Improved defense a priority for SK football this season

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, August 11, 2026

The South Kitsap Wolves football team is looking to be tougher and more physical in a top-heavy South Puget Sound League this upcoming season.

SK finished 6-4 and 4th in the SPSL behind Puyallup, Sumner, and Curtis in 2025, tallying their best season since 2012, the last time they made the playoffs. The Wolves came close to qualifying for the postseason but fell to Olympia 27-0 in a play-in game.

“We want to be the most physical team, and we want to get really good at what we do,” Wolves head coach Sean Banks said.

For SK, that means emphasizing certain aspects of the game and tightening things up on the defensive side of the ball. Every team ahead of the Wolves in SPSL play allowed fewer points last season (Puyallup 154, Sumner 227, Curtis 240), while the Wolves themselves allowed 273, putting them at fourth in that category in the SPSL.

Banks wants the Wolves to be “gap sound” and “technically better” in order to improve the defensive output as a whole. SK had games against the top three teams in the SPSL last season, giving up 41 points to Curtis and 60-plus points to Sumner and Puyallup, respectively. In every other game they had in the regular season, the Wolves allowed 13.6 points per game.

Defensively, Banks is hoping that the Wolves will be a better tackling and coverage unit in the upcoming season.

“Don’t get beat deep,” Banks said. “Line up and tackle. That’s what we’re going to try to do. Whatever your job is, that’s what we want you to do.”

Former SK quarterback Franklin Fox graduated this summer, and junior quarterback Bailey Kaiser is set to take over the reins after backing up Franklin in the 2025 season.

Kaiser is a multi-sport athlete who also plays baseball for the Wolves. Banks expects Kaiser to be a leader on the field, “be vocal, be able to run our offense, and really just take care of the ball.” Kaiser is more of a “traditional quarterback,” serving more as a “drop back” guy. However, Banks said Kaiser can also run with the ball well.

The Wolves are looking to frame their overall team culture around a “I never quit” mentality by using five core tenants to frame their program around: Love (you can depend on me), Ownership (my life, my responsibility), Accountability (hold myself and others to high standards), Discipline (the future is more important than how I feel), and Being Tough (I will never quit, bend or break).

“Those are the five things that everybody has got to agree on if they’re going to be in this program,” Banks said. “That’s the culture.

SK opens their season Sept. 4 on the road against North Creek.