Lake Washington High School Football Head Coach AJ Parnell was chosen as the Coach of the Year as a part of the regular season 3A KingCo awards. The coach of the year is selected by other football head coaches in the league.

“I was surprised and humble and honored,” he said. “I was not expecting that.”

He added that he thinks the award reflects the entire effort by the team and the community, as Assistant Head Coach Andy Arena was also honored by the league as Assistant Coach of the Year.

“We have an amazing staff, amazing kids, and amazing families here that support that what we’re doing,” he said. “I tell our kids that it takes a lot of people to get it done, so really that’s a reflection of a lot of people working together toward a common goal, and it’s really exiting for our program that it was recognized. It’s a great community and we’ve got great people here. The middle school kids love the buzz and they’re excited to play.”

The selection was made more special by the fact that Parnell is in just his second season as a head coach. Parnell, who is also a health and fitness teacher at the school, started as an assistant coach at Juanita High School in 2008, where he also played for the Rebels football team while growing up in Kirkland.

Parnell also said the award was an honor to receive as it comes from other coaches in the league.

“I think our conference has some of the strongest coaching in the state,” he said. “It’s so strong in terms of what the programs are doing and what the coaches are doing. I have so much respect for the head coaches in our conference. It’s really an honor. You love competing against people you respect and it makes it so much more enjoyable.”

The Kangs finished with a 4-2 in-league record and 6-4 overall. Their final game was an overtime playoff loss against Wilson High School, 15-12. Parnell called the victory against Mercer Island, 49-28, one of the season’s highlights. Not only did they defeat them on their home turf for the first time since 1976, the win also secured the Kangs’ slot in the playoffs.

The game against Liberty during September was a last-minute comeback, with the Kangs down 17-0 before tying the game and scoring a winning field goal in overtime.

Despite losing to Juanita during their annual rivalry game, 38-28, he thought his team played well. The Kangs have not beat the Rebels since 2006.

“Our kids just played at such a high level and the high atmosphere,” Parnell said.

Parnell said he thinks the award represents what a coach is able to get out of the players in terms of performance and effort. Lake Washington had four players named to five different positions on the All-KingCo Tirst Team: Wide receiver and safety Jake Wikel, tight end Sean Gordon, guard Jared Menssen, linebacker Dylan Bacher; seven players to the second team: center Matt Malloy, tackle Parker Wikel, punter Stossi Tsantilas, defensive tackle Jared Menssen, defensive end Sean Gordon, linebacker Caleb Rickels and cornerback Colby Coco; and Adam Long, D.J. Mann, Will Pliska and Rudy Wilkes were given an honorable mention.

“A lot of it is reflected on record,” he said. “That’s where it starts. What the coach was able to get out of those athletes. There’s a ton of guys who do a great job at all the difference schools. It’s easy to go into the room and think we had the ability to win some games this year that were really tight. It’s a product of what we’re doing as a program.”

He added that the way to tell a good coach is by just by watching individual players throughout the season.

“I always look at how a kid plays in all the different scenarios in a game,” he said. “When they’re facing adversity, when they’re facing success, how do they play? They’re kind of a product of the coaching. Are they sticking together? Are they able to play as a team? Team dynamic is quickest way I look at it.”

And the first way for coaches to get that performance out of players, he said, is by showing they care beyond their play on the field.

“I have the ability to coach them because they trust me. It’s all about building relationships. It’s all about building them up. If there’s no relationship built you make your job harder as a coach. They don’t know how much you know until they know how much you care. They got to know you care about them before you can really start to coach them.”

Juanita Rebels football

The Rebels also took home many All KingCo awards, including junior running back Salvon Ahmed who was named offensive player of the year. Five players were named to six positions for the All KingCo First Team, including quarterback Tavin Montgomery, Ahmed at running back and safety, guard Alex Camilleri, kicker Jackson Clemensen and linebacker Jaspreet Singh. Juanita also had five players on the second team, including wide receiver AJ Peacocke, tight end Nick Rhodes, tackle Cade Totten, linebacker GJ Hurst and safety Makiah Gilmer. Dylan Moctezuma, Tristan Morgan, Anes Mesac and Romey Sassauoung were given honorable mentions by the league’s coaches.