On June 15, the Lakewood High School Cougars traveled to the University of Washington to compete in the annual seven-on-seven passing tournament. The Cascade Conference 2A team challenged large 3A and 4A powerhouses such as Kamiak, Issaquah, Skyline and Liberty with great success and finished undefeated with a championship win over Issaquah 24-14.

The Cougars offense, which consists of an exciting spread out, high-flying aerial attack, put up big points at the tournament, scoring 168 points over eight games. The pass coverage of the Cougar defense was just as impressive, allowing only 55 points across those same games.

"Our defense was really outstanding, and we had a few players really step up to help out our offense," said Cougar head coach Dan Teeter. Incoming senior and returning All-League quarterback Justin Peterson helped the Cougars put up big numbers for the offense, not only at quarterback, but as a receiver as well. School record holder in receptions and yards Brandon Stott was also a big contributor in the success of the offense. "We brought 68 kids with us to camp and they all got a ton of reps and improved."

The opportunity for Peterson to play receiver gave way for running back Donavan Evans to step in at quarterback.

"Evans is a phenomenal athlete who hasn't worked much at quarterback, but we took this opportunity to get him some work there, and he did an amazing job," added Coach Teeter.

Teeter, who is entering his seventh season as the head coach for the Cougars, was excited about the win over passing league rival Issaquah. The Cougars won the tournament four years ago, but the last three years Issaquah has taken home the trophy.

"It has created a natural fun rivalry between the two schools. We see each other every year at the tournament, and then again when they come to our tournament in July," said Coach Teeter.

Teeter was referring to the seven-on-seven passing tournament that is hosted by Lakewood every year on the last Saturday in July. The Lakewood tournament is similar to the UW tournament, but will also include lineman challenges. This year 18 teams have already registered for the Lakewood tournament, including Marysville Getchell High School, Cascade, and Glacier Peak.

With the early springtime success of the Cougars' passing and secondary core, as well as just returning from a successful team camp at Central Washington University, the team is on track for an exciting and successful fall season.