Sports

Soap Lake Eagles Name New Football Coach

Friday, August 28, 2026

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Soap Lake Eagles announced Tony O'Neel as their new head football coach for the 2026 season, replacing the previous coaching staff.

O'Neel, who previously served as head soccer coach and assistant football coach, will also serve as defensive coordinator and offensive situational coach. The team finished 2-6 in the Central Washington B League last season with four seniors graduating. O'Neel noted a promising roster of 18 players with senior returners Andres Lopez and Tyler Hart leading the team. He plans to build team culture through a 'Mount Everest' metaphor, breaking the season into weekly goals.

The Eagles will open their season on September 3 against Odessa at 7 p.m.

📄 Source: Local Government — https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2026/aug/28/eagles-look-to-climb-everest-under-new-leadership-in-2026/

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Soap Lake Eagles announced Tony O'Neel as their new head football coach“The Soap Lake Eagles are heading into the fall with a new head coach as Tony O’Neel steps into the leadership position for the 2026 season.”
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Tony O'Neel will serve as defensive coordinator“Along with the head coaching position, O’Neel will also act as the Defensive Coordinator while calling situational on offense when needed.”
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Tony O'Neel will serve as offensive situational coachNo usable supporting receipt — unverified.
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The team finished 2-6 in the Central Washington B League last season“Last year, the Eagles finished their season 2-6 in the Central Washington B League and graduated four seniors from the roster in the offseason.”
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Four seniors graduated from the team“Last year, the Eagles finished their season 2-6 in the Central Washington B League and graduated four seniors from the roster in the offseason.”
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Tony O'Neel noted a promising roster of 18 players“This year’s roster has around 18 players in total as of the late summer practices.”
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Andres Lopez is a senior returner leading the team“O’Neel said the roster is looking promising early this season as Soap Lake is seeing senior returners like Andres Lopez and Tyler Hart looking to lead the team this fall.”
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Tyler Hart is a senior returner leading the team“Last year, the Eagles finished their season 2-6 in the Central Washington B League and graduated four seniors from the roster in the offseason. O’Neel said the roster is looking promising early this season as Soap Lake is seeing senior returners like Andres Lopez and Tyler Hart looking to lead the team this fall.”
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Tony O'Neel plans to build team culture through a 'Mount Everest' metaphor“"You draw out Mount Everest, and if you’ve seen documentaries and stuff, to climb Mount Everest it’s not just one full go climb. You’ve got to spend months up there," said O’Neel. "That’s what I showed these guys, I showed our 10-game schedule, and each week is a build up to the top of Mount Everest." He said during their metaphorical climb, each week will be broken into individual goals where the team can either go up or down a level for their journey.”
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The Eagles will open their season on September 3“The Eagles first game is on the road Sept. 3 against Odessa at 7 p.m.”
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The Eagles will play against Odessa on September 3“The Eagles first game is on the road Sept. 3 against Odessa at 7 p.m.”
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The game will start at 7 p.m.“The Eagles first game is on the road Sept. 3 against Odessa at 7 p.m.”