A small senior class is leading a resurgence for the Heritage Timberwolves, with close to 100 players in the program dedicated to getting stronger in the weight room and taking pride in their school and their team

Paul Valencia
Clark County Today

There was a big number on the scoreboard Friday evening at McKenzie Stadium.

The Heritage Timberwolves put up 59 points.

That number, though, does not mean much — not against an overmatched opponent.

The Timberwolves knew they were going to win Friday night. Three years ago, the Timberwolves did not know if they would ever win again.

Now, they expect wins.

Why? Because of a lot of significant numbers.

The program has close to 100 football players. The program has three full squads — varsity, junior varsity, and a freshman team. The program has a dozens of committed athletes, working year-round in the weight room to get bigger, stronger, faster.

“It’s really just a lot of dedication, grind,” said Dakari Bradford, a senior and one of the captains. “You’ve got to be willing to sacrifice a lot to be there every day.”

Coach Kevin Peterson has received rave reviews from coaching colleagues around Southwest Washington for his approach with the Timberwolves. A longtime assistant who remembered the playoff days of the 2000s, Peterson took over the program in 2023 — in the middle of the worst stretch in program history. 

Heritage would end up going 0-9 in 2023, extending its losing streak to 20 games. 

Owen Daley, a senior now and also a captain, recalled that tough year on the field. But even then, he knew things were going to change.

“Since Peterson took over, he always talked about building a foundation, building the layers of a house,” Daley said. “We built the foundation sophomore year, but we didn’t get to where we wanted to be. Last year, we won three games and we were happy, but we kind of disappeared in league play. This year, we feel like it is our time. We are going to put the league on notice. We are ready.”

Friday’s opening night victory came against a struggling program, Fort Vancouver. But trust these Timberwolves when they tell you, they understand that struggle. 

“Week 9 of our freshmen year, the varsity had 20 guys,” Daley recalled. “We sat down as a freshmen group and asked, ‘Where are we? Where are we going?’”

No matter how bad it was, though, this small Class of 2026 football players always believed.

“We knew this was possible,” Bradford said. “We always lifted each other up. This is the year we’ve been waiting on.”

“As sophomores, seven of us had to start (on varsity),” Daley recalled. “Probably not ready, but we kept building, seeing the future. We knew the only way was up.”

Well, only if the Timberwolves committed to the weight training program. Peterson, a physical education teacher and expert in weight training, promised his players that if they bought in to working out every day, they would see results. 

“You’re all in, or out the way,” Bradford said.

Well, the 12 senior Timberwolves that are on the squad this year were all in from the very beginning, Peterson said. Even back then, they had better attendance in the weight room than the upperclassmen.

That dedication became contagious. Because now there are close to 100 players in the program — still a young team — and most are in the weight room year round, Peterson said.

“They are kind of becoming football junkies a bit,” the coach said.

For Week 1, the Timberwolves started four juniors and a sophomore on the offensive line. Peterson keeps the data from all the weight training. He said those five players are all individually stronger than every player on the team from three years ago.  

Heritage got those three wins last year and expect more wins this year.

“It’s a tribute to the kids who have been committed since they walked in,” Peterson said.

Peterson said last season was the “perfect mix” of everything the program needed. The players got to enjoy those three wins, to prove it could be done. They were in three other games, to show that they could be competitive. And they got handled in three games, and “that showed us we have a long way to go,” the coach said.

All the ingredients for a great offseason.

“As far as the building process, it was motivational to the kids,” Peterson said.

These Timberwolves hit the weight room.

“I just remember sophomore year it would be injury after injury just from being weaker than the other team,” Daley said.

Now, everyone is getting stronger, together.

“It builds camaraderie to see the guy next to you working just as hard as you are, and it leads to stuff like this,” Daley said, referring to the Week 1 victory.  

“There is a lot more trust in the team, with everybody out there in the weight room,” Bradford said.

This season has the makings of a successful journey for the Timberwolves. There should be more in the future, too.

“This program is just getting started. We’re going to enjoy our senior year, but the future of this  program is going to be after we leave. I’m really excited to see what these guys will do,” Daley said.

These seniors, though, get to say they started it all.

“It gives you a little pride, to finally be able to do this,” Daley said. “I play Heritage football. Say that with pride.”

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