© Mead will face Newport at Joe Albi Stadium in the first round of the 4A playoffs on Saturday (Photo: SWX)Upload and share your favorite photos with us through what we call "Fan Fotos"!More >> Upload and share your favorite photos with us though an application we call "Fan Fotos"!More >>
MEAD, Wash. -
The Mead Panthers are hoping to go where no Mead Panther football team has gone before: beyond the first round in the state tournament.
Many believe this may be the best Mead team ever assembled. Even so, coaches are urging the team to put that aside – put the hype on hold – as they prepare for Newport this Saturday at Joe Albi Stadium.
"Just knowing that if I come back… to Mead and be like, ‘yeah I was part of that team' and people still remember my name, that would be pretty cool," said quarterback Gunnar Kayser.
"It's exciting to think about that but we can't really right now because we have to focus week by week," said linebacker Danny Mattingly. "That will come when we win it all but we just have to focus week by week until it comes."
Mead and Newport play Saturday at 1 p.m. at Joe Albi Stadium. The forecast calls for temperatures in the high 20s and low 30s – but now snow.