Nelson, Saylor Represent SW Washington on Washington AP 2008 All State High School Football Team
Written by on December 29, 2008
First team all-state Wide Reciever Union's #18 Mitch Saylor. Photo by Tom Castle, M.D. Provided courtesy of www.bellevuefootball.com
After the surprising success Union enjoyed this season, it might seem like yet another surprise that Union’s star wide receiver Mitch Saylor and linebacker Taylor Nelson earned All State Team honors, as voted by the Associated Press. It is not often that a GSHL football team has two all state first-teamers, especially when both are underclassmen. It is clearly another reminder of how special Union football truly is.
Let’s start with linebacker, Taylor Nelson, arguably the heart and soul of the defense. When watching Nelson, it seems as if he is in on just about every tackle. Union clearly doesn’t beat Ferndale or Lakes if not for some of Nelson’s big stops. His combination of intelligence, preparation, anticipation, and athletic ability makes him truly special. 3A State Champion Bellevue Head Coach Butch Goncharoff called Nelson the best linebacker he had seen on tape all season long.
Playing in a run-oriented offense, receiver Mitch Saylor’s stats were not necessarily all state caliber; at 6’6, it’s the gracefulness, flair, athleticism and knack for the big play that sets Saylor apart. He’s a match-up nightmare for any defender in a one-on-one situation. He could produce the 1,000 yard, 10 touchdown season if he wanted to, but Union simply didn’t need to go to him often enough. Saylor is regarded as a legit D-1 prospect for next season, and was one of the few bright spots for Union in the state championship game, with 7 catches for 106 yards. Saylor is already starting to pop-up on some college recruiting sites. While no official offers are currently posted, his page lists schools such as Oregon, Washington and Oregon State as “High Interest” schools on his list. This is an indicator that these schools are in communication with him of some sort.
Class 3A player of the year Bellevue senior running back Peter Nguyen is leaning towards signing with Portland State after a dominating senior year in which he surpassed 1,200 yards rushing in roughly half a season marred by a significant injury.
First team all-state Linebacker Union's #59 Taylor Nelson. Photo by Tom Castle, M.D. Provided courtesy of www.bellevuefootball.com
Representing GSHL 4A, Evergreen senior defensive lineman, Ashton Miller, earned honorable mention all state, as did Heritage senior wide receiver Ashton Clark.
Miller single-handedly kept Evergreen in several games this past season. To say Evergreen’s offense struggled at times would be an understatement, and Miller was a constant force and presence in the opponent’s backfield that really helped keep Evergreen close or ahead in several games.
Ashton Clark was a do-everything type of wide receiver and free safety for Heritage. Clark caught 67 passes for 1181 yards and 9 touchdowns. He also had a very impressive 7 interceptions. Picking off 7 passes in a season is a feat that is a lot more difficult and rare to achieve than it seems.
Class 4A player of the year Skyline senior-to-be quarterback Jake Heaps is regarding as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation. He completed 65% of his passes for 2,740 yards, 35 touchdown passes, and only 3 interceptions. In two seasons, he totals: 405-648 (.625) for 6,104 yards and 69 TD’s, 11 Int’s, 21 Rushing TD’s. Tennessee, LSU, Notre Dame, BYU, Washington and several other schools have offered him scholarships. WashingtonPreps.com, through Udubsports.com, reported that Jake Heaps was excited by the recent hiring of new UW coach, Steve Sarkisian. Could he don the purple and gold and help spur a turnaround?
Notables:
- Union’s semi-final opponent, Lakes High School, has four players that made the All State Team: Jamaal Kearse, jr. WR;, Sione Potoa’e, jr. OL; Tuiasosopo; Niusulu, jr. DL; and Darius Waters, jr. DL. All four players return next season. Lakes clearly should be a team to watch next year to rival Bellevue.
- If both Lakes and Bellevue win their respective leagues next season, they would face each other prior to the semi-finals in next year’s state tournament. The GSHL Class 3A champion would also be in that half of the bracket to potentially face the winner of that game.
Below is the entire All State team for the 4A, 3A and 2A classifications:
CLASS 4A
Player of the year – Jake Heaps, jr., Skyline.
| First Team DefenseDefensive line -
Travis Long, sr., Gonzaga Prep; Deandre Coleman, sr., Garfield; Chris Mastin, sr., Lewis and Clark.Linebackers - Jeff Gouveia, sr., Auburn; Anthony DeMatteo, jr., Skyline; Taylor Powell, sr., Southridge; Richie Meier, Central Kitsap.Defensive backs - Desmond Trufant, sr., Wilson; Kurt Stottlemyer, sr., Bothell; Carlo Lavoie, sr., Auburn; Kramer Skidmore, sr., Olympia. All-purpose - Tyler VanSligtenhorst, sr., Rogers. Kicker - Jay Ubben, sr., Gig Harbor. |
First Team OffenseOffensive line -
Christian Rennie, sr., Issaquah; Rob Tramonte, sr.,Skyline; Hunter Blackmore, sr., Kentwood; Steve Brazel, sr., Olympia; Mike Marboe, jr., Wenatchee.Quarterback - Jake Heaps, jr., Skyline.Running backs - Howard McDonald, sr., Central Kitsap; Patrick Ottorbech, sr., Bothell; Grant Gellatly, sr., Issaquah. Wide receivers - Gino Simone, sr., Skyline; Aaron Roberts, sr., Ferris; Kasen Williams, so., Skyline. |
| HONORABLE MENTION
Wide receivers – Ashton Clark, sr., Heritage; Colton Tupen, sr., Lake Stevens; Clayton Homme, sr., Southridge.Offensive line – Brent Anderson, jr., Southridge; Brian Kuznek, sr., South Kitsap; Anthony Luna, Gonzaga Prep.Defensive line – Elliott Bosch, sr., Ferris; Austin Graves, jr., Southridge; Dakota Tripp, sr., Kennewick; Ashton Miller, sr., Evergreen; Cody Alfonso, sr., Olympia.Linebackers – Seth Kline, jr., Eisenhower; Andru Pulu, sr., Federal Way; Andre Barrington, sr., Federal Way; Andrew Lankow, sr., Olympia.Defensive backs – Chris Young, jr., Auburn; Dylan Lindberg, jr., Arlington.All-purpose – Jamison Rowe, sr., Richland.Kicker – Anthony Arena, sr., Inglemoor. |
|
CLASS 3A
Player of the year – Peter Nguyen, sr., Bellevue.
| First Team DefenseDefensive line -
Jordan Finkbonner, sr., Ferndale; Tuiasosopo Niusulu, jr.,Lakes; Darius Waters, jr., Lakes; ‘Alo’ofa Ta’a, sr., Rainier Beach; Geoff Meinken, sr., Lynnwood.Linebackers - Taylor Nelson, jr., Union; Kody Winsor, sr., Hanford; Kellen Matsuno, sr., Eastside Catholic; Calder Russell, sr., North Thurston. Defensive backs - Ronnie Hamlin, sr., Timberline; Jamal Atofau, sr., Bellevue; Nolan Washington, sr., Kennedy; Riley Wall, sr., Timberline. All-purpose - Edd Brown, sr., Yelm. Kicker - Trey Wheeler, so., Liberty. |
First Team Offense
Offensive line -
Michael Nelson, sr., Mount Si; Grant Enger, sr., O’Dea; Ryan Craig, sr., Hanford; Sione Potoa’e, jr., Lakes; Grant Cisneros, sr., Sumner. Quarterback -
Casey Locker, sr., Ferndale Running backs -
Tre Watson, sr., Kennedy; Peter Nguyen, sr., Bellevue; Nick Bellomy, sr., East Valley-Spokane. Wide receivers -
Jamaal Kearse, jr., Lakes; Mitch Saylor, jr., Union; Colten Williams, jr., Mt. Spokane. |
| HONORABLE MENTION
Quarterback – Travis Chalk, sr., Hanford.Running backs – T.J. Lee, sr., West Seattle; Larry Dixon, Olympic. Wide receivers – Spencer Hannah, sr. Ferndale; Josh Taylor, sr., Timberline. Offensive line – Nate Guthrie, sr., East Valley-Spokane. Defensive line – John Froland, jr., Glacier Peak. Linebacker – Orin Paul, sr., Ferndale. Defensive back – Kyle Wagar, sr., Hanford; Joseph Ingman, sr., Captial; Casey Locker, sr., Ferndale. Punter – Riley Baker, jr., North Thurston. |
|
CLASS 2A
Player of the year – Kirby Moore, sr., Prosser.
| First Team DefenseDefensive line -
Jakob Scott, sr., Othello; David Gaylord, sr., Lynden; John Asplund, sr., Bellingham; Jothan Bersing, sr., Selah. Linebackers - Taylor Creighton, sr., Lynden; Jake Steelhammer, jr., Chehalis; Jared Byers, sr., Pullman; C.J. Milburn, sr., Archbishop Murphy. Defensive backs - J.D. Melton, sr., Archbishop Murphy; Tyler Porter, sr., Selah; Kirby Moore, sr., Prosser; Devon Lind, jr., Othello. All-purpose - Tyler VanSligtenhorst, sr., Rogers. Kicker - Andrew Furney, jr., Burlington-Edison. |
First Team OffenseOffensive line -
Nate Meeske, jr., Prosser; Bradley Schultz, sr., Centralia; Zach Barr, sr. Chehalis; Glade Hall, sr., Archbishop Murphy; Scott Zediker, sr., Prosser. Quarterback -
Jordan Dubrin, sr., Prosser. Running backs -
Cody Weber, sr., Pullman; Cody Peterson, jr. Black Hills. Wide receivers -
Kirby Moore, sr., Prosser; Dylan Amell, sr., Interlake. Tight end -
Ryan Seto, jr., Lynden.Punter - Cameron Homan, sr., Eatonville. |
| HONORABLE MENTION
Running backs – Jeremy Rick, sr., Bellingham; Andre Moore, Klahowya. Wide receiver – Blair Bomber, jr., Lynden. Tight end – Daniel DeVries, sr., Tumwater. Offensive line – Ben Westrum, jr., Black Hills; Blaze Affholter, jr., Ellensburg; Thomas Gallagher, Sequim; Wade Meyer, jr., Pullman. Defensive line – JJ Quinlan, sr., Archbishop Murphy; Thomas Gallagher, Sequim; Wade Meyer, jr., Pullman; Bruce Hansen, Centralia; Scott Zediker, sr., Prosser. Linebackers – Joe Cameron, sr., Tumwater; Miles Gardner, sr., Othello; Cody Weber, sr., Pullman; Sheldon Lommers, sr., Selah. Defensive backs – Anthony Flores, sr., Prosser; Ethan Sterkel, jr., Ellensburg; Blair Bomber, jr., Lynden. |
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3 Responses to “Nelson, Saylor Represent SW Washington on Washington AP 2008 All State High School Football Team”
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Can you provide a link to the 2009 3A state football playoff bracket? I’d like to see where you got the info regarding next year’s bracket. It would be unfortunate to have Bellevue, Lakes, and Union on the same side of the bracket.
I am sorry we do not have a link for this. Michael and I spoke with a GSHL coach a few weeks ago that gave us the information. Of course the WIAA brackets are always subject to change and by mid-November ’09 things may be different. For now this is what we know we will go with it. The WIAA does not set up the bracket based on win/loss records but on some sort of rotating region thing.
Thanks for the info.