2 • Thursday September 2, 2010 theolympian.

com

2010
HIGH SCHOOL
FOOTBALL

TONY OVERMAN/Staff photographer

ON THE COVER: Timberline quarterback Kevin Russell, left, and Capital running back Tyler Sundberg won’t be able to hide from opponents like they are hidden in a field at Tumwater’s Rutledge Farms.

Talented duo keeps growing as seniors
BY MEG WOCHNICK
Staff writer
Maybe it’s coincidence, but Tim-
berline High School coach Nick
Mullen’s comments about his star
quarterback, Kevin Russell, sound a
lot like how Capital coach J.D. John-
son describes his bulldozing run-
ning back, Tyler Sundberg.
The similarities don’t end with
the kind words. Russell and Sund-
berg had standout junior seasons,
earning unanimous first-team all-
Olympic Western League honors,
and both spent their summers work-
ing on football and not their tan.
Both are expected to lead their
teams back to the playoffs this fall,
and both are expected to deal with
the pressures associated with that
and being the player opposing de-
fenses are designed to shut down.
Russell is quick on his feet and
accurate with his arm, piling up
nearly 2,000 yards passing and 23
touchdowns in his first season as a
starter for Timberline.
“He’s got all the abilities,” Mullen
said of Russell. “He has an edge to
him that a lot of people don’t
have.”
Like Russell, Sundberg spent a
lot of time frustrating defenses in
2009, running for 1,625 yards and
scoring a school single-season re-
cord 31 touchdowns. Johnson said
Sundberg enjoys the challenges in
front of him.
“He’s a competitor,” Johnson
said. “He’s a good kid and he plays
the game how it’s meant to be
RUSSELL, SUNDBERG: Timberline quarterback Kevin Russell and Capital running back
Tyler Sundberg know opponents will be focused on them after huge junior seasons
played.”
HIS TRUE POSITION
Quarterback wasn’t always Rus-
sell’s position.
Up until eighth grade, he was a
running back.
“That was my spot,” Russell said
with a grin.
The switch was made when mid-
dle school coaches noticed Russell’s
ability to throw the deep ball with
ease. He’s been a quarterback ever
since.
He started a handful of games as
a sophomore in 2008, splitting time
with Delas Raiford, who has since
graduated and signed with Air
Force.
Russell earned the starting job
last season and became the leader
of an offense that averaged 38 points
per game and helped the Blazers go
10-1 and reach the 3A playoffs for
the second consecutive year. In ad-
dition to his big passing numbers,
Russell ran for 278 yards and five
touchdowns.
“I don’t know if you’re going to
find a better leader,” Mullen said.
“He understands football.”
That understanding has been ex-
panded after a summer spent going
to seven camps or combines across
the Northwest, showing college
coaches that his game is ready for
the next level. Russell even took his
line that returns one starter, first-
team all-league center Amosa Oloi.
Russell was spoiled last year because
his line prevented him from being
final exams early in May so he could jured Wall against Bremerton in sacked until the fifth week.
attend a national upperclassmen 2008. As a sophomore, Sundberg Capital has line issues, too. They
combine in Indianapolis. ran for 159 yards and three touch- Çougars up front are not the biggest,
There, he was ranked as one of downs on 25 carries in his first but they’re fast and physical and
the top five quarterbacks while start. Sundberg won’t need much of a
competing against the nation’s best “One thing we keep saying is, hole to get through. The Cougars
talent. At a Seattle combine, Rus- ‘Don’t count your reps, make your also have a talented receiving corps
sell earned MVP honors for his reps count,’ ” Johnson said. and an emerging passing game,
position, with evaluators praising As the featured back last year, which should help take some pres-
his mechanics, ability to read de- Sundberg broke the school single- sure off Sundberg.
fenses and his understanding of the season record for touchdowns of 22 “In a way, (the pressure) makes
game. by Charlie Kentwood in 1996. me push myself to be better,” Sund-
“It offers a lot of perspective,” “He can continue to build off berg said.
Russell said about his experiences that,” Johnson said. “He needs to “With all the other targets on the
this summer. “You’re throwing non- embrace this year for what is it.” field, it’s going to be good because
stop and it’s good to have all those Sundberg’s offseason was any- we have a lot of weapons no one
reps.” thing but. He dedicated his time to knows about.”
being faster and stronger, shedding
GETTING A CHANCE – 15 pounds. He said his 40-yard WHAT’S AHEAD?
AND RUNNING WITH IT sprint time is 4.8. What lies ahead after high school
Capital has developed a reputa- He also impressed college coach- can depend on this season. Neither
tion for producing standout running es at Washington State and Idaho has received college offers yet.
backs such as Tony Davis, Ben Tol- during spring ball with his hard “If it’s going to happen, it’s going
man, Jake Carlyle and Riley Wall. work. to happen,” Sundberg said.
Add Sundberg’s name to that list. At 6-foot-1, Russell isn’t excep-
He said playing behind Wall grow- THE CHALLENGE AHEAD tionally tall for a quarterback. He’s
ing up helped him become the run- Russell and Sundberg know been told Division I is a possibility
ner he is today. they’re marked men, especially but Division II, such as Central
“He taught me a lot,” Sundberg based on what they did last season. Washington, could be a fallback.
said of Wall. “A lot of my running And they’re OK with that. “He can probably surpass a lot of
style is what he did. It was an advan- “It gives me more motivation to expectations,” Mullen said. “He’s so
tage having a great running back perform, because everyone expects explosive and so smart. ... He has a
ahead of me.” it,” Russell said. lot of pressure, and I think he’ll do
And when he got his chance, he The challenges will be many. Rus- a great job with it.”
made the most of it. Sundberg gave sell expects to be blitzed and blitzed
Cougars fans a glimpse of what was again, and he knows there could be Meg Wochnick: 360-754-5473
to come when he filled in for an in- a learning curve with an offensive mwochnick@theolympian.com

NARROWS LEAGUE EVERGREEN CONFERENCE SW EVERGREEN LEAGUE

3A
OLYMPIAN PICKS FOR 2010
2009 season records in parentheses
1. Capital (7-4)… 2. Timberline (10-1)… 3. Wilson (6-4)…
4. Foss (5-5)… 5. Lincoln (3-7)… 6. Yelm (3-7)
TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYER
If Capital running back Tyler Sundberg can improve on the
numbers he totaled in 2009, the rest of the state, let alone
the Narrows League 3A, better watch out. Sundberg ran for
1,625 yards and a school-record 31 touchdowns. Right now,
it looks promising. He reported to camp 15 pounds leaner
and the offense has seven returning starters.
2A
OLYMPIAN PICKS FOR 2010
2009 records in parentheses
1. Chehalis (11-1) … 2. Tumwater (6-4) … 3. North Thurston (7-
4) … 4. Black Hills (8-3) … 5. River Ridge (2-8) …
6. Centralia (3-6) … 7. Aberdeen (4-5)
TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYER
Zack Baldwin, Centralia’s senior running back and a
returning first-team all-conference pick, is tough to tackle.
He rushed for a combined 2,619 yards in the past two
seasons. In two games last year, he ran for 509 yards on a
team that finished 3-6.
1A
OLYMPIAN PICKS FOR 2010
2009 records in parentheses
1. Montesano (11-1) … 2. Onalaska (9-2) … 3. Hoquiam (4-5)
… 4. Elma (3-6) … 5. Rochester (3-6) … 6. Forks (5-4) …
7. Rainier (3-6) … 8. Tenino (0-9)
TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYER
Dalton Ritchey, Onalaska quarterback. The senior is the
reigning SWW 1A Evergreen MVP and an all-everything
type of player for the Loggers. He’s a dual-threat, all-around
athlete who produced 1,000-plus yards in the air and on the
ground as a junior.

TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYER TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYER TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYER

With Tre James roaming the secondary for Wilson,
opponents will think twice about throwing against the
Rams. A first-team all-Narrows League selection last
season, James possesses great speed and good size – he’s 6-
foot-1 and 175 pounds – and can deliver a solid hit.
WHO’S SHE?
Capital will wear stickers with the initials “C.M.B.” on its
helmets to honor the memory of Charlotte Marie Beers,
who died in June at age 6. The Beers family is involved in
the Thurston County Youth Football League.
Brady Grondel led Tumwater in tackles last season at
linebacker and was a first-team all-conference pick. He’s
got the speed to cover the entire field. He’s a big-hitting,
fumble-forcing playmaker who also recovered two fumbles
last season.
WHO’S HE?
Brad Wallace will be a game-breaker for River Ridge. After
earning second-team all-conference honors at wide receiver
last year as a freshman, he’s bigger and faster. He can dunk,
run 40 yards in 4.5 seconds and catch a football in a crowd.
Sean McNealley, Montesano defensive back. There’s little
doubt receivers have a hard time with a quick, in-your-face
cornerback. The Bulldogs’ senior was a key reason the team
had so much success against the pass in 2009.
WHO’S HE?
Most of the SWW 1A Evergreen teams haven’t seen
Hoquiam senior Jerid Ronquillo, but they better get used
to seeing his name. He lit up teams in the 2A Evergreen
Conference as a junior, doing everything from receiving, to
punting, to returning kickoffs to tackling.

BIGGEST SHOES TO FILL BIGGEST SHOES TO FILL BIGGEST SHOES TO FILL

Lincoln senior Jordan Russell decided not to play football
this fall, choosing to focus on basketball. Losing the two-
time all-Narrows League first-team running back is a big
blow to the Abes. Russell figured to be the focal point of
Lincoln’s offense again this season.
CAN’T BE MISSED: Capital at Timberline,
7 p.m. Oct. 23
It’s always fun when these rivals meet. And if the league title
is on the line, the excitement will be ratcheted even higher.
Doug Pacey, staff writer
Black Hills will find out what life is like without Cody
Peterson, the Wolves’ leading rusher the past three years.
Peterson, the league’s MVP last season, is now playing
football for the Naval Academy.
CAN’T BE MISSED: North Thurston
at Tumwater, 8 p.m. Sept. 24
Two hard-hitting teams will be fighting for a playoff spot at
Tumwater as the T-Birds try to contain North Thurston’s
Lawyer Tillman.
Gail Wood, staff writer
Expect big things from Montesano’s Doug Benedict,
a running back/linebacker. He will step up for Ryan
Campbell, the league’s offensive and defensive MVP, who
graduated.
CAN’T BE MISSED: Montesano at Onalaska,
7 p.m. Oct. 29.
There’s a good chance these teams will be undefeated with
the league title on the line in this Week 9 regular-season
finale.
Meg Wochnick, staff writer