also be our backup Quarterback and will also be an Outside Linebacker. He was an all league catcher for us and a phenomenal player. He knows the game very very well, and Bryce Morgan is a multiple star in a variety of sports and is the best athlete in the school. He plays Wide Out and a big part of our offense is going to be focused on getting him the ball."

Morgan said there are things that are surprising to him about the upcoming season, "It seems like it was couple of months ago I was coming in as a freshman but it goes by a lot quicker than you think it will." Still he's optimistic about the season and hope it will be, "explosive, that's what I'm looking for. I only played half the year last year but I came in and did what i could do."

Morgan thinks Tacoma Baptist holds the greatest challenge for SLHS, "They're always the best but you gotta go at 'em. They got us last year by a lot so we gotta get them back."

Cody Jones will start at Quarterback (backed up by Ben Sanders), who said the strongest part of his game is passing and said, "I have a good arm," because he also plays baseball. He also cited Tacoma Baptist as a major challenge but also said, "Orcas Island was a tough opponent and last year we narrowly pulled it out" Jones said their chances this come down to self reliance. "I think we need to worry about ourselves more than who we are playing. We can't play down or play up to anyone."

Jones also cites the player's fellowship. "We're all so close. We've known each other for a long time, even outside of school. I think that close bond really helps us push each other and perform well."

A part of every practice are prayers and devotion to their religious faith.
This is a team that as they say "prays together and will stay together"

The Seattle Lutheran season starts this Saturday with a game against Carson Graham, at 1:30 pm at West Seattle stadium. The homecoming game is set for 1:30 pm September 22nd, against Concrete. For more information visit www.seattlelutheranfootball.com.

The Seattle Lutheran team roster is here.

You can join the Booster Club here.

Here's the Seattle Lutheran 2012 Football Schedule:

Saturday, Sept. 1
Football: Carson Graham at West Seattle Stadium, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 8
Football: at Lake Roosevelt, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 15
Football: Eastside Catholic JV at West Seattle Stadium, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 22
Football: Concrete at West Seattle Stadium, 1:30 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 28
Football: at Darrington, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 5
Football: at LaConnor, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 13
Football: Orcas Island at West Seattle Stadium, 1:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 19
Football: at Chief Leschi at Fife, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 27
Football: TBA, 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 2
Football: Tacoma Baptist at West Seattle Stadium, 7 p.m.