|
FOOTBALL
2001
COVER
STORY
Steve
Bloom/The Olympian
North Thurston running back Alex Pittelkau and Chehalis quarterback Sawyer Smith are the two most explosive offensive players in the South Sound, with both out to eclipse outstanding junior seasons in their final year of football.
Steve
Bloom/The Olympian
Sawyer
Smith has the kind of tools that make college scouts stand
up and take notice, including a keen sense of the mental
aspects of playing quarterback. Of course, his impressive
numbers don't hurt either.
Tony
Overman/The Olympian
Alex
Pittelkau found plenty of open space last year en route
to rushing for more than 2,000 yards as he helped lead North
Thurston to the state semifinals.
Steve
Bloom/The Olympian
Alex
Pittelkau is a deadly weapon for the Rams both on the ground
and through the air, as the senior looks to shatter more
school records this season.
Steve
Bloom/The Olympian
Sawyer
Smith hopes that another solid season will propel him to
a scholarship offer.
Cream
of the crop
Pittelkau,
Smith lead area stars
ELLIOTT
SMITH, THE OLYMPIAN
What did you do on your summer vacation?
Alex Pittelkau
pitched hay to prepare for the rigors of the season. Sawyer
Smith pitched footballs at summer camps to show off for
college scouts.
While their
summers were wildly different, Pittelkau and Smith will
have one thing in common this fall -- the two seniors are
the top offensive threats at South Sound high schools this
year.
Pittelkau carried
North Thurston to the state semifinals last season on his
small shoulders, putting together a record-breaking season
in the process. He rushed for 2,003 yards with an amazing
34 touchdowns, despite being targeted by opposing defenses
throughout the Rams' season.
Smith marshaled
Chehalis to the verge of the playoffs with his accurate,
strong arm, as the Bearcats scuttled their Wing-T attack
and went aerial. Smith threw for 20 touchdowns and 2,480
yards -- to lead the state -- in Chehalis' wide-open game
plan.
This year, the
stakes are higher.
Labeled as can't-miss
talents, both players may feel pressure -- to live up to
their reputations, not to mention defenses geared to shut
them down.
Throw in trying
to eclipse their junior years and planning life after high
school and it should be a hectic senior season for both
players.
But they're
ready.
Ram tough
When Alex Pittelkau
takes his thousandth hit from an angry defender during this
season, he will just pop back up and think, "It can't be
any worse than hay."
For a week,
the 5-foot-10, 175- pound senior worked at former North
Thurston teammate Jesse Radcliffe's farm, bailing from 10
a.m. to 1 a.m. It certainly helped Pittelkau get into game
shape, but more importantly, he said it helped him hone
his focus.
"For me, it
was more for mental toughness," he said. "There was loose
hay, barrels would break -- it was frustrating. We worked
all day. But when you got tired, you just kept on going."
That sort of
mental dedication is what Pittelkau is all about. He knows
that his numbers raised eyebrows last season and that there
will be expectations placed on him to produce in a similar
fashion. He handles it all with his usual aplomb.
"I can look
back (at last year) and think I did a good job," he said.
"But there's always room for improvement. It will be hard
to top those numbers, but I guess I've got to go out there
and do what I've got to do."
North Thurston
coach Rocky Patchin said that while Pittelkau may be quiet,
there's no doubt what drives him.
"He loves football,"
Patchin said. "Alex has never failed to come to play. You
can't read it by his emotions. You just know he'll be ready.
I want him to finish his senior year with no doubt that
he's the best in the area."
Bearing down
Sawyer Smith's
parents wouldn't even let him play football until the seventh
grade.
Ever since,
he hasn't stopped.
After his breakout
campaign last season, Smith showed off his wares at several
collegiate camps this summer and continued to do the thing
that has made him such a hot prospect -- throw.
"I've just been
wanting to play," the 6-5, 195 senior said.
And why not,
after the way the 2000 season unfolded?
"I've always
seen his talent," Chehalis coach Ivor Hoglund said. "He's
matured from year-to-year. He's really, really intelligent.
If I was going to rank anything about him, that would be
No. 1. He's the only quarterback I've coached in 29 years
that I have trusted to audible. We have them every year,
but I don't let them call it. I trust him."
Perhaps it's
because Hoglund knows that Smith's father, Jeff was a quarterback
in college and has worked with his son on the cerebral part
of the game.
"My dad was
a quarterback and I think my knowledge of the game is good,"
Sawyer Smith said.
"Reading defenses
is one of my strengths. Having the freedom to audible is
nice. I remember I audibled on fourth-and-2 in the Timberline
game and none of the coaches said anything to me. It helped
that I completed the pass, but no one second-guessed me."
Marked men
"It's so hard
when you go out as a junior and accomplish many things as
an individual," Patchin said. "You're all-state, all-area,
MVP and this and that. But what do you do next season? How
do you approach it?"
That's the task
that both Pittelkau and Smith face this year. With all eyes
on them, the pressure will be on them to produce.
"It actually
motivates me," Pittelkau said. "That tells me that I have
to work harder because other teams are going to work even
harder to stop me."
Pittelkau will
be running behind an inexperienced offensive line, but with
solid returners in Frank Duran at quarterback and Zach Fluke
at wide receiver.
"It takes a
little pressure off Alex," Patchin said. "I thought he was
a marked man more last year than he will be this year. We
were run-first, then. They knew what was coming.
Last year he
only carried about 18 times per game and that's not a lot
for a back of his type. He will carry the ball a lot more
this year."
Defenses will
be geared up to slow Smith and the Bearcats' passing attack,
most likely by trying to tee off with multiple blitz packages.
"I have to find
other ways to beat what teams are trying to do me," Smith
said. "When teams try to blitz me, it leaves other guys
open. It'll be fun."
Smith's main
target, receiver Andy Olson, moved on to Western Washington
University, leaving Smith searching for a new weapon.
"Obviously,
that hurt the team," he said. "Andy and I clicked -- we
saw things the same way. But we still have a lot of good
receivers."
The next
level
College recruiters
keep their ears to ground, so it should come as no surprise
that when players shine as much as Smith and Pittelkau did
last season, the letters would start coming.
"We've sent
out about 35 films on him," Hoglund said of Smith. "People
are really excited."
A prototypical
drop-back quarterback with an accurate arm causes scouts
to drool, so Smith has drawn a lot of attention. He's visited
Washington, Washington State, Oregon and Oregon State and
has received letters from as far away as LSU.
"I wondered
how they found out about me," he said about the Tigers.
"I've been gaining a lot of interest in Arizona State, however.
I recently got some letters from them, but I haven't talked
to anyone there yet."
While Smith's
college future seems certain, Pittelkau's is not. Despite
the numbers, most Division I colleges are put off by his
stature. However, keeping with his calm nature, Pittelkau
doesn't really seem concerned.
"I left my options
open," he said. "I'll wait until the season gets going.
I don't really have any preferences. Like anyone who plays
a sport, you just want to keep playing."
But Patchin
is convinced that a school that takes a flyer on Pittelkau
will be getting something special.
"I think he's
capable of playing D-I," Patchin said. "He's durable enough
to do that. I see him as a (Oregon State running back Ken)
Simontin type of guy. Boise State has a great back (Brock
Forsey) that's exactly same size as Pitt. There's a number
of schools that he could play at. It's just a matter of
him wanting it, because he's had two of the finest years
on film that I've ever seen."
Elliott Smith
covers sports for The Olympian. He can be reached at 754-5473
or esmith@olympia.gannett.com
The
Olympian Copyright 2001
back
to main FOOTBALL 2001 index
|
