The Lost Season: Coveted state records were poised to fall. Pandemic will prevent some from being broken
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The Lost Season
A subscriber-exclusive, four-chapter series that looks back at the effects of the pandemic on the high school sports scene in the South Sound
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The Lost Season: Washington’s best high school football class won’t finish their careers together
The Lost Season: Coveted state records were poised to fall. Pandemic will prevent some from being broken
The Lost Season: Class of 2021 athletes struggle for exposure as recruiting offers dry up
The Lost Season: Pandemic robbed high school athletes of seasons, lifelong memories
This is the second chapter of ‘The Lost Season,’ a subscriber-exclusive, four-chapter series that looks back at the effects of the pandemic on the high school sports scene in the South Sound.
Some of the state’s most coveted high school sports records were poised to fall during the 2020-21 school year. Surpassing them would have been the culmination of four years of tireless work, endless repetitions, hours in the weight room.
The new records would have crowned a handful of local athletes as the best in Washington state history, raising the bar of historic excellence.
But the coronavirus pandemic has changed everything over the past year, and the pursuit of these records is no exception.
In football, the career passing yards mark and career receiving yards mark were likely going to come down. In girls’ basketball, the career scoring title was on track to be broken.
One record is still likely to fall, one will stand and the last is within reach, but will take a near-Herculean effort.
Kennedy Catholic quarterback Sam Huard, a UW signee, the son of former UW QB Damon Huard and nephew of former UW QB Brock Huard, is still on pace to knock off the state’s career passing yards record. The current record holder is Brett Rypien, who racked up 13,044 passing yards from 2011 to 2014. Through three seasons, Huard has 11,745 passing yards, meaning he’ll need to throw for 1,300 yards to break the record.
Even with a shortened season, that should be easy for Huard, who threw for 4,172 yards in his junior season and 4,141 yards as a sophomore. The Class 4A North Puget Sound League announced it will begin fall sports starting March 1, with a season running through April 17. If that means a six-game football season for Kennedy Catholic, Huard would need to average about 217 yards per game. Last year, he averaged 347 yards per game. In his sophomore year, he averaged 414 yards per game. That’s without a postseason, which could mean a small district tournament with a potential regional championship in the mix.
Huard is also in play for some other records. He has 746 completions, putting him 260 behind Rypien’s record of 1,006. In a six-game season, Huard would need to average 43.5 completions per game, which would be a tall order. He’s averaged 23.6 completions per game during his career.
He has 132 career touchdowns. Prosser’s Kellen Moore, now offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, holds the record with 173, set from 2003 to 2006. Huard would need 42 touchdown passes to pass Moore. He threw for 56 touchdowns last season, so under normal circumstances he would likely set the record. In a six-game season, he’d need to average seven touchdowns per game. Not impossible, but unlikely.
If he did surpass that mark, it could mean other records would fall in the process: Passing yards in a game, and passing touchdowns in a game. Currently, Rypien holds the game-high, with 613 yards and Puyallup’s Nathaniel Holcomb holds the touchdown record, with a 10-touchdown game in 2016.
“Honestly, I know I’m pretty close to a lot of (the records),” Huard said. “I think (Kennedy Catholic coach Sheldon) Cross cares more about those records than I do. It’s definitely a great achievement to break some of those. That gets me fired up as well. Having fun and winning games is what really matters to me though.”
Huard said it’d be a program-wide achievement, giving credit to his teammates and Cross’ air-raid offense that has put him in a position to thrive. Still, Huard is the one throwing the passes, and setting the state record is on his mind.
“I think it definitely would be a great honor and achievement, knowing how many quarterbacks I’ve looked up to that have come out of here,” Huard said. “To have my name with those guys, it’d be a great honor. To be recognized on that list is special and it’s a blessing.”
STEILACOOM’S EGBUKA WAS ON PACE TO BREAK RECORD
The state career receiving yards record is safe, for now. Steilacoom High School’s Emeka Egbuka had a good chance of breaking it this year, but announced recently he’ll enroll early at Ohio State and forgo his senior season. Prosser’s Cody Bruns, who went on to play for UW, has the record with 5,177 yards, set from 2004 to 2007 (Kellen Moore threw some of those passes). Through three seasons, Egbuka tallied 3,890 yards. He would have needed 1,288 yards to surpass Bruns. He racked up 1,590 yards in his junior year and 1,492 yards in his sophomore year.
“With a standard season, he was going to shatter records,” said Steilacoom coach Colby Davies. “I wanted to see him do it. He deserves to get it. That’s not going to happen now.”
Egbuka has 61 career receiving touchdowns. Prosser’s Kirby Moore holds the record, with 95 touchdowns, which he set from 2005 to 2008. Egbuka would have needed 35 touchdowns to surpass Moore, which would have been a tall order; he had 25 touchdown receptions as a junior and 23 as a sophomore. Still, not out of the realm of possibility. Greg Herd, who served as Steilacoom’s offensive coordinator in 2019, took the Auburn Riverside head coaching job. It meant Davies was going to call plays this year and he wanted to feature Egbuka even more in the offense.
“I was so excited and ready to just feed this guy the ball, get him as many touches as I possibly could in different situations, on different areas of the field,” Davies said.
Davies also said fans were in for a treat this year with Egbuka, who he firmly believes was going to put together his finest season yet.
“We’ve been practicing over the last couple months,” Davies said. “To see how he’s progressed physically, it’s so disappointing the state doesn’t get to see arguably the best receiver to ever come out of it while he’s at the top of his game and at his best in high school. He was really going to blow the top off this year and it was going to be really, really special.”
Even during the covid shutdown, Egbuka worked obsessively to become a better receiver. While he was being recruited by Ohio State, Washington and Oklahoma, he sent videos of his route running to those schools’ receiving coaches, seeking advice on his technique.
“He works tirelessly,” Davies said. “It’s just nonstop. He’s very skilled in all aspects of the game. His work ethic and just his relentless ability to get better every day, that’s what sets him apart from your other top receivers.”
Davies said the possibility of reaching those records made the decision to leave harder for Egbuka.
“That was something super important to him,” he said. “I think it would’ve meant a lot to him, for sure. It would’ve meant the world to be able to do that here at Steilacoom, his senior year with his guys that he’d been playing with for so long. He’s not a selfish player. He never complained about getting the football or the amounts of touches he gets. That just speaks to his character.”
COULD ONE OF HUARD’S TEAMMATES SET ANY RECORDS?
Kennedy Catholic senior receiver Jabez Tinae, a UW signee, has 3,458 career receiving yards, while teammate Junior Alexander, an Arizona State signee, has 3,384.
Again, the state record is 5,177 yards, set by Prosser’s Cody Bruns. Tinae would need 1,719 yards to surpass Bruns, while Alexander would need 1,794. In a six-game season, Tinae would need to average about 286.5 yards per game, while Alexander would need to average 299.
The way Huard spreads the ball around, combined with Kennedy’s renewed commitment to the run last season, makes it difficult to see a clear path to the records. Alexander, a first-team selection to The News Tribune’s 2019 All-Area team, posted a big junior season, hauling in 67 catches for 1,328 yards and 24 touchdowns. He averaged 110.7 yards per game, which he’d need to nearly triple in a six-game season.
Tinae has 28 career touchdowns and Alexander has 44, putting them both well behind Moore’s 95.
ANNIE WRIGHT’S WALKER STILL IN PLAY FOR CAREER SCORING RECORD
Syracuse signee Julianna Walker has been a scoring machine for the Annie Wright girls basketball team since she set foot on campus as a freshman. She’ll have a chance to break the state’s all-time scoring record, set just last year by Cashmere’s Hailey Van Lith, now starring for Louisville. Van Lith holds the mark with 2,994 career points. Walker currently has 2,491 points, meaning she’d need 504 points to surpass Van Lith’s mark.
Right now, it’s unclear how many games will be played during this basketball season, which will now take place from April 26 to June 12. But the WIAA’s original guidance called for a 14-game season. If that’s the case, Walker would need to average 36 points per game. That’s not as far-fetched as it sounds, considering the Gators’ guard has averaged 34.6 points per game over the course of her career, including 34.9 a season ago.
“I think it’s doable for her,” said Annie Wright coach Chris Spivey. “Our first priority is to win the game, regardless of how many points anybody scores. But I think we’re all cheering for her to be able to break the record. If it’s within reach, why not support her in that effort?”
Spivey said Walker puts in the time.
“Her work ethic, her actions align with her vision,” Spivey said. “She’s always put in the time, is always the leader when it comes to running drills. She’s always first in conditioning drills. She sets the example not just in her play and in her practice. She’s ambitious, works hard, has a positive attitude. ... She’s super competitive and always wants to perform at her greatest potential.
If it came down to winning a state championship or breaking the record, there’s no doubt in Spivey’s mind that Walker would prefer the championship. But again, there are currently no plans to hold state championships this year. So, 36 points per game? Don’t bet against her, Spivey says.
“I think if anyone can do it, it’d be her,” he said. “Thinking of how hungry she and everyone else is now, too — you kind of took things for granted, or assumed we’d always have basketball. When those things start getting taken away from you, it probably makes you even more hungry and thankful. I’m assuming she’ll make the most of it.
“I don’t think she’d go out of her way to just break the record. She still wants to win games and get her teammates involved. Just the mentality and the culture that we’ve built, she’s a big part of that.”
CAPITAL POLE VAULTER ALREADY AMONG NATION’S BEST
Capital High School sophomore Amanda Moll is already one of the top pole vaulters in the country.
She didn’t get to compete in the Class 3A state track and field tournament her freshman year, after spring sports were canceled because of the pandemic. She won’t get to compete in one as a sophomore, either, since the WIAA decided not to hold state tournaments this year.
She likely would have been a state champion already, this early in her high school career.
Her personal record mark of 14 feet, 3.75 inches would have beaten any state pole vault champion in any classification from the past 20 years. The only person to even hit 14 feet in the state tournament was West Seattle’s Chloe Cunliffe, who hit 14 on the dot in 2019, taking the Class 3A state title.
There would have been a good chance Moll would have been a four-time state champion, too. But the earliest opportunity she’ll have to compete in a state championship meet will be in her junior season.
“It’s pretty disappointing,” Moll said. “Without coronavirus, I don’t know how high I would have jumped. But there are also more opportunities. I’m going to be able to have my other two state championships.”
Moll’s twin sister, Hana, also competes in the pole vault for Capital, alongside Amanda.
Mike Strong, 73, coached track at Yelm for 25 years, before coaching at Capital. He’s still involved with the Capital program, these days as an assistant. This will be his 55th year coaching track, and he’s not sure he’s ever seen a pair of athletes as gifted as the Moll twins.
“These are some of the most exceptional kids I’ve coached,” he said. “Both have exceptional coordination, but also power and strength. ... They can adapt to the rigors of higher-level training. It’s really fortunate, with my background, it really helps them. I can step forward and give them higher level work that a lot of kids cannot do. They’re exceptional in that regard. I’m about three years ahead mentally with the girls.”
State track and field records are classified in separate sets: Records reached at the state championship meet, and all-time records, which can be recorded at any meet, even for a club team outside of the high school and not affiliated with the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association. Cunliffe holds the all-time pole vault record in the state at 14 feet, 9 inches.
Strong said he believes it’s only a matter of time before Amanda Moll breaks it.
“Considering she went 14-3.75 last year with limited pole vault sessions, I’d say it’s very doable,” Strong said. “Her goal this year is about 15-2 and three quarters. I think it’s very feasible; a normal progression for her is about a foot a year.”
Moll said she’s just trying to enjoy the journey right now, but has her eyes on Cunliffe’s mark.
“It’s a big goal,” she said. “I want to eventually clear that. But another goal is definitely just trying to enjoy the sport.”
Moll has a background in gymnastics, which she said translates to the pole vault.
“Getting inverted, you’re used to going upside down,” she said. “Being a gymnast, you have a ton of overall strength. You need to be able to run fast, get yourself inverted and get over the bar.”
Moll said she isn’t sure how smoothly the high school track season will go during the pandemic. But she’ll be ready when it does.
“I’m going to take it one step at a time,” she said. “Who knows if the meets will happen? I’m focusing on my training, still preparing.”
This story was originally published January 24, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "The Lost Season: Coveted state records were poised to fall. Pandemic will prevent some from being broken."
