2024 Fall Preps Preview: Deer Park Stags leap from 1A football to unfamiliar territory of Greater Spokane League 2A

A nearly complete set of new bleachers towers above the football field at Deer Park High School.

As the Stags’ football season drew near, it was a fitting time for the program to pack its stands on Friday nights, with the school recently elevating to the 2A classification and joining the Greater Spokane League.

The school announced the change earlier this year.

“With the growth out here and the potential of new families coming in with all the housing being built, it was kind of an inevitable thing, whether it was now or down the road,” Deer Park Athletic Director Cameron Gilbert said.

The shift to facing bigger schools will be a big adjustment for a team that went 6-4 as a member of the Northeast 1A last season.

“There’s definitely some excitement,” Deer Park head coach Levi Hogan said. “You know you’re going to see some new opponents, so it’s exciting to be at new places, see new competition.

“Then you also know the challenges when you’re coming up a league. ‘OK. We got a big task ahead of us. Let’s get to work as soon as possible.’ ”

The classification is based on student enrollment. Gilbert and Joe Feist, the principal, appealed the determination after hearing community and school board concerns about logistical challenges and higher transportation costs, but the decision was upheld.

But Gilbert has since embraced the change.

“Honestly, overall, I think it’s going to be a good thing for us long term,” Gilbert said. “I think there are some benefits to being in a larger classification, because it forces you to work harder. I think it forces us to grind a little more and be more competitive.”

The Stags finished 4-2 in league play last year, good enough for third in the Northeast A. But the season ended on a sour note with a 47-10 playoff loss to Omak.

“A disappointing end to last season, too – it really just stuck with us through the whole offseason,” senior starting quarterback Aiden Martin said. “Coming together as a group, you can’t stop talking about it enough.”

Deer Park will join North Central, Rogers, West Valley, East Valley, Pullman and Clarkston in GSL 2A.

Outside of some extra strength and conditioning work, Hogan said the coaching staff’s approach to this upcoming season won’t change much from years past.

“Part of (the challenge) is the lack of familiarity with opponents,” Hogan said. “There will be a lot of digging into that film study.”

Hogan identified depth and athleticism as the biggest differences in the jump in play from 1A to 2A.

“The top guys in (Northeast 1A) are pretty good,” he said. “I just think there are going to be a few more of them on the field now.”

Clarkston sat atop the 2A last year with a 5-1 league record and 8-3 overall. Shadle Park (now 3A) finished second, but Rogers and West Valley also competed for the top two spots.

“Tougher, bigger, faster,” Martin said about what to expect from the new competition. “But we’re just as tough, just as big, just as fast. We’re just not yet used to playing in it.”

But the athletes, particularly the close-knit senior group, are eager to take the challenge head on.

With Martin at the helm, and two-way players Rody Phillips and Evan Henry in tow, Hogan expects to rely heavily on his senior group in the first season in 2A.

“We have a big number of seniors and we expect to be very competitive with that group leading the way,” Hogan said. “Aside from them being seniors, it’s also a group of seniors that has a lot of (playing) experience. We’re hoping to lean into that experience, knowing that every week is going to be a battle.”

The fresh competition is not all unfamiliar to the Stags, as Deer Park has gone up against a few 2A league members over the past several years. The Stags defeated East Valley in 2018, 2019 and 2022. Deer Park also took down Rogers in 2017.

“We were able to be competitive with them … but I think we can compete with any school that we go up against,” Gilbert said.

Along with the thrill of lining up against new faces and jerseys, Hogan pointed to the bigger stage that is 2A.

“They’re super excited to see their names listed in the GSL and get to play at ONE (Spokane) Stadium,” he said of his players. “They haven’t done that before, so it’s exciting to do that.”

Despite the change, the players are setting the expectations high and aiming for a playoff spot.

“We got a chip on our shoulder,” Phillips said. “We’re the new guys, so we have to show out … We have to expect to be No. 1.”

“Don’t underestimate us,” Martin said.