When Interlake’s opponents look at game film from 2011, they will see plenty of departed running back Jordan Todd. After he set the single-season state rushing record, KingCo foes will no doubt be glad that is the only view of him they have to endure.

Todd rushed for 2,681 yards, including 359 in his team’s quarterfinal loss to Lynden, last year but is now a freshman at Central Washington University.

His former team has an entirely new challenge for navigating KingCo and reaching the playoffs for a fifth straight year.

The drop to 2A resulted in four straight state tourney appearances for the Saints, but Interlake moves back to 3A for the 2012 season and will again need a top three finish among its conference mates to earn a playoff berth.

While the challenge is obviously a far greater one than qualifying for the 2A tournament, when the Saints received points based on wins over 3A teams, players said the opportunity is a proving ground for the program’s growth.

“That’s not really on our minds anymore,” senior Kamana Adriano said of the complex system for seeding as a 2A team in the 3A league. “We’re just out there to beat every team we can.”

Adriano quarterbacked last year’s team after not playing the position since middle school, but has moved back to receiver for his final prep season with the return of Trevor Lyon, a senior who left the program only to return for a final run at Interlake.

Ryan Turman will be the other primary threat for the Saints on the outside and the play of the two bulked-up receivers will go a long way in loosening the running game for whichever running back emerges from a logjam of contenders, including Ryan’s twin brother Evan.

Evan Prince, another three-year starter for coach Jason Rimkus on the offensive line,  said the offseason was the best he has been part of during his time in the program and the leadership has reached an entirely new level from just two years ago.

“The younger guys can really feel it and they thrive on it,” Prince said of the direction from the upperclassmen.

Prince and the rest of the seniors hope that leadership can carry the team to its first ever 3A playoff appearance, but began laying the foundation for that run well before the season started with offseason conditioning.

Strength and conditioning coach Darius Terry said the turnout in the weight room and for conditioning sessions during the spring and summer months was the best it has been during his three-plus years at Interlake. Players and coaches cited that as yet another example of the dedication that now permeates the program.

“We don’t have to teach hustle and effort anymore,” Rimkus said. “They know the expectations.”

And after playing in and winning more playoff games than any class in school history, this year’s seniors are ready to take another giant step in solidifying the program they have helped turn around, even in the midst of a once-tumultuous coaching change.

“We haven’t made it to the Tacoma Dome,” Adriano said in a nod to the home of the 3A semi-finals and title game. “That would be a huge deal for us and I know it would give a lot of confidence to the younger guys after we’re gone.”

The road to the uncharted territory of the state semi-finals will be a difficult one, as Interlake will face a pair of 4A foes in the non-conference before trying to earn a top-three finish among the 3A competitors in the league in order to qualify for the round of 32.

Wins over Sammamish, Lake Washington and Liberty helped flip the script after an 0-5 start last year and another near-miss against Juanita in overtime sent the Saints into the playoffs with the momentum to make a run to the quarterfinals.

Interlake will need to down at least those four this year if it hopes to finish at or near the top of a conference that returns 2011 state participants Mount Si and Mercer Island as well as four-time defending state champion Bellevue.

“We’ve played the toughest out there and we all know we can play good ball against those teams. We have all seen it.” – Evan Prince, Interlake senior

8/30 @ Issaquah, 7 p.m.

9/7 @ Redmond, 7 p.m.

9/14 @ Liberty, 7 p.m.

9/21 VS Mount Si, 7 p.m.

9/28 @ Mercer Island, 7 p.m.

10/5 VS Bellevue, 7 p.m.

10/12 VS Lake Washington, 7 p.m.

10/19 @ Sammamish, 7 p.m.

10/26 VS Juanita, 7 p.m.