After making their first postseason appearance in 14 years, the R.A. Long Lumberjacks are ready to take the next step and advance into the Round of 16 of the Class 2A state playoffs.

“The guys want to get into the bracket, but it isn’t something we talk about a lot,” RAL coach Erik Bertram said. “The topic does make its way around the locker room, but they’re concentrating on competing to be as good as they can be.”

In his first season as head coach of the Lumberjacks, Bertram led his troops to their first playoff berth since 1995 when they met Centralia in the district playoffs. RAL fell behind 28-0 in the first half, but a strong second-half rally came up short as the Jacks fell 34-21.

“We’re getting back to business and the guys have brought good attitudes to practice,” Bertram said of the 55 players he has in fall practice. “The guys have been working really hard, and there hasn’t been a lot of rah-rah stuff.”

All-league running back William Yordy moves to quarterback for his senior season and will operate out of a spread offense.

“William had a great spring and has been looking good in the fall,” Bertram said. “He did really well at the Central Washington University camp, and he’s confident and having fun.”

Bertram said the Jacks’ offense won’t rely on the triple option and will be more of a passing attack featuring a strong running game.

“It’s not super-complex,” he said. “William will make simple reads and throw the ball when it needs to be.”

Senior Kody Cassidy will start at tailback, and will be pushed for touches by seniors Jordan Kilgore and Thomas McCall.

“Kody has taken to the role well and is definitely the starter,” Bertram said. “He’s finding the holes and exploding through them with strong running. Jordan and Thomas have also looked good as runners.”

Seniors Gavin Johnson (all-league) and J Nusbaum are the primary receivers, with senior Tyson Strand also looking for passes. Seniors Dylan Hopkins and Danny Irby will be the H-back and tight end, respectively, with backup help from Kilgore.

“Tyson is a little behind because he hasn’t played in a while, but he’s an awesome athlete with great hands,” Bertram said. “Dylan is an explosive guy and Danny can catch passes when he has to.”

The offensive line is solid with senior all-leaguers Kersey Krieger (left tackle), Zac Williams (left guard) and Justin Wilson (right tackle). Senior Patrick Wille anchors the middle of the line, and a battle for right guard has developed among senior Julio Bautista and juniors Jordan Camba and Julian Doane.

“Jordan started at right guard during the spring and summer, but Julian and Julio also saw some time,” Bertram said. “It’s nice that we’re not starting from Ground Zero with inexperienced linemen. You can’t beat seniors, particularly the ones who are battle-tested.”

The defense includes Wille, senior Justin Wilson and junior Julio Barrera as interior linemen, and Bautista and Josh Sorenson at ends. Sorenson returns to the RAL lineup after missing a couple years with an injury.

All-league junior Jerry Graham returns at middle linebacker, and will line up beside all-league outside linebacker Hopkins. Juniors Erick Cottrell and D.J. Smith, and sophomore Dillon Look are battling for the other linebacker spot. Smith returns to the Jacks after a one-year hiatus.

“We have a lot of underclassmen on defense, but we want to have as few two-way starters as possible so we can stay fresh into the fourth quarter,” Bertram said.

Nusbaum returns at cornerback and is an all-league kick returner, junior Tanner Chamberlain is a safety, and juniors Sergio Vazquez and Austin Wegdahl are vying to start at the other cornerback.

Bertram noted his troops are anxious to improve on last season’s fourth-place finish in the Greater St. Helens 2A League.

“We got beat up by Hockinson and Mark Morris, and we had a chance to beat Woodland,” he said. “We want to move up the ranks, but until you get a chance to see the other teams it’s hard to predict. We expect to be competitive with every team in the league.”

Dave Anderson returns to the RAL sideline as an assistant coach after taking a year off, and is joined by Tim Kalal, Butch Allinger, Rocky Zepeda, Pat Spellmeyer, Keoki Mawae and Tony Ziegler.

Lumberjacks at a Glance

League: Greater St. Helens 2A

2008: 5-5 overall, 2-4 league

Playoffs: Lost to Centralia 34-21 in district

Head coach: Erik Bertram, second season

Coach’s record: 5-5

2009 schedule

Sept. 4: at Fort Vancouver (5 p.m.)

Sept. 11: at Hudson’s Bay (8 p.m.)

Sept. 18: Astoria

Sept. 24: Notre Dame, B.C.

Oct. 2: Woodland

Oct: 9: Hockinson

Oct. 16: at Washougal

Oct. 23: at Ridgefield

Oct. 30: Mark Morris

Nov. 6: Crossover playoffs