Browne is the third Gatorade Washington Football Player of the Year to be chosen from Skyline High School.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Browne as Washington’s best high school football player.

Browne now is a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Football Player of the Year award which will be announced later this month.

The 6-foot-5, 210-pound junior quarterback has led the Spartans to a 10-3 record. Browne passed for 3,813 yards and 43 touchdowns through 13 games, completing 273-of-389 attempts while throwing just five interceptions.

A 2010 First Team All-State selection, he has connected on better than 70 percent of his passes this season and has thrown for more than 200 yards in 12 games in 2011.

Browne has maintained a 3.55 GPA in the classroom. He has volunteered locally on behalf of multiple community service initiatives in association with his church youth group and as a football and basketball camp counselor and referee.

“Max Browne is incredibly poised and efficient, he makes great decisions and is a winner,” said Liberty High coach Steve Valach. “In two years, he has thrown about four incompletions against us. His fundamentals are impeccable and he makes the most of his ability.”

The Skyline Spartans are state champs for the fourth time in five years after beating the Skyview Storm 38-7 Dec. 3 at the Tacoma Dome.

Skyline used a strong running attack and typical air attack to take it to Skyview. But The Spartan defense also played a huge role in the dominant effort at state. Three different defenders intercepted passes from Skyview’s Kieran McDonagh, including Jack Valencia’s 74-yard interception return for a touchdown with 34 seconds left in the game.

Junior quarterback Max Browne finished the night completing 15 of 22 pass attempts for 222 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Running back Damian Greene ran the ball 16 times for 76 yards and a touchdown. Valencia finished with 43 yards rushing and also punched through for an 11-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Check back later for the full story.

Max Browne and the Skyline offense had done its job. The defense had held just well enough in key situations. And even though Woodinville recovered an onside kick and nearly scored a game-winning touchdown with 28 seconds left, Skyline seemed to hold onto a tradition built on its ability to thrive during the state playoffs.

Max Browne, Skyline junior quarterback, breaks the tackle of Woodinville senior linebacker Jacob Hollister on a keeper for nine yards to the Falcon eight-yard line, as the Skyline sideline looks on during the first quarter. Photo by Christopher Huber

“I was terrified,” said Skyline coach Mat Taylor.

The Spartans survived the 4A state semifinal match, beating Woodinville 26-21 Nov. 26 at the Tacoma Dome. The Spartans (10-3) will play for a chance to take home its third 4A state championship in four years at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 3 at the Tacoma Dome.

“I think so much of it is tradition, and the kids building up their own program,” Taylor said of the team’s late-season success. “We have expected the guys are going to win.”

Skyline got things going early. It scored on its first possession of the game after junior quarterback Browne set it up with a 40-yard pass to senior receiver Taggart Kreuger.

Seven plays later, Browne connected with running back Damian Greene for a 2-yard touchdown pass. After a botched extra point attempt, the Spartans led 6-0.

Both teams ended promising first-half drives with turnovers, including Skyline’s fumble on the Falcon 15-yard line on the first play of the second quarter. Woodinville went three-and-out and Skyline scored on the next possession on a Greene 1-yard run up the middle to take a 12-0 lead.

The Falcons gave it back 12 plays later when Skyline defensive back Andrew Giese intercepted a pass in the end zone from quarterback Brett Arrivey.

The Spartans kept control of the game by plugging any running lanes for Falcon running back Alec Schwend, the Crown Division’s Offensive Player of the Year. Skyline held Schwend to just 35 yards on 12 carries all game.

“They controlled the tempo in the first half,” said Wayne Maxwell, Woodinville’s head coach. “They were just flying up and committing nine guys to the run.”

Skyline led 12-0 at halftime after failing to capitalize on the turnover.

Browne completed 15 of 20 passes for 170 yards in the first half and finished 22 for 30 for 281 yards and three touchdowns.

Woodinville got on the board right away after executing through the air in the third quarter.

It scored on a 3-yard, Arrivey-to-Schwend pass play. But The Spartans rallied with all cylinders firing to score on its next possession.

It went up 19-7 when Greene caught a 60-yard pass from Browne, blasted through two tackles and cruised into the end zone with 7:53 remaining in the third.

Greene rushed 12 times for 31 yards, but caught seven passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns.

Skyline’s Nic Sblendorio scored another for the Spartans in the fourth when he dashed 30 yards on a reverse around the left side into the end zone.

Woodinville kept things alive with another score of its own later in the third quarter. Arrivey scored on a 3-yard keeper, which capped a 65-yard drive.

“Those guys didn’t give up,” Taylor said of the previously unbeaten Falcons team.

The typically run-heavy Falcons were forced to work quickly with the passing game and finished with 338 total yards on offense.

Arrivey completed 24 of 34 passes for 269 yards, including the 5-yard touchdown pass to Beau Vintertun that made it 26-21 with 1:28 remaining.

Skyline’s poor handling of the onside kick and the ensuing threat Woodinville posed in the final seconds was a little too close for comfort, Browne and Taylor said.

But they hoped to learn from past experiences to not let things get out of hand in this year’s state final.

“We’re comfortable, but that last one was too close,” Browne said. “In the end, we trusted in our beliefs and got it done.”

Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com.

Skyline junior receiver Nic Sblendorio catches a pass in the end zone from Max Browne as Monroe's Jake Dinaggio tries to defend during the third quarter Nov. 4. The touchdown put Skyline up 45-21.

The Skyline Spartans took just 14 seconds to score against the Monroe Bearcats in the preliminary round of the playoffs Nov. 4 on the plateau. And it didn’t take much more time for the Spartans to make it a one-sided game.

Skyline improved to 7-3 after it beat the Bearcats 59-21. Monroe finished its season 6-4.

“This was a big win for us,” said Skyline junior quarterback Max Browne.

Spartan kick returner Chase Premone, a junior, took the opening kickoff 95 yards for the first score of the game. And that set the pace for the offense, which scored on all five of its drives in the first half, including a 53-yard run up the right side by senior running back Damian Greene with 14 seconds left in the half. The two teams scored a combined three times in the final 49 seconds of the second quarter after Browne connected with receiver Taggart Krueger for a 7-yard scoring pass and Monroe’s Jordan Moore broke loose for a 69-yard touchdown run.

Skyline led 38-14 at halftime and never looked back.

“I was seeing them exploiting holes in the offense,” said Moore of Skyline’s potent offensive effort.

Greene finished the night with nine carries for 83 yards — 80 which came in the first half — and caught two passes for 38 yards. He also returned an interception for 71 yards with less than two minutes left in the second quarter. Moore led all rushers with 130 yards rushing in the first half and finished with 23 carries for 167 yards.

Monroe’s passing game was non-existent and gave up two interceptions, both which led to Skyline points. Browne, however, completed 16 of 25 pass attempts for 246 yards through the air. Skyline finished the game with 417 total yards of offensive production.

“We just kinda came out flat,” said Moore.

And Skyline exploited that. While the Skyline defense allowed 182 Bearcat yards in the first half, the Spartans held Monroe to just 83 yards of total offense in the second. Two fumbles in the third and a turnover-on-downs in the fourth killed any momentum Monroe had in the first half.

Skyline plays Mead Nov. 12 in Spokane.

Skyline receiver Andrew Giese fumbles the ball after Eastlake defensive back Brian Quick, right, delivers a jarring hit with 31.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter Oct. 21. Eastlake won 28-21.

It was the perfect exclamation point to a jubilant and historic moment for Eastlake football.

The lights literally went out at Eastlake High School as players celebrated defensive back Sean Macdonald’s fumble recovery with 31.2 seconds left that sealed the victory for the Wolves. Once the power came back on, No. 1-ranked Eastlake rode out the clock as its fans cheered a 28-21 victory — the school’s first ever — over the Spartans, now 5-3 overall and 3-1 in KingCo 4A.

“Everybody’s been waiting to beat Skyline and we did it,” said Eastlake coach Gene Dales as he celebrated with his family.

The Wolves improved to 8-0 (4-0 in KingCo 4A) and will face Woodinville Oct. 28 for the KingCo Championship.

The roar of celebration came after Skyline quarterback Max Browne completed a 15-yard pass to receiver Andrew Giese as the Spartans drove down the field in a last-ditch effort to tie the game. Giese crossed the 30-yard line but was hit hard by Eastlake defensive back Brian Quick. The ball popped out and Macdonald snatched it up, possessing it with a mob of ecstatic Wolves jumping all over him.

“It seems like it all comes in slow motion,” Quick said of the moment he caused the fumble.

The moment capped a much-anticipated battle between two of the best teams in the state.

It’s not like Skyline didn’t perform like usual. In typical fashion, Browne completed 29 of 48 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns; receiver Taggart Krueger caught 10 passes for 112 yards and the defense made some key stops down the stretch.

But Eastlake executed just that much better.

“Everything worked out the way it needed to,” said Dales. “Everything we’ve talked about we’ve been able to do.”

The Wolves tallied 206 yards of total offense in the first half and capitalized on numerous scoring opportunities. It helped that the Wolves defense sacked Browne five times as it constantly pressed and thwarted most big-play opportunities.

“We definitely had some opportunities in the game,” said Skyline head coach Mat Taylor. “Offensively, we just had to make some plays.”

Skyline struck first when Browne fired a 9-yard touchdown pass to running back Damian Greene, capping a 43-yard drive on its second possession of the game. Eastlake responded quickly. On the kickoff, Eastlake’s Colton Teglovic returned the ball 71 yards to the Skyline 19-yard line. Two plays later, quarterback Keegan Kemp took it in on a 15-yard keeper to even the score at 7-7 with 2:45 left in the first quarter.

Penalties hurt Eastlake early, but it didn’t matter much after running back Ryan Lewis exploded through the Skyline defense for a 68-yard touchdown run to end the first quarter and make it 14-7 Eastlake.

Bryan Cassill, an Eastlake defensive back, took away a prime Skyline scoring opportunity when he intercepted a Browne pass at the Wolves’ 4-yard line. The Wolves turned that turnover into a 96-yard scoring drive highlighted by an 85-yard run play from Lewis. He scored on a 2-yard rush off the left tackle. He credited his blockers for all the big plays.

“I’ve got to give everything to them,” Lewis said. “This was a great in for us. We just have to keep digging deep.”

Skyline trailed 21-7 at halftime.

Eastlake opened the third quarter up with an 80-yard drive. The Wolves went up 28-7 after Lewis grabbed a loose ball from Kemp and scrambled up the right side for a 9-yard score 5 minutes into the half.

Browne made it interesting for the Spartans when he connected with receiver Mason Gregory for a 2-yard touchdown with less than 2 minutes left in the third. Down 28-14, Skyline moved quick, holding the Wolves off and scoring in three plays a few minutes into the fourth.

The Spartans missed some opportunities, but the Wolves defense kept with its game plan to press Browne and limit big plays, Quick said. Down the stretch, Eastlake swatted away what looked like sure catches for Skyline receivers and gave Browne little time to make decisions.

“It just wasn’t our night,” Taylor said.

Eastside Catholic 27, Bainbridge 24

The Eastside Catholic Crusaders outlasted Bainbridge in the school’s final regular season game before league playoffs. Eastside got out to a slow start, but managed to score in each quarter to win 27-24.

The Crusaders improved to 2-2 in Metro play and 5-3 overall.

Bainbridge scored first on a Connor Winship 37-yard field goal. But Crusaders quarterback Trey Reynolds delivered a 19-yard pass to Jake Springfield to go up 7-3. Bainbridge took a 10-7 lead into the second quarter after Max Wysong punched through for a 6-yard score.

Eastside Catholic equalized it in the second with a Danny Omiliak 34-yard field goal. And although Bainbridge kept the pressure on all night, the Crusaders scored nine in the third on a 47-yard field goal from Omiliak and a 2-yard touchdown run from Henry Jarvis. Eastside led 19-17 going into the fourth and relied on a comeback effort to finish things off. Wysong scored the go-ahead touchdown for Bainbridge. But later, Matt Callans caught a 17-yard pass from Reynolds and Reynolds ran in the 2-point conversion to seal the deal for Eastside.

Callans finished with 105 yards receiving with seven catches. Reynolds completed 17 of 26 passing attempts for 244 yards. Bainbridge accumulated 156 yards on the ground, but quarterback Chris Bell finished with just 76 yards passing.

Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com.

Running back Ryan Lewis had three touchdowns and 180 yards rushing as Eastlake rolled over Mariner. Photo by David Sheffels

Skyline 49 Newport 20

The Skyline Spartans scored 21 in the first and third quarters and relied on a balanced offense and on three special teams touchdowns to put the game away at 49-20 against the Newport Knights. Skyline improved to 3-0 in KingCo 4A and 4-2 overall. It leads the Crest conference with Eastlake, which is now 2-0 in league play and 6-0 overall.

Junior quarterback Max Browne struck big in the first when he hit Trevor Barney for a 55-yard touchdown pass. He completed 17 of 23 pass attempts for 295 yards and two touchdowns.

Running backs Jack Valencia and Damian Greene each followed in the first with their own 1-yard rushing touchdowns to make it 21-0. Newport put 7 on the board when Miles Fowler scored on a 70-yard bomb from quarterback Isaac Dotson. In the second quarter, Browne threw his second touchdown pass of the night when he connected with Barney again for a 41-yard score. Dotson found Nate Anderson for a 22-yard Knight touchdown.

Skyline went up 35-14 at halftime.

The Spartan defense and special teams took it from there. All three third-quarter touchdowns came on either a punt or kickoff return. First, Chase Premone blasted down the field 92 yards on the opening kickoff of the second half. Later, Matt Sinatro took a Newport punt 56-yards into the end zone for a score. And teammate Peyton Pelluer followed suit soon after with a 10-yard punt-return touchdown of his own.

To close out the third quarter, Newport scored on a Neil Hones 6-yard run, but the Skyline PAT team blocked the extra-point attempt.

The Spartans host Jackson for homecoming at 7 p.m., Oct. 14.

Eastlake 44, Mariner 7

The Eastlake Wolves dominated Mariner 44-7 with another overwhelming ground attack and aggressive defensive effort. The Wolves improved to 6-0 overall and are in-step with Skyline to lead the KingCo 4A standings into week seven.

Playing without its star running back, KeiVarae Russell, Mariner simply couldn’t move the ball.

Led by senior linemen Kepa Hughes and Gino Bresolin, the Eastlake defense held Mariner to 37 total yards in the first half.

Wolves running back Ryan Lewis started things off with two rushing touchdowns in the first quarter, 31 and 13 yards, respectively. Quarterback Keegan Kemp added 14 of his own in the second quarter when he scrambled in for touchdowns of one and seven yards. John Killburg, Eastlake’s Division-1-bound kicker, knocked in a 32-yard field goal to put the Wolves up 30-0 at halftime.

Kemp’s passing game wasn’t on fire, but it got the Wolves down the field. He completed 11 of 21 pass attempts for 121 yards, but relied on the rushing effort to score another 14 in the third quarter. Kemp scored on a 32-yard run and Lewis punched through for another touchdown, as well. This time on a 3-yard run.

The Eastlake defense only allowed eight Mariner first downs and just 167 yards of total offense. Mariner’s Kiante Ahmad-Woods scored the lone touchdown, a 1-yard run, in the fourth.

Lewis ran the ball 15 times for 180 yards, while Eastlake tallied 283 total on the ground — 420 of total offensive production.

It plays third-place Issaquah (1-1, 5-1) at 7 p.m., Oct. 14 and will try to hold a top spot in KingCo.

O’Dea 20, Eastside Catholic 19

The Crusaders led 19-14 until late in the fourth quarter and nearly upset league rival O’Dea, thanks to a Trey Reynolds to Hayden Meier 21-yard touchdown pass in the third. But the 2-point conversion attempt failed and with plenty of time left on the clock, O’Dea was able to drive and eventually score on a Tatum Taylor 22-yard run.

Eastside Catholic went to 3-3 overall and 0-2 in Metro League play. The Irish improved to 6-0 overall and 2-0 in league.

O’Dea got out to a 6-0 lead in the first, but missed the extra-point attempt. The Crusaders took the lead after Chevy Walker blasted into the end zone on a 10-yard run.

It held on until partway through the second when O’Dea scored on a 9-yard run and executed the 2-point conversion.

O’Dea led 14-7 at the break, but Eastside Catholic tied it up on another Walker 10-yard rushing touchdown.

The kick failed, but Eastside ultimately scored again on the Meier touchdown.

Despite missing the 2-point conversion attempt after Taylor’s go-ahead touchdown, O’Dea held Eastside Catholic off in the final moments.

Reynolds finished with 202 yards passing after he completed 15 of 25 passes. He threw three interceptions, but also led the team with 20 carries for 84 yards. Walker ran the ball 11 times for 70 yards and caught four passes for 67 yards. Meier had four catches for 59 yards. Anthony Roy and David Hurdle each recovered an O’Dea fumble.

Eastside Catholic seeks its first league win when it hosts Bishop Blanchet 7 p.m., Oct. 14.

Eastlake running back Ryan Lewis carried the ball 15 times for 201 yards against Roosevelt.

The game officials made Eastlake players and fans well aware that they supported prostate cancer research Sept. 13. The refs made good use of the special blue flags for the occasion — in place of the traditional yellow ones — as the Eastlake Wolves and Roosevelt Roughriders combined for 21 separate penalties in the contest at Eastlake High School stadium.

While the delays due to penalties made for a cumbersome game that limited either team’s ability to find a groove, the action itself was fleeting and came in spurts, mainly for the now 3-0 Wolves.

Relying on its steady defense and rock-solid running game, Eastlake overcame a 12-7 halftime deficit to beat Roosevelt 41-20.

Senior all-league linemen Kepa Hughes and Gino Bresolin made the difference for Eastlake. Down 12-7 to open the third quarter, they pressured Roosevelt quarterback along with the defense. Hughes shucked his blocker and charged in from the right, punching the ball out from behind.

“I came off the block quick,” Hughes said. He remembered his focus, “I’m not letting this guy go.”

And, applying what he learned in “turnover Tuesday” practice last week, Bresolin said he seamlessly scooped up the bouncing ball and took it in for a 54-yard touchdown return. He had tweaked his ankle in the first half.

“But when I picked up that ball, my ankle was fine,” Bresolin said.

The score put Eastlake up 14-12 and it was all downhill from there.

The Wolves scored after Colton Teglovic returned a blocked Roughrider punt to the Roosevelt 19 yard line. On Roosevelt’s next possession, Eastlake safety Devon Thornton intercepted a pass. Six plays later, Eastlake quarterback Keegan Kemp scrambled 28 yards up the right sideline for a touchdown. The Wolves scored 27 in the third quarter.

Lewis led all rushers with 201 yards on 15 carries for Eastlake, including touchdown runs of 28, 17 and 54 yards. Kemp completed two passes for just 14 yards and threw two interceptions. Eastlake’s David Hernandez finished things off with a 6-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth.

In all, the Roughriders out-gained Eastlake 340 to 260 yards of total offense.

Lake Oswego 56, Skyline 46

The Skyline Spartans struggled to contain the Lake Oswego running attack in Oregon Friday night. Skyline went to 1-2 overall after losing 56-46 and giving up about 450 rushing yards — 422 to one player. Spartan quarterback Max Browne completed 40 of 54 pass attempts for 443 yards — a school record. He threw three touchdowns and one interception and also collected 40 yards rushing on seven carries. Receiver Trevor Barney caught 13 passes for 166 yards and Taggert Krueger grabbed 12 for 123 yards. Barney even tossed a 34-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Giese to narrow the halftime deficit to four points.

Five of Lake Oswego running back Steven Long’s seven touchdown runs went for more than 30 yards. Skyline got down early in the first quarter when the Lakers scored off of two Skyline fumbles. It was the first time since 1998 that Skyline has lost two games in a row.

Eastside Catholic 34, Centennial 0

The Eastside Catholic Crusaders blanked the visiting Centennial High School of Coquitlam, B.C. Friday night 34-0 in Sammamish.

Eastside Catholic went up 14-0 in the first on two touchdowns from Chevy Walker. First, he scored on a 44-yard pass play from quarterback Trey Reynolds. Then Walker scored on a 35-yard punt return. In the second, Reynolds ran the ball 69 yards for the touchdown that put the Crusaders up 21-0, and then he tossed a 15-yard pass to Peter Kimble for a score. The Crusaders led 27-0 at the half, but it wasn’t done. Reynolds ran it in again for a 17-yard touchdown in the third quarter to seal the deal.

Reynolds finished 8 for 12 passing for 134 yards and carried the ball seven times for 121 yards. Walker rushed 12 times for 95 yards and had 64 yards receiving.

Ultimately, it inspired the team to start preparing for the 2011 season earlier than ever. Players began optional workouts in January instead of March. And coupled with the handful of team and 7-on-7 camps they attended, the Spartans seemed to exude as much confidence as ever during late August practices. That’s despite losing Kasen Williams, considered by many national publications to be last year’s top wide receiver prospect in the nation.

Max Browne, Skyline High Schoo junior quarterback, tossed the ball during a play at practice Aug. 15. Photo by Christopher Huber

Skyline still will focus its attack around junior quarterback Max Browne, who in his sophomore year completed 294 of 432 passes for 4,182 yards, 50 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. But the Spartans will also step up the running game from years past to potentially pack an even harder punch than its state-champ squads did under now-BYU starter, quarterback Jake Heaps.

“There’s a lot of new guys stepping up,” said Browne during a break at practice Aug. 25.

Browne was most impressed with the team’s cohesiveness and overall depth this season. Skyline returns 10 starters from last year, but also comes loaded with a new crop of contributors on both sides of the ball.

“We’re more deep than any other year Skyline has seen,” Browne said. “We don’t lose a lot.”

Browne will have some relatively large targets in his receiving corps in seniors Mason Gregory (6-foot-5, 210), Taggert Kreuger (6-2), John deVita (6-5) and junior Andrew Giese (6-2).

Taylor said the key to Skyline earning another league title and getting back to state is the team establishing the line of scrimmage and balancing the run and pass game. While pass-heavy in 2010, the Spartans will hit the field with plenty of power on the ground and in the air in 2011. Seniors Damien Greene and Connor Gilchrist return at running back with more experience, as well as with two juniors to back them up — Jack Valencia and Chase Premone.

Three offensive linemen, Ben Vavra, Joe Beattie and Austin Owen, return to protect Browne and create holes for the running backs.

Junior linebacker Peyton Pelluer will lead the defense and senior Jake Monroe and juniors Nick Sblendorio, Sean McDonald, Blake Young, Peter Stromgren, Devin Benford and Brandon Crandall will provide depth in the mid and back field.

With some key 2010 players gone, Skyline might seem like a whole new team. But Taylor, in his fourth year as head coach, seemed confident about the team’s work ethic and skill level heading into the season opener Sept. 2 against Liberty.

“We have a lot of kids that are new to our offense and defense but they have picked things up beautifully and we are excited to see them play,” Taylor said.

Games to watch: Liberty at Skyline, 7 p.m., Sept. 2; Bellevue at Skyline, 7 p.m., Sept. 9; Skyline at Eastlake, 7 p.m., Oct. 21.

Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com.

But even though the Wolves lost the week-eight cross-town game, Uhlar proved he was back to playing at his usual intensity. The senior captain, who has aspirations to play Division-1 football next year, spent the first five weeks of the season on the bench, recovering from knee surgery. He had to get back to playing a full game gradually.

Eastlake linebacker Matt Uhlar does drills during a late-season practice. Photo by Christopher Huber

By Christopher Huber
When outside linebacker Matt Uhlar caused a Skyline player to fumble on a late-third-quarter drive Oct. 22, he knew he was back.Eastlake recovered the fumble at its own 33-yard line to take the wind out of the Spartans’ sails.“It felt good,” Uhlar said. “The whole season I wanted to be out there with the team.”But even though the Wolves lost the week-eight cross-town game, Uhlar proved he was back to playing at his usual intensity. The senior captain, who has aspirations to play Division-1 football next year, spent the first five weeks of the season on the bench, recovering from knee surgery. He had to get back to playing a full game gradually.“I’m rusty, but every game I get a little better,” Uhlar said the week after the Skyline game. “I try to play like I normally did.” While serious injuries like Uhlar’s are few and far between, they still affect Sammamish football teams each year, causing coaches to change their game plans. Uhlar, teammate Alex Gray and Skyline receiver Jordan Simone all battled back from major injuries.But getting hurt doesn’t have to mean the end of an athletic career. While it took away playing time in front of scouts and diminished stat figures, their injuries didn’t necessarily hinder their college recruiting prospects, said college-level trainers and coaches.“It depends on the injury,” said Dr. John O’Kane, head team physician for the University of Washington athletic department. “Most injuries a senior in high school would sustain would be unlikely to follow them into college and impair their performance.”Uhlar missed the first five weeks this fall while recovering from invasive knee surgery over the summer. He worked extra hard through months of physical therapy and rehab, he said. Gray, a senior lineman, sprained his MCL and missed the first week. Skyline star receiver Simone broke his collarbone in the 2009 state 4A championship and spent months recovering.“I definitely put a lot of pressure on myself. I had to get back as soon as possible. The hardest thing is to realize it takes time.” Uhlar said. “I love to play football,” Uhlar said. “(I wanted) to have the best senior season I could.”Although the Wolves missed an important part of its defense, Eastlake found success early on.“With Matt, we missed that on-field leadership,” said Eastlake coach Gene Dales. “The first day he came back, the intensity of our team just rose.”Missing just the first week, Gray was able to recover from his MCL sprain quickly and play a key role in Eastlake’s success on both sides of the ball. “Matt just brings athleticism. He can kinda control one side of the ball.” Dales said. “Alex has consistency at the center of the ball. You know he’s doing something right.”Simone’s collarbone break came in the last game of last season. It could have been season ending, had it happened when Uhlar’s or Gray’s injuries did. Still, Simone missed out on numerous off-season camps and drills, he said.“I wasn’t looking at coming into the season to be top receiver,” Simone said. “It drove me more to be even better.”He caught 66 passes for 1,185 yards and 15 touchdowns in the 2010 season while a metal plate and six screws held his collarbone together.“I haven’t felt it all year,” Simone said. “I kind of just forgot about it.”Not only does a high-schooler’s resilience help their chances of playing college ball, but college coaches look for more than just sheer skill and athleticism, said Blaine Bennett, head football coach at Central Washington University. Players need to show balance between sports and academics, as well as leadership on and off the field.“Stats are not evaluated like people think they are,” Bennett, a former recruiting coordinator for Purdue University, a Division-1 school, said. “We try to find out if he’s a good fit for central,” Bennett said.So, players like Uhlar and Simone, who each said they have discussed potential for playing in 2011 with a handful of D-1 teams, don’t have much to worry about, as long as they prove they’re more than meat-heads who can make tackles or catch passes.Bennett also said college football recruiters often make up their minds about a player based on older film. A player’s sophomore- or junior-year game film may actually carry the most weight with a coach’s decision to make an offer, he said.“For the most part, it is definitely not a deal breaker to have an injury your senior year,” O’Kane said.One injury that, if gone untreated, or under-treated, could more adversely affect a player’s college potential is a concussion, he said. An 18-year-old’s brain is more vulnerable than a 22-year-old’s brain. “It’s a particular issue with high school,” O’Kane said. “But for coaches injuries are a piece of the puzzle.”
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.SammamishReview.com.

As the clock ticked toward zero, Skyline’s Kasen Williams was like a statue. He lined up in his safety position, Ferris quarterback Ben Goodwin took a knee and the Saxon fans erupted in celebration. Williams stood, unflinching, with a hand on his hip, staring straight ahead in disbelief. He couldn’t quite reach perfection — four state titles in four years.

Despite staging a near comeback in the third and fourth quarters, the three time defending state-champ Spartans lost the state 4A title game to Ferris 24-16 Dec. 4 at the Tacoma Dome.

“They’re a real good team,” Williams said after the game.

Skyline, which finished the season 12-2, looked to be the second-half dominator it had been throughout the 2010 playoffs, but too many early mistakes and a clock-eating Ferris offense kept the Spartans off the scoreboard until the end of the third quarter.

Both of Skyline’s touchdowns came on five-yard Browne-to-Nic Sblendorio passes. Skyline converted for two points on each, but that was the extent of its offensive attack.

“It sucks, but we had a lot of plays we could’ve made in the first half,” sophomore quarterback Max Browne said as the sting of defeat set in. “The story at the half was we just didn’t make plays. We just didn’t come out firing.”

On the other hand, the Ferris Saxons came out firing on all cylinders.

Its defense held Skyline to just 15 yards on its first possession of the game and subsequently kept Skyline out of the end zone when it recovered a Sblendorio fumble at the four-yard line in the first.

“We saw something early,” said Ferris running back Kole Heidinger. “Even when our offense isn’t there, our defense is.”

Heiginger played a major role in keeping the ball out of the hands of the Skyline offense. The junior running back ran for 92 yards on 19 carries. Ferris possessed the ball for 31 minutes, 37 seconds, compared to Skyline’s 16:23.

Heidinger partially attributed the Saxon’s motivation to win this year as revenge — Skyline beat them 42-21 in the 2009 championship. This time, Ferris quarterback Goodwin had more time to find his receivers, with protection from the offensive line.

“Our offensive line stepped up huge,” Heidinger said. “We had some motivation this year in the weight room.”

Goodwin finished completing 14 of 25 pass attempts for 137 yards and one interception. Williams snatched that wayward pass, which led to Skyline’s first score with 19 seconds left in the third.

“This team just put it on in the second half,” Williams said about Skyline’s late-game resilience. “It was that first half that got us.”

While Browne was still mostly himself in the first half — he went 11 of 22 for 138 yards passing — he threw a costly interception, which led to Ferris’ first touchdown. He still managed 302 yards passing, completing 22 of 38 passes to six different receivers. Although he threw one more interception on Skyline’s first play of the second half, he and senior receiver Jordan Simone connected six times for 120 yards down the stretch. Simone finished with eight catches for 133 yards.

Sblendorio added six catches for 49 yards and Teran Togia had four receptions for 79 yards to help the cause in the third and fourth quarters.

“I had full confidence we would come back,” said Skyline coach Mat Taylor.

Williams was not a factor against the Saxon defense down the stretch. He had three catches for 40 yards.

“We just gotta look at ourselves and ask what we could’ve done differently,” Browne said.

As they somberly huddled on the field, Williams and his teammates promised each other Skyline would be back next year, not settling for the second-place trophy they passed around. And although senior standouts like Williams, Togia, Simone and defensive backs Connor Cree and Chase Huber will not be back in 2011, they speculated the Spartans would return as good, or better, than ever.

“We’ll take away from this season all the ups from the season,” Williams said. “There’s a lot to take from this season. You’re gonna see Skyline again.”

Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com.