Night Stalkers Don’t Quit.
Every first week of fall practice for the last nine years, minus the season affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Capital High School football team has seen this motto in action.
Capital’s ninth-year head coach Terry Rose, has established a tradition since his arrival in 2018 to bring his team to Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in Tacoma to visit the 4th Battalion of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), known as the Night Stalkers.
A special operations aviation force of the United States Army, the Night Stalkers put the Cougars football team to the test through a series of grueling workouts and teach the student athletes about leadership, teamwork and brotherhood. Through his work as the owner of local gym Crossfit Olympia, Rose has grown connected with members of the Night Stalkers team who have permitted this tradition for his football program.
Capital took its annual trip to JBLM Thursday on the second day of the 2026 fall practice schedule. The Cougars started the morning with a 90-minute practice on the field at Cowan Stadium on the base, which is used by JBLM’s intramural sports program, before entering the McCants Hangar for an intense workout led by the Night Stalkers.
Even for veteran Capital football players like senior quarterback Nolan Potts, that workout never gets any easier.
“A couple of our guys puked,” Potts said. “It was a lot of work.”
The Cougars then took a tour of the MH-47 Chinook heavy assault helicopters and MH-60 Black Hawk medium assault helicopters before enjoying some ready-to-eat meals with the Night Stalkers.
“Every year, we get to see what people are willing to do for their team, for the Army,” senior wide receiver Carter Pennington said. “It shows they’re willing to sacrifice their lives and work hard for people. It kind of translates to football where I’m willing to make a play for someone else even if I get banged up.”
The annual JBLM trip always sets the tone for the football season. In many ways, the values of the Night Stalkers and their everyday habits are how Rose establishes the core values and expectations within the Capital football program.
The Night Stalkers’ missions are in total darkness and often without warning. Their combat is extremely tactical and precise.
Capital’s attacks on the gridiron won’t be in complete darkness, but under the Friday Night Lights this fall, the new-look Cougars are looking to catch unsuspecting South Sound rivals by surprise.
The Cougars return just five offensive starters and four defensive starters from their 5-4 season a year ago, and 21 seniors graduated, including seven who were either first-team or second-team All-Puget Sound League Nisqually honorees.
But many of those experienced players coming back are longtime leaders in the program. On offense, Potts is back at quarterback after missing most of last season with a broken leg. He suffered a broken fibula and torn ligaments in his leg early in Capital’s Week 4 game against Peninsula on Sept. 26, 2025. After suffering the injury, he stayed on the field for another three or four plays before his leg folded underneath him and he had to be taken off the field.
“Missing out was super tough last year,” Potts said. “I’m just ready to be back out there. I’ve put in a lot of work in the offseason. It’s motivating me even more to get back out.”
When Potts is on the field commanding the offense, there’s a universal trust from his teammates and belief that the offense will produce points.
“When they look up and they see Nolan in there, it’s a whole different offense. Nolan’s our leader. He’s the emotional leader,” Rose said. “He’s the guy that’s gonna put you on his back.”
Potts had never been away from football due to an injury. He was itching to throw before he could even walk again. While on a knee scooter, he’d still toss the football around just to keep his arm warm.
Since he started playing the sport in the second grade, Potts has always had a football close by. During Friday's practice at Swarthout Field, he either held or tossed a football in every stretch, warmup or drill that physically allowed him to do so.
Most of those mid-stretch throws were to his star target Pennington, who has played football and basketball with Potts since elementary school.
“There’s a limitless ceiling to me and Carter,” Potts said. “We haven’t gotten a full season together on varsity, so that’s going to be super exciting. We’re good friends, and that translates on the field too.”
Pennington was named a First Team All-PSL Nisqually wideout in 2025 after posting 44 catches for 561 yards and seven touchdowns. In Friday’s practice, he did some damage to the secondary out of the slot.
“Throw ball, get ball,” Rose said of Pennington. “He’s so good. He just has a knack for the ball, and he’s just savvy. A lot of times, you look at Carter and you’re like, ‘How did you come down with that ball?’”
Pennington will be joined in the wide receiver room by Carter Armstrong, Julien Mikealson, Kash Valentine and Kennon Valentine, among others. At running back, junior Nolen Rea, senior Garrett Murphy and sophomore EJ Singleton will tote the rock.
One of the biggest question marks in spring ball for Rose was putting together the offensive line, but so far this fall, the puzzle pieces are starting to fall into place. Senior center Sebastian Guzman is the lone returner with experience in the trenches, while senior Karver Bulloch and junior Easton Bramble will line up at tackle. Senior Luke Myers and senior Timothy Beard can play guard, while freshman Beau Jansen has impressed in camp.
Three significant leaders of the Capital defense in defensive lineman Owen Hackney, linebacker Judah Thale and defensive back Brodie LaRitz have all graduated. But Bulloch is back to anchor the defensive line, along with Bramble and Kennon Valentine. Linebackers Rea and Dylan Parraz bring lots of experience, and both Armstrong and Murphy are “lockdown” corners, according to Rose. Freshman Landon Bartlett has caught the eyes of coaches and veteran players in practice and could see some time at safety.
Overall, the freshman class of 24 has impressed many in the program.
“They’re all ready to play their hearts out. That’s really impressive,” Murphy said. “Last year and a couple years before, there were always kids that didn’t really like football but were still playing. But the majority of the freshmen this year, even if they’re undersized, are out here to work.”
The first target for the Capital Cougars in their 2026 operations is to defend their Spaghetti Bowl trophy with a win at Ingersoll Stadium against heated rival Olympia on Sept. 4. Capital has grown fond of playing with a chip on its shoulder and being the “smaller” school in the rivalry, as the Cougars compete in Class 3A and Olympia plays in Class 4A. Capital defeated Olympia 33-27 in a thriller last September via a Potts game-winning touchdown run in overtime. The last two matchups have come down to the final moments.
But the Cougars are making sure that Olympia, which was referred to by Rose in his post-practice speech to the team as “that other team,” isn’t taking up any more acreage in their minds than any other opponent.
“Capital has been known for always being smaller, slower, and not as physical, but we always end up making it work. That’s how our team rolls,” Pennington said. “Nobody can ever doubt us because we just ball out. Olympia being a bigger school doesn’t matter to us. Whatever they want to say and do doesn’t really affect us at all.
“They don’t know what’s coming.”
