By DeShaun Presley
The Seattle Medium
When you think Washington sports, you think basketball, you think of hardwood royalty such as Doug Christie, Jason Terry, Jamal Crawford, Brandon Roy and Nate Robinson just to name a few.
But our sports landscape has evolved over time and has become a hotbed of talent, football talent, as professional and college football scouts from around the country travel to the Pacific Northwest to get a glimpse of our latest phenoms.
Football and basketball have begun to share that spotlight, a spotlight that also shines on arguably one of the best football teams, if not the best, in Washington state high school football history — the Eastside Catholic Crusaders of Sammamish, Washington. Currently ranked as the number 11 team in the nation by Max Preps and USA Today, the Crusaders have at least 10 players who currently hold Division I offers on their roster, including J.T. Tuimoloau, the #1 player in the class of 2021, who holds 22 offers from schools like Alabama, USC, Auburn, Florida and Washington.
So far in the 2019 gridiron campaign, the Crusaders have out-scored their opponents 197-87 through 5 games, with their first three matchups against out of state programs. In their most high-profile game of the season, the Crusaders squared off against Pinnacle High School of Phoenix, Arizona, who featured 4-star senior quarterback JD Johnson (6’4”, 215), who is on his way to Ann Arbor, Michigan to play for Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines. Eastside escaped with a narrow 21-19 victory but proved to be battled tested.
The Crusaders have made their way into the Metro season unscathed through two games having out-scored their opponents 85-27, and are looking to gain momentum as the season continues. After Friday’s nights win against the Garfield Bulldogs, I spoke with the 1st year Head Football Coach of Eastside Catholic High School, Dominic Haste about how his football team prepares.
“My staff and I prepare our guys well,” says Haste. “Our guys prepare every week as if it’s the Super Bowl, no matter the opponent.”
There’s a lot of football left in the season, teams are getting better week after week, and are looking to make statements as the underdogs. But with that being said one can only wonder if we are witnessing Washington high school football history? Are we possibly witnessing the best team ever in Washington state high school football history? Either way it’s an amazing reach and great representation of Washington football and a testament to our level of competitiveness.
The Eastside Catholic Crusaders (5-0) will matchup with the O’Dea Fighting Irish (5-0) for their Homecoming game this Friday at 7:00 p.m. at Eastside Catholic High School.
