Photos by Lainey Poelzer of Clover Laine Photography
Kennedy Catholic High School’s Lancers varsity football team opens its 2026 season this Saturday against Bellevue with a deep group of running backs and quarterbacks, a young offensive line and a schedule designed to challenge the team early.
The Lancers season opener is scheduled for 1 p.m. this Saturday, Sept. 5, at Highline Memorial Stadium.
“I like our team,” Lancers coach Pat Jones told The B-Town Blog. “We’re very deep at running backs. We’re very deep at quarterback. We’re fairly deep on the O line, but we’re young on the O line.”
Jones said the young offensive linemen will have an early learning curve, but he welcomes the opportunity to test the team against strong opponents.
“That’s why I like to play really good teams at the beginning of the year,” Jones said. “Because you learn the most, and then by the time you come to the playoffs, you start applying what you learned.”
Team Ranked 22nd in State
Kennedy Catholic competes in the North Puget Sound League (NPSL) at the 4A level, and enters the season ranked No. 22 in Washington and No. 11 among the state’s 4A teams in MaxPreps’ latest team rankings. The Lancers had an 8-3 record in 2025 after going 11-1 in 2024 and 10-2 in 2023.
MaxPreps’ 2026 preseason rankings placed Bellevue No. 2 in the state and Mount Tahoma No. 9, giving Kennedy two highly-ranked opponents to for the first two games of the season.
Jones is entering his fourth season as Kennedy’s head coach. He joined Sheldon Cross’ staff in 2019 and served as an assistant head coach before taking over the program in fall 2023.
Offseason Lifting & Conditioning Key to Winning
This most recent offseason centered on players lifting and conditioning together. Jones said Washington high school football teams cannot conduct football coaching during the offseason, but players can train as a group.
“I’ve been on 11 state championship teams and been in 15 state title games in my football career,” Jones said. “I could tell you the teams that win state, they lift together in the offseason. Without exception.”
Jones said offseason training helps players become bigger, faster and stronger, and he emphasized the effect it has on team relationships.
“Guys are dedicated to each other and the team, and they have each other’s back, and they can build trust, and they can depend on each other,” Jones said. “That’s what’s huge about it.”
Players to Watch
Several players are expected to play important roles for the Lancers. Jones highlighted cornerback and wide receiver Jordan Noel, quarterback Desmond Parkinson, quarterbacks Tommy Marshall and Jordan Blake, four year running back and linebacker Nico Lecksiwilai, Portland State commit Royce Miller, two way all league player Jalen Haywood and sophomore Yoshi Nu’u.
Jones said Lecksiwilai has developed into a team leader and will be a physical presence on offense.
“He’s literally a four year, two way starter,” Jones said. “He’s team captain. He’ll be kind of the hammer on offense, if you know what I mean.”
Miller is committed to Portland State, according to Jones, but will not play early in the season because of a knee injury suffered during track. Jones said Haywood also will return later in the season after recovering from an injury.
Jones described Nu’u as a dynamic player on both sides of the ball. Nu’u earned all league recognition as a freshman, Jones said.
Who Inspires Him?
The coach said he’s inspired by Coach Dwaine Hatch, whom Jones played for at Bellevue. Hatch introduced the Wing T offense at Bellevue, a system Kennedy also uses in part.
“He was like a second father to me,” Jones said. “Just the way he carried himself, the way he was so disciplined. Tough, but fair.”
Jones said Kennedy has the speed and size to be competitive, though injuries could affect the team early.
“It’s going to be a fun team to watch,” Jones said. “It’s going to be competitive. We’ve got a lot of team speed.”
Learn more about Lancer football here: https://www.kennedycatholicathletics.org/fall-sports/football/
| DATE/TIME | OPPONENT | TYPE | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Sept. 5 1 p.m. |
Bellevue HS | Non-Conference | Highline Memorial Stadium |
| Thu., Sept. 10 7 p.m. |
Mount Tahoma HS | Non-Conference | Mount Tahoma High School |
| Sat., Sept. 19 1 p.m. |
Stadium HS | Conference | Highline Memorial Stadium |
| Sat., Sept. 26 1 p.m. |
Kentwood HS | Conference | Highline Memorial Stadium |
| Sat., Oct. 3 12 p.m. |
Auburn HS | Conference | Highline Memorial Stadium |
| Fri., Oct. 9 7 p.m. |
Mount Rainier HS | Conference | Highline Memorial Stadium |
| Fri., Oct. 16 7 p.m. |
Auburn Riverside HS | Conference | Auburn Memorial Stadium |
| Fri., Oct. 23 7 p.m. |
Tahoma HS | Conference | Maple View Middle School |
| Sat., Oct. 31 1 p.m. |
Kentridge HS | Conference | Highline Memorial Stadium |
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