Flashback to September 2014:

Eastlake Wolves junior backup quarterback Mark Whitley entered the game after Eastlake senior starter Blue Thomas went down with an injury in the second quarter of a non-league game against the Gig Harbor Tides.

Whitley, who hadn’t seen much varsity action as a signal caller, turned in the game of his life connecting on three touchdown passes in Eastlake’s comeback 24-21 win in the third week of the regular season. Whitley hit tight end Rudy Gonzalez on a 78-yard touchdown pass with 4:20 left in regulation giving the Wolves a 24-21 lead they wouldn’t surrender for the rest of the night.

Whitley may have started just three games at quarterback as a junior, but this fall he will run the show as a senior signal caller. Eastlake head coach Don Bartel said Whitley is a “team” guy who possesses all the intangibles the coaching staff search for in a leader.

“When you know you’re the guy (starting quarterback) it is such an advantage coming into the season. We’re excited for him,” Bartel said. “Mark is a competitor and he’s already got his own set of goals of what he wants for the season and how he wants our season to go. His whole consideration is to do whatever he can to help this team. That is what I love about him as a leader. It is going to be awesome.”

The Wolves finished the 2014 season with an overall record of 7-4. The Bothell Cougars defeated Wolves 45-14 in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs on Nov. 14. Whitley said losing to Bothell twice in 2014 is something his team hasn’t forgotten.

“When I think of last year I think of the Bothell loss because it is the one that ended our season,” Whitley said. “We lost to them in the first week of the season too. Losing those games just drives us even more this year because we know they’re the defending the state champions. They are also a KingCo (league) team. We want to beat them. It’s just pure motivation.”

Bartel said the Wolves coaching staff is pushing the Wolves during its spring practice session. Temperatures hovered around the low 80s for most of the week.

“We pushed them hard as we’ve ever pushed them on the first day of spring practice and they have responded. The guys have showed up and are ready to play. It has been fun to watch,” Bartel said on June 5. “The older guys led with enthusiasm and the younger guys were opened minded and ready to go. The guys are just flying around the field.”

The Wolves may not have superior talent across the board like many teams in the KingCo Conference but they have always been known for packing a powerful punch and being one of the hardest hitting teams in the state on both sides of the ball.

“It’s no secret that we’re not the biggest team around,” Whitley said. “Our coaches really stress the speed of play to make up for that. If you always go full speed at 100-percent good things will happen, even if you didn’t do everything exactly right.”

Bartel echoed Whitley’s sentiment.

“If we got a 100-pound kid running full speed he is going to knock the piss out of people. We don’t talk a lot about hitting hard, we talk about speed of play, aggression and angles to the ball. We think if we naturally play the game hard and with confidence that we will hit hard and make big plays,”  Bartel said. “We have gotten acknowledgement from some of the team’s opposing coaches last year that we were probably the hardest hitting team they’ve played all year. That is something our kids can hang their hat on.”

Whitley said one of the strengths of the 2015 Wolves is the hosses up front on the offensive line. Eastlake center Jacob Kaufman and right guard Connor McCabe anchor the offensive line.

“We have a really good offensive line and that is really important especially with the dual threat system we run where I can run and pass,” Whitley said. “Those two guys really know how to play and are going to lead the guys around them.”

Whitley said he wants to see his team go as far as they can on the gridiron this fall.

“We just want to win games. We want to have a shot at the KingCo title and beyond that we’re going to try to get to places we’ve never been before,” he said.

The undisputed leader of the Wolves tries to remain as stoic as possible on and off the field.

“Being the starting quarterback is a big responsibility. You have to stay within yourself,” he said. “I know that if I freak out then everybody else is going to freak out. I just got to stay within myself, take responsibility and lead this team the way I know I can.”

Shaun Scott: 425-453-5045; sscott@issaquahreporter.com