Olympia’s Woodward, Thompson highlight local football signees

It wasn’t sledding down snowy hills with Mason Tobeck — Utah State linebacker and Cascade Christian product — that prompted David Woodward to pick Utah State.

Really.

“I felt more comfortable down there, and I liked the area,” Woodward said. “It was a good fit for me for what I want to do in football.”

The Olympia High School senior signed his letter of intent Wednesday morning, and will join the Aggies football program as a linebacker.

“I used to play middle linebacker up until freshman year,” Woodward said. “Then I was too tall and skinny for it. So, I’m going to try to put on some weight and see what happens.”

As a safety, Woodward snagged four interceptions and made 71 tackles his senior season with Olympia.

“I think I’ll fit in pretty well because they like to take bigger safeties in high school, and athletic players, and put some weight on them and move them to linebacker,” he said.

Woodward was The Olympian’s All-Area Football Player of the Year in 2015. He was selected to The Associated Press’ 2015 all-state Class 4A offense as an all-purpose player. And he was the 4A Narrows League offensive MVP.

All of that after missing his entire junior season with two fractured vertebrae.

“Before this season, when I was hurt, I was worried about it,” Woodward said. “Thinking if I didn’t play I wouldn’t get as many looks.”

But his breakout senior season earned him a few. Woodward also was recruited by Eastern Washington, Portland State and UC Davis.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted — to play Division I football and play in the NFL,” he said. “I knew I’d still have a chance because I played (varsity) sophomore year. I’m just excited that I got this opportunity.”

Brett Thompson, the core of Olympia’s offensive line, signed with Eastern alongside Woodward in front of a crowd of peers. Olympia coach Bill Beattie addressed the group.

“Less than one percent of high school seniors get the opportunity to play at the next level,” Beattie said. “So these guys achieved a very high rate of success to have this great opportunity.”

Like Woodward, Thompson was an AP all-state selection. He was named to the 4A first-team offense as a lineman, and was the 4A Narrows lineman of the year. In his senior season, he paved the way for the backfield, which rushed for more than 3,500 yards — including a school-record 503 yards against Yelm.

“I’ve played the position for a long time, so just continuing that,” Thompson said. “It should be pretty natural.”

Eastern recruited Thompson for the offensive line, though he played on both sides of the ball for Olympia. He tallied 46 tackles — 17 for losses — and seven sacks on defense in his senior season. He blocked six kicks.

“It’s kind of 50-50,” Thompson said. “If I had the chance to play defense, I would definitely like that, but offense is a big passion of mine.”

Thompson also had attention from Central, but said Eastern was the best fit.

“Great coaches, great success in the program for a lot of years now,” he said. “That’s just something I want to be a part of.”

Olympia’s Jenna Randich will sign with the University of Great Falls (Montana) women’s basketball on Friday.

She is Olympia’s leading scorer, averaging 17.7 points per game.

“They run a lot of pick-and-roll offense, which I think I’ll be able to work really well off of, coming off screens to catch and shoot,” she said.

Trakel trumps injuries, signs with PSU

It’s been a long road for Tumwater’s Easton Trakel.

He ended a breakout junior season with a rolled ankle. A spider bite hospitalized him for three nights last summer with MRSA. And a hamstring injury sidelined him for most of his senior season.

He returned for one game at the end of it — the 2A state-championship game against Prosser. He scored Tumwater’s first touchdown, a 42-yarder.

“I went through a lot,” Trakel said. “Recruiting started early as a sophomore. Getting hurt senior year, I didn’t get to play that much. A bunch of schools came in and out because of the injury.

“It came to this and I’m really excited about it. I’m happy with the decision that came.”

Trakel signed his letter of intent with Portland State. A wingback at Tumwater, Trakel was recruited as a slot receiver and for special teams.

“I like the slot, I like to run routes,” he said. “I didn’t do it as much (at Tumwater) with the Wing-T, but that’s where I’m going to fit in.”

Central snags two defensive ends

Timberline’s Jarryn Bush and Tumwater’s Hunter Haggerty both signed with Central as defensive ends.

But Bush calls his impending position more of a hybrid.

“In their defense, it’s more of a defensive end, but in regular base defenses, it’s more of an outside linebacker type-thing,” he said.

But Bush is plenty prepared for it.

“At Timberline, I kind of ran the same defense where I was more out in space, so it’s kind of the same thing,” he said.

Haggerty thinks he’ll fit well in Ellensburg.

“It’s a small-town feel,” he said. “I came from a small town, so I just want to go back to it.”

Haggerty moved to Tumwater from Pillager, Minnesota (population 459), last February before helping lead the T-Birds to the 2A state-championship game. He’s looking for the same type of camaraderie at Central that he found at Tumwater.

“Their whole thing is about brotherhood,” he said. “And not just for the athletes, for the whole team to be together as one and come together. I bought into that and liked it a lot.”

Cougar is officially a Husky

Van Soderberg was the centerpiece of Capital’s second lunch as he held a ceremony celebrating his signing to the University of Washington as a punter.

Capital coach JD Johnson even took to the microphone to address the student body.

“I was thinking about this last night and this morning and I’m kind of reminded of a tree and its roots,” he said. “The tree spouts from its roots and gets its nutrients from its roots. And that’s its strength. Never forget where you came from, and never forget what you’ve accomplished. We’re so proud of you.”

Soderberg was an AP all-state first-team selection as a kicker, and awarded honorable mention as a punter. He averaged 39 yards per punt in 2015 and downed 11 inside the 20-yard line.

He will enroll early at the UW and begin classes in March.

North Thurston sends two to South Dakota

Zack Sibley and Darren Sroor will be teammates for four more years at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.

Sroor said that while the two did not set out to play football together at the same school, having Sibley nearby will help ease the transition.

“It was our own independent decisions, but we are going to the same place,” Sroor said. “Going so far away, it will be nice having a familiar face around.”

Sibley was recruited as a safety, while Sroor said he is projected to be a “flex” tight end, where he will play in the slot and possibly line up out wide as well.

Soccer signings surge

Capital’s Madison Midstokke will sign with Northwest Nazarene (Idaho) women’s soccer on Thursday.

She was named to The Olympian’s 2015 All-Area Girls Soccer team as a forward, and will join the Crusaders as a center attacking midfielder. She netted 20 goals and 15 assists in her senior season.

But soccer will have to wait a bit.

“I’m excited for our summer trip,” she said. “We’re going to the Caribbean to Trinidad and Tobago, so that’ll be a nice way to meet (my teammates).”

Savannah Hakes — a first-team selection at forward on The Olympian’s 2015 All-Area Girls Soccer Team — signed with Westminster College (Utah) as a forward.

She had 21 goals and seven assists in her senior season.

“I really like the location and I have some friends and family that live there,” Hakes said. “When I went to visit their campus, their team was really inviting, and I just liked the environment.”

North Thurston’s Aerial Edwards signed with Tacoma Community College. As did volleyball players Alex Porter and Kailey Losey.

This story was originally published February 3, 2016 at 11:01 AM with the headline "Olympia’s Woodward, Thompson highlight local football signees."