Cougars in the paper

The day before the state semifinal versus Bellevue, The Olympian focuses on the new spirit of CHS:

Senior Brenna Peterson expects a victory Friday. "We usually get eliminated pretty soon in the playoffs, so the team is like our heroes now," she said. "We're all pretty proud of them."

Doug Murray, a junior defensive tackle, said the pep rally amped up the team.

"We were already pumped up," Murray said. "I just want to make good plays with all my other brothers on this team."

The noise died down when Coach J.D. Johnson spoke to the students.

Bellevue is one of Washington's high school power programs, but Capital has something else, Johnson said.

"Just a lot of heart is what we have," he said. "Just a lot of heart."

Then Johnson yelled: "We Are!"

The team — and many students — stood and shouted back "Capital!"

Meanwhile, two Capital stars get props from the paper, landing on the All-Area Team: Riley Wall, for pretty much tearing up the WCC/OWL on the ground, and Joseph Ingman, he of the eight interceptions.

Congratulations to the Cougars. No matter how you fare tomorrow, you're the best 9-3 team in the state, and you've worked hard to earn your place among the best.

Oh, and while everybody's excited about football, let's not forget that Capital's other varsity squads have been racking up wins and accolades as well, in swimming, tennis, golf and cross country.