Mercer Island Islanders: 2019 Washington high school 3A football preview

Here is an inside look at the 2019 Mercer Island football team. Links: Mercer Island team page | 2019 schedule | Roster 2018 IN REVIEW 6-3 overall, 2-3 in

Andy Buhler, SBLive Sports | Aug 29, 2019

Mercer Island Islanders: 2019 Washington high school 3A football preview /

Here is an inside look at the 2019 Mercer Island football team.

Links: Mercer Island team page | 2019 schedule | Roster

2018 IN REVIEW

6-3 overall, 2-3 in 2A/3A KingCo (third place).

COACHING RESUME

Ed Slezinger, third season

13-7 record

RETURNING STARTERS

Offense - 2. Defense - 4.

TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYERS

WR Will Wheeler 6-2, 175, sr.

TE Owen Baebler 6-0, 220, sr.

QB Clay Dippold 6-2, 215, sr.

OL Bryce Fitzwilson 6-3, 220, sr.

TE Will Kendrick 6-0, 185, jr.

TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYERS

DB Will Wheeler 6-2, 175, sr.

LB Owen Baebler 6-0, 220, sr.

DE Bryce Fitzwilson 6-3, 220, sr.

LB Will Kendrick 6-0, 185, jr.

THREE TO SEE

Will Wheeler, receiver/defensive back

Plays corner and free safety in addition to being the team’s top target in the air.

Owen Baebler, outside linebacker/tight end

Team’s top returning linebacker. Lumbering presence with speed on the outside. Alsoa standout wrestler.

Bryce Fitzwilson, defensive end

What he lacks in size, he makes up for in speed on the end.

OUTLOOK

Mercer Island is young and won’t be the biggest KingCo team, but the Islanders will be defined by speed entering Ed Slezinger’s third season at the helm.

The Islanders lost their last three games of the 2019 season and fell short of qualifying for the postseason.

But they have made the postseason two of the last three seasons, and though they lose 10 all-league selections from last year, they have ample returning talent.

The Islanders will have a senior quarterback in Clay Dippold, a primary target in Will Wheeler out wide, two capable tight ends in Owen Baebler and Will Kendrick, then a trio of wideouts — Jack Singh, Carter Burr and Luke Shavey — primed to step into bigger roles this season in Slezinger’s RPO offense.

2019 SCHEDULE

Sept 6:, Mountlake Terrace, 7 p.m.

Sept. 13: Issaquah, 7 p.m.

Sept. 20: at Newport, 7 p.m.

Sept. 27: Sehome, 7 p.m.

Oct. 4: at Interlake, 7 p.m.

Oct. 11: at Juanita, 7 p.m.

Oct. 18: Lake Washington, 7 p.m.

Oct. 25: at Liberty, 7 p.m.

Nov. 1: at Bellevue, 7 p.m.

*home games in bold

Published Aug 29, 2019

ANDY BUHLER, SBLIVE SPORTS

Andy Buhler is a Regional Editor of Texas and the national breaking news desk. He brings more than five years of experience covering high school sports across the state of Washington and beyond, where he covered the likes of Paolo Banchero and Tari Eason served on state tournament seeding committees. He works on the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings. He has covered everything from the Final Four, MLS in Atlanta to local velodrome before diving into the world of preps. His bylines can be found in The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), The Associated Press, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), The Oregonian and more. He holds a degree from Gonzaga and is based out of Portland, Oregon.