The End Zone

Maui Borden takes over as the Eastlake defensive coordinator this season, replacing Steve Supple.

After spending some time out at football practices for Eastlake, Eastside Catholic, Issaquah and Skyline, I picked up some interesting news and notes I thought I’d pass along.

EASTSIDE CATHOLIC has hired three new assistant coaches. Two of those coaches come from Interlake, whose head coach Sheldon Cross moved on to be an assistant at Washington State University.

Greg Prator was an offense coordinator for the Saints last season. The 26-year-old played wide receiver for WSU and spent some time with the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League. Wes Potter also comes over from Interlake where he was a line coach. The 25-year-old is a former left tackle at Troy University.

Eastside Catholic also hired Rex Romer, former defensive coordinator at Issaquah High. He will share defensive coordinator duties with Zach Tuiasosopo along with being the secondary coach. “He is as advertised, he knows his stuff,” Crusader head coach Jason Gesser said. “He’s a quirky mind, meaning he does some things that are unconventional, but everything he does has a rhyme or reason.”

ISSAQUAH has hired Mark Gray, the school’s all-time leading passer, to be the head coach of the freshman team. Gray was listed as a 5-foot-8, 160-pound quarterback during his senior season. He led Issaquah to the state semifinals in 2003, and ended his career with over 5,000 passing yards and 50 TDs.

The Eagles have a freshman with a familiar last name coming up at the running back position. Jack Gellatly is the younger brother of 2009 graduate Grant Gellatly — now a freshman back at Cornell University and one of the best players ever to come out of the Issaquah backfield. “He’s going to be a great player,” said head coach Chris Bennett, of Jack. “We’re trying not to throw him out there right now, but he’s going to give us some depth anyhow.”

SKYLINE continues to pump out talent on the gridiron year after year, and head coach Mat Taylor recently revealed that the pipeline is nowhere near dried up. “We have a great sophomore class coming up,” he said. “It’s probably the strongest class we’ve ever had here.” That statement speaks volumes for Skyline’s future. Since opening in 1997, the school has won five state football championships, and been to the state tournament eight times.

EASTLAKE has a new defensive coordinator in Maui Borden, who has coached the defensive line the last two years. He took over for Steve Supple, who is now the head coach at Lake Washington High School.