Tumwater’s Hafoka and Clay will play at GNAC schools, WFW’s Gaines signs with Eastern
Two members of Tumwater High School’s Class 2A state championship football team joined schools in the NCAA Division II Great Northwest Athletic Conference and W.F. West’s Leandre Gaines formally committed to Eastern Washington University as the signing period opened Wednesday.
Vili Hafoka, a 6-foot-3, 295-pound offensive lineman, signed with Western Oregon. He was acknowledged by Thunderbird coaches as the “best blocker” on a Tumwater team that piled up over 4,000 yards rushing despite playing in many games shortened by the mercy rule when the T-Birds lead reached 40 or more points.
Jaylen Clay, who played both defensive back and running back for Tumwater, signed with Central Washington as a cornerback. The 6-1, 175-pound Clay had three interceptions and 35 tackles for the undefeated T-Birds and totaled eight touchdowns.
Wildcats cornerback coach AJ Cooper called him “Big Play Clay” in a tweet Wednesday.
The T-Birds’ 2A Evergreen Conference offensive player of the year Dylan Paine, who rushed for 1,728 yards and 28 touchdowns, is hoping for a late offer from Washington State, but has a wide variety of small colleges interested should the Cougars not come calling.
Gaines was a thorn in W.F. West opponents’ sides – all of them – as he played receiver, running back, wildcat quarterback and punted. Named to The Olympian’s All-Area team as a defensive lineman, he signs with Eastern as a defensive end.
As a Bearcat senior, he totaled 43 tackles, 13 for loss and six sacks.
“He was dominant on the D-line this year,” coach Dan Hill near the end of the 2019 season. “He’s the player teams had to plan their run games around.”
Daniel May, Rochester’s 6-2, 200-pound wide receiver, listed as an “athlete” by recruiting websites, reportedly has a list of eight NCAA Division III schools – including the University of Puget Sound – and three NAIAs interested but as of Wednesday afternoon had not announced a decision.
In the local 3A ranks, only Yelm had players ready to announce their decisions.
Two-way lineman Bradley McGannon will become a preferred walk on at the University of Washington and wide receiver Sylas Franklin will go south to play community college football at Feather River College in California.
The 6-3, 255-pound McGannon was the 3A South Sound Conference lineman of the year after making 49 tackles, including two sacks and seven for loss to go with three fumbles caused and three recovered. Offensively, he not only blocked but often carried the ball in tough yardage situations, winding up the season with seven touchdowns.
Franklin, 5-10, 160, caught 38 passes for 564 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior.
In 4A, Olympia’s record-setting 6-foot, 160-pound receiver Will Anderson will attend Montana State, but as a scholarship track athlete. Anderson finished fourth in the 400 meters at last spring’s 4A state meet in 49.12.
In the small school ranks, Rainier’s 5-11, 180-pound running back and linebacker Brody Klein will attend NCAA Division III Central College in Iowa. Paxton Russell, Tenino’s 6-5, 200-pound tight and linebacker, is expected to sign with a small college but has not reached a decision yet.
This story was originally published February 5, 2020 at 5:53 PM.