Tumwater’s Armour is Olympian’s boys soccer player of the year

No matter the sport, the cliché is the same:

Offense wins games, defense wins championships.

Defensive stalwarts are seen as selfless heroes, toiling in obscurity, giving up glory for the good of the team.

Jack Armour, arguably the best defensive player ever to wear a Tumwater High School boys soccer jersey, doesn’t necessarily see it that way.

“Goal scoring is complicated,” Armour said. “I don’t have the greatest knack for it. I play defense because it’s what I’m best at.”

“Best” is an apt choice of words. Every year of his high school career — shortened to three by the COVID-19 pandemic that canceled the 2020 season — Armour has been first team All-2A Evergreen Conference. This year, he was the 2A Evergreen Conference Player of the Year, despite scoring just two goals.

Tumwater yielded only four goals on its way to an 11-0-1 record and the 2A Southwest District championship.

“Jack could play anywhere on the field,” said Thunderbirds’ coach Brett Bartlett, “but he can control the game most, be the best team mate, as a central defender.”

Armour’s skill and soccer IQ make him The Olympian’s 2021 All Area Boys Soccer Player of the Year.

Unlike scoring, where talent is obvious — and Bartlett recalls Armour burying a one-timer from 35 yards out — effective defense can be more subtle, originating in the eyes of a player more than his feet.

“Jack sees what the other team is trying to do and takes it away,” Bartlett said. “He orchestrates and guides what’s going on around him. We limited a lot of teams to shots from beyond 25 yards out.”

Armour said his actions when an opposing team is on the attack are mostly instinctive.

“I’m not very conscious of why I do something,” he said. “I think the first thing that goes through my mind is ‘can I win the ball immediately?’ Then, it goes to ‘how can I slow them down?” and ‘how can I make it so my teammate can win the ball?’”

Once he gained possession, Bartlett said Armour quickly started Tumwater’s offense.

“There are things we’ve built into our system because of Jack’s ability to make long, accurate passes,” he said.

Armour’s constant vision of the field in front of him creates those opportunities.

“As I’m looking up to see the offensive players charging toward our goal, I can already see my teammates,” he said. “I’ll see where there’s space to split their players and start a counterattack.”

Though both he and Bartlett talk mostly of his vision and cerebral approach to the game, the 6-foot-2 Armour does bring a strong degree of athleticism onto the field. Bartlett particularly recalls a play during Tumwater’s 4-1 district semifinal victory over Woodland.

The Beavers’ lightning quick scoring threat Jesse Thrall made a run Armour rejected.

“He came out of the midfield and Woodland tried to play a ball to him over the top,” Bartlett said. “Jack has an ability to contort his body in ways he shouldn’t be able to. The play happened right in front of our bench. He gets his foot up at least three feet over my head and stops the pass.

“Then he bounces up and keeps going.”

Afterwards, Bartlett asked Armour how he could make the play. Armour said he didn’t know, but that it hurt.

“No wonder,” Bartlett told him. “You were 10 feet in the air.”

Those district playoffs showcased Armour’s leadership as well.

A senior captain, he had helped preside over a virtually drama-free season for the T-Birds with, as he put it, “no scraps” between teammates.

“He makes sure everyone is included. The younger players have picked that up and include each other,” Bartlett, who also coaches the T-Bird girls, said. “That doesn’t always happen on a guys’ team. Usually there’s competition between players. Jack was all about building a positive culture.”

When the T-Birds fell behind undefeated Columbia River 1-0 after 11 minutes of the district championship game, that togetherness was put to a test. Tumwater passed, rallying for a 2-1 victory.

“The only reason we could come back is because we like each other and don’t want to disappoint our teammates,” Armour said. “On a team like ours, if a guy loses faith during the game, we can bring them back up.”

Despite the accolades that have come his way and his obvious soccer ability — he has represented the Puget Sound region in Olympic Development competition — Armour isn’t sure he’ll compete intercollegiately. He rebuffed recruiters and will attend Western Washington University and focus on academics.

He may walk on the Vikings’ soccer team, but isn’t sure he will.

“There was a time all I wanted out of college was soccer,” he said. “I had some good friends who played and did really well. But it becomes your life. I’m going to be pre-med and I’m not sure I can balance high level classes with soccer.”

No matter whether college soccer is in Armour’s future, he’s left an indelible imprint at Tumwater.

“Jack is the type of young man that every coach dreams of having in their program,” Bartlett said. “He is not just a leader, but a builder – he develops others into leaders by the way he leads them.”

PAST OLYMPIAN BOYS SOCCER PLAYERS OF THE YEAR:

2001: Evan Knudson, North Thurston

2002-03: None selected

2004: Cesar Cifuentes, Shelton

2005: None selected

2006: Bryce Gardin, Chehalis

2007: Kramer Cross, Timberline

2008: Austin Kelley, Olympia

2009: Daniel Gonzalez, Yelm

2010: Josh Phillips, Capital

2011: Nate Boatright, Capital

2012: Nathaniel Gunderson, Tumwater

2013: Kenny Heo, North Thurston

2014: Jamison Corbin, Olympia

2015: Neil Boyd, Olympia

2016: Nigel El-Sokkary, Capital

2017: Matteo Del Giudice, Olympia

2018: Jackson Winterrowd, North Thurston

2019: Sawyer Price, Olympia

2020: None: season cancelled