MEAD, Wash. – The 2026 Mead Panthers have been nothing short of historic.
A 9-1 record, perfection against the Greater Spokane League, topped by a league title for the first time in nine years, and now they play for more of that coveted history.
“You know we take it a little personally this year, especially since last year we didn’t do as well as we expected,” Panthers quarterback Evan Drew said. “And then, you know, this year we just had a chip on our shoulder each week. We just had a mission, and we did that.”
The new GSL 4A/3A split gave Mead the chance to schedule more non-conference opponents, prepping them better than in years past.
“I think our kids have shown that they want to be a team that accomplishes things that haven’t been done before,” Mead head coach Kyle Snell said. “And so for us, like this week, this round of 16 meet hasn’t won since 2012. And so if we’re going to create expectations around that, which we want to, like, we want to be a team that’s a quarterfinal team and beyond, like moving forward.”
This preparation has built the Panthers into their namesake beast: lethal on the turf since a loss to Chiawana two months ago.
“Wearing the ‘Mead Panthers’ has always been like a pride to me these last four years,” Panthers senior defensive back Tyce Tuggle said. “Like, we’ve always been like, ‘oh, we got to play like Mead this week.’ Like, ‘oh, it’s Mead. And it feels good that, like, we’re finally starting to get that respect. We’re starting to finally become that team that people don’t want to face.”
The most effective tool in Mead’s arsenal is the one-two slugger of quarterback Evan Drew and wide receiver Lee Colomb, owning over 800 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns together.
“We started playing flag football together in second grade,” Colomb said. “So, we’ve known each other for a while, and it’s kind of just continued over those years. Freshman year, we were kind of the same thing, kind of just the dominant duo, and it’s kind of just kept going like that. I mean, I would say we’re the most dominant duo.”
“With how fast he is, I know I can always, like, count on him to be open,” Drew said. “I know I can trust him play-wise too. And he’s a go-to guy for me, you know, like, I mean, I can trust him with anything that he does. And it’s great to have him on the team.”
The Panthers kick off at the Bothell Cougars Saturday at 1:00 p.m. A win sends Mead to its first quarterfinals in 14 years.
COPYRIGHT 2026 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
