Sports - Sports News

POSTED: Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009

PREP FOOTBALL: deGrasse voted Athlete of the Week

Nooksack Valley running back Nick deGrasse has been voted the Football Athlete of the Week, sponsored by Aaron Dickson of Rice Insurance, in an online poll.

DeGrasse received 97 percent of the 99 votes cast at TheBellinghamHerald.com/sports, beating out Lynden's Jordan Hastings and Lummi's Eddy Williams.

DeGrasse rushed for 239 yards and four touchdowns on 37 carries in the Pioneers' 54-47 come-from-behind victory at King's on Friday, Nov. 20, in the Class 1A state quarterfinals. DeGrasse also caught three passes for 11 yards and grabbed a key 2-point conversion reception in the game.

"The key to the game for us was the way Nick ran the ball and the way the offensive line blocked," Nooksack Valley coach Robb Myhre said in a phone interview. "King's was doubling (receiver Anthony Reese) during the first half. But because Nick was running the ball so hard, they had to adjust and put more people at the line to try to stop our running game. When they did that, it took somebody away from the passing lanes. Nick did a great job for us and ran really hard."

DeGrasse and Nooksack Valley take on Cascade Christian in the 1A state semifinals at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28, at the Tacoma Dome.

Check the Sunday, Nov. 29, Sports section to see which local football players were nominated for their outstanding performances in Week 13 and go to TheBellinghamHerald.com/sports throughout the week to cast your vote for the Football Athlete of the Week.