Kamiakin enters the 2026 football season with two of the Mid-Columbia Conference’s top returning receivers, a defense that ranked among the league’s best last season and plenty of postseason experience.
What the Braves don’t have is complete continuity.
Quarterback Jagger McEwen, who emerged late last season and helped lead Kamiakin into the 4A state tournament, is now at Chiawana. Two-way standout Korbyn Hopwood transferred to Prosser for his senior season. And head coach Scott Biglin is still determining who will take over at quarterback.
For Biglin, entering his 18th season as Kamiakin’s head coach, the personnel changes are only part of the offseason evaluation.
After advancing through the postseason before falling 55-14 to Lake Stevens in the opening round of the 4A state tournament, Biglin said the Braves needed to look internally at what kept them from competing better against one of the state’s elite programs. Kamiakin finished 9-3 overall in 2025.
Biglin’s biggest takeaway from 2025 wasn’t statistical. It was discipline.
“I think we’re going to be a little more disciplined team,” Biglin said on The Sports Council. “I think last year, we had a good group of guys, but I think at times we were very undisciplined with our practices and how I was handling things.”
Biglin put much of that responsibility on himself.
“This is something that I need to change,” he said. “That’s on me as a head coach. I need to be better.”
Physicality has received similar attention. Kamiakin won three postseason games in a 12-day span last November, shutting out Lewis & Clark 28-0 and beating Bethel 34-20 to reach state before running into Lake Stevens. Biglin said the Braves have been outmatched physically in each of their past two postseason exits — something the program is emphasizing during camp.
“We’re going to run into teams that are just better than us at times, but we want to make sure that we can handle the physicality of whatever team we’re playing,” Biglin said. “We’re really preaching that physical part of the game and making sure that we don’t get out-physicaled and lose a game that way.”
The regular-season numbers show Kamiakin already had a strong foundation defensively. The Braves allowed 228.4 yards and 12.6 points per game during the MCC’s nine-game statistical period, ranking fourth in the conference in total defense and fourth in scoring defense. Opponents converted only 25.93 percent of their third downs.
There is considerably less uncertainty at wide receiver. Seniors Mason Severson and Micheal Kori return after combining for 77 receptions, 1,330 yards and 18 receiving touchdowns during the 2025 regular-season statistical period.
Severson led the MCC with 47 receptions for 761 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 16.2 yards per catch. Kori added 30 catches for 569 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 19 yards per reception. Both earned All-MCC recognition. Severson was a first-team receiver and first-team kick returner, while Kori was a second-team receiver and first-team defensive back.
Biglin called Severson an “unbelievable athlete” and praised the senior for the work he put in throughout the summer.
“He has not taken a day off,” Biglin said. “He was there every day during the summertime, and he’s out here leading the guys.”
Kori presents a similar problem for opposing defenses.
“He’s very special when he gets the ball in his hands,” Biglin said.
Kori also recorded three interceptions defensively during the regular-season statistical period. The challenge is finding enough additional threats to prevent opponents from simply building their coverage around the two seniors. Biglin mentioned Damien Zoladz and Easton Stephens among players expected to contribute, along with younger receiver Toren Woodhouse.
“We’ve got some other young guys,” Biglin said. “Toren Woodhouse — his brother Trent was our quarterback — but he’s a bigger wide receiver for us. I think he’s going to be a special player for us.”
The biggest offensive question is who will deliver the football to those receivers. Biglin entered camp with a competition between senior Gavin Cronrath and sophomore Hunter Liebert. Cronrath isn’t without varsity experience. During the MCC regular-season statistical period last year, he completed 26 of 54 passes for 390 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions while playing behind McEwen. Biglin said Cronrath remained committed to the program despite not winning the starting job last season.
“He actually told me, he goes, ‘I’ll go play running back. I’ll go play linebacker. I just want to play. I want to be out here with these guys,’” Biglin said. “That’s a special trait to have.”
Liebert gives Kamiakin a younger option whom Biglin believes has considerable upside.
“I think he’s a very special talent as well,” Biglin said. “I like him because he’s got a real high IQ on football, and he throws a really good football.”
Biglin said both quarterbacks are expected to see game action early as the staff evaluates how each responds to Friday-night pressure.
“Both of them are going to see time in that first game,” Biglin said. “We want to put them both on the fire to see how they handle it.”
Whoever wins the job inherits an offense that averaged 323.3 yards and 31.1 points per game during the nine-game MCC statistical period in 2025. Kamiakin averaged 171.9 yards passing and 151.4 rushing per game.
The quarterback competition exists in part because Kamiakin lost a player who became increasingly important late last season.
McEwen completed 68 of 119 passes for 1,176 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions during the MCC statistical period. He then played a significant role in Kamiakin’s postseason run. Against Bethel with a state berth on the line, McEwen threw for 221 yards and three touchdowns in Kamiakin’s 34-20 victory. He is now at Chiawana, where he has been identified among the Riverhawks’ 2026 receivers.
Hopwood represents another significant departure. He rushed 81 times for 444 yards and five touchdowns during the MCC regular-season statistical period and earned second-team All-MCC honors at linebacker as a junior. He transferred to Prosser for his senior season.
The offensive line is another area Biglin will watch closely. Kamiakin returns three starters up front, but Biglin said depth behind that
group remains a concern, particularly because several linemen also have defensive responsibilities.
“O-line’s always a question mark for every team,” Biglin said. “We’ve got three guys back from last year’s team, and we filled them in with two other guys that I really, really like.”
The issue is what happens beyond the starting five.
“We’re pretty thin in the O-line department,” Biglin said. “They also play defensive line, so it’s a matter of keeping them healthy.”
That concern fits into a broader goal for 2026: Biglin wants to avoid overextending his best players.
Severson and Kori may be capable of playing virtually every snap, but developing enough depth to give players meaningful rest could become important as the season progresses.
Attack the Moment
The eventual objective at Kamiakin isn’t difficult to identify. The Braves have become accustomed to postseason football, and last season showed they can win games in November.
Biglin, however, doesn’t want the 2026 team consumed by where it hopes to finish.
Kamiakin is using the acronym ATM — “Attack the Moment.”
“Obviously everybody’s goal is win a state title, but those are longevity goals,” Biglin said. “Right now we’re just attacking the moment, and our goal right now is get better every day and get better every practice.”
The Braves open Sept. 4 at Evergreen and play another nonconference road game Sept. 11 at West Valley before beginning MCC play at Kennewick on Sept. 18. Their conference schedule also includes an Oct. 9 trip to Chiawana — potentially putting Kamiakin across the field from McEwen — before finishing the regular season against Pasco on Oct. 29.
“I think we’re going to be a fun team to watch,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of athletes, a lot of talent. Our kids play with a lot of heart, a lot of intensity.”