Sports - Sports News

POSTED: Friday, Nov. 20, 2009

PREP FOOTBALL: Gratton helps anchor Lynden's line

When Donovan Gratton thinks of himself during his freshman and sophomore football seasons, he scarcely recognizes the overweight and out of shape lineman he once was.

Gone is the extra weight he once carried, replaced by lean muscle mass. His biceps now tell the story of someone who knows his way around a weight room. His jaw has the beginnings of a beard and his scalp a fierce Mohawk.

The last two years haven't been so much a body makeover as it's been a complete transformation.

"Donovan has gone from pick your adjective to describe not in shape to someone who is almost cut now," Lynden coach Curt Kramme said. "He's taken a great deal of pride - and he should - in the transformation that his body has gone through. It's been a lot of hard work and dedication."

That hard work has helped turned Gratton into 6-foot-4, 270 pound wall of a muscle and into one of the better linemen in the Northwest Conference. He helps lead a Lions offensive line that's led its backs to nearly 2,000 yards rushing and 28 touchdowns. Lynden is averaging almost six yards per carry.

The Lions will look to keep things rolling on Saturday, Nov. 21, against Sequim in the Class 2A state quarterfinals. The game kicks off at 6 p.m. at Silverdale Stadium in Bremerton.

"At this point in the season anything can happen," Gratton said. "If we don't show up to play and play our best, any team can beat us on any given day."

While Gratton's been reaping the rewards of his hard work this season, the transformation really started when he was a sophomore. Over the course of the football and wrestling seasons that year he lost 50 pounds, cutting down to 259 pounds.

The weight loss helped him earn a starting role on Lions' offensive line as a junior. Now he's hoping that hard work leads to the chance to play college football.

"A lot of it was finding that work ethic," Gratton said. "It was realizing what I wanted to do and what I needed to do to get it. For me that's playing football at the next level. I've been doing everything I can within my power to make that happen. That means a lot of intense training in the offseason and a lot of time in the weight room."

Kramme first noticed that Gratton might have the dedication necessary to become a standout player while watching him during wrestling practice that sophomore season. Gratton was challenging his coaches to make him work harder while running piggyback sprints with someone on his back. He hasn't slowed down since.

"A lot of guys know what it's like to work hard, but then they back off," Kramme said. "Donovan just keeps pushing himself. If you come into our weight room around 2 p.m. you'll see him nine days out of 10 just dripping with sweat after his workouts. He doesn't come in here and just do the weight room wander. He works at it and it shows."

Not only does it show in Gratton's physique, but in his lifting numbers. He holds school records in the bench press (360 pounds) and incline press (330 pounds). He also ranks second all-time with a 315-pound clean and third in squats with 540-pound lift. That power has also translated onto the football field.

"Being a bigger guy like I was, you get to be naturally strong just carrying your own weight around," Gratton said. "Then when I started to trim out, I was able to keep that strength and build on it."

The weight room has also been a place for Lynden's starting offensive line to bond. Four of the five, Gratton, Tyler Lingbloom and Marcus and Matthew VanVoorst share a weight lifting class during the school day. The fifth, sophomore Taylor Witman, has already said that he's aiming to break Gratton's lifting records before he graduates.

"I think those five are a pretty tight group," Kramme said. "I think they take great pride in the fact that their lifting numbers are all very good as a group. They all work at it and I think that kind of work ethic is contagious."

Since dedicating himself to becoming a college level football player, Gratton's also became a bit of an amateur nutritionist. He meticulously plans out his meals and does his best to eat well.

He's hoping to land a roster spot at the University of British Columbia, Humboldt State University or Eastern Washington University. Depending on what level he plays, he likely projects as a guard or a center.

In the meantime, Gratton has his sights set on helping the Lions win another state title and more importantly getting past Sequim. He already sports a tattoo on his right bicep to commemorate last year's state championship and he'd like another.

"I had to talk my parents into letting me get one," Gratton said. "It was a 17th birthday present and to me it represents our state championship last year and our win over Prosser."

As for the Mohawk haircut, that's another team building thing. He and quarterback Jordan Hastings both have one and it's a tradition that started last year for Gratton with then senior Taylor Creighton.

"It's kind of team bonding thing," Gratton said. "It's something Creighton and I did last year for the playoffs and now we're just trying to keep with it. If you can get enough guys to do it it's just kind of a fun thing to do."