By Macerio Clark
The Seattle Medium
The Garfield Bulldogs are on a road to redemption to claim the 3A football state title. With the key losses of wide receivers Tre’Shaun Harrison and Mekhi Metcalf the Bulldogs head coach Joey Thomas is counting on the offensive trio of running back Avery Morrow, wide receiver Tierre Monroe and quarterback Javon Tade to have a breakout season while helping the Bulldog offense get off to a fast start. Becoming state champions will not be an easy slate for the Bulldogs as they take on the challenge of lighting up the scoreboard and getting past Metro League powerhouses Rainier Beach, O’Dea and Eastside Catholic.
The young men started playing football together for the Beacon Hill Cowboys and Renton Rangers. Over the years, their success on the field has helped their bond off the field.
“Ever since we were on the field together it kind of clicked,” says Tade of the chemistry between him, Monroe and Morrow. “It definitely translated to off the field.”
Their bond on the field transitioned off the field as the young men formed a brotherhood that was indivisible; they would be around each other frequently and occasionally spend the night at each other’s houses.
Having coached them during their little league days, Garfield assistant football Coach Reggie Witherspoon knew the group had the potential to be very special as they showed strong leadership skills at a young age. Witherspoon says the trio has been holding one another accountable since their little league days and that has made them inseparable.
“They were very coachable and they bring leadership to the table because they are coachable,” says Witherspoon proudly. “The accountability that they all have for each other is why they are how they are today.”
With a fearless and determined Bulldog defense led by five star defensive end Sav’ell Smalls, the trio believes that they have enough weapons to contend for a championship.
“I think all of our goals is to get a ring on our finger,” says Tierre Monroe, a junior at Garfield.
With Tade coming off of a solid sophomore season, Coach Thomas is looking for him to be a bigger part of this year’s offensive blueprint.
“I never had a quarterback in my offensive system come back for a second year,” says Thomas with a grin. “This is the second year that Tade is going to have in our system; I never had that in 8 years of coaching.”
Thomas understands that this year’s version of the Bulldogs does not have the same athletic ability they had in previous years, but he will rely on the physicality that the young Bulldogs bring to the table.
Being a physical team starts up front with a physical and tenacious running game, and Thomas is impressed with the gains that Morrow has made in the offseason, and is eager to see his performance this season.
“I love what Avery Morrow has done in the offseason. He looks great. He’s 6’1, 210. Anytime you can hand the ball off to a guy that looks like that it’s very, very, very encouraging,” says Thomas.
Having a lack of leadership in the past, the emerging leadership in Monroe, Morrow and Tade look to change the culture and chemistry of this year’s team.
“People would try to be leaders here and there. People wouldn’t show up to the weight room, practices… everyone was just fighting with each other,” says a disappointed Monroe, as he reflects on previous teams.
Tade agrees and says that last year’s team lacked leadership and chemistry until the postseason, during the offseason the team made strong efforts to build the team comradery.
“[Last year] there wasn’t a huge team aspect in the beginning and later on we finally found that [team chemistry] towards the playoffs, that’s when we started clicking and working together but this year we feel like we have that team aspect already and that should translate to the season pretty well,” says Tade.
While Morrow and Tade have received their first football scholarship offers from Montana State University, Thomas reminds his players that they have yet to accomplish anything this season, and uses the milestone as further motivation.
“Your hard work is paying off but this is the beginning of something special,” says Thomas. “Never be content, never be satisfied, always want more and remain humble”
Starting off the previous season slow at a 3-5 record while advancing to the 3A State Semifinals, Morrow believes the experience from the previous season could give the Bulldogs the upper hand as the season progresses.
“We know how to play on the big stage,” says Morrow. “Having the experience of being in the playoffs and going that far, we know what it takes to get there and now we know what it takes to get further to the state championship.”
Although pressure may mount through the course of the season, Monroe, Morrow and Tade believe that the chemistry and leadership of this year’s team will help them make a playoff run, and hopefully bring home a state championship.
“I feel like there is a little bit of pressure to out do what we did last year,” says Tade. “A lot of teams feel like since we lost these people… we aren’t going to be the team we were last year.”
The young trio understands that with pressure and expectations comes mandatory growth and improvement from each teammate.
“We all know we have things to work on and we help each other work on those things,” says Tade.
“We know we’re not perfect but we’re working to be that.”
The Bulldogs will get their first test this weekend as they travel to Milwaukie, Oregon to take on La Salle Catholic Prep this Friday at 7:00 p.m. La Salle is located at 11999 SE Fuller Road, Milwaukie, OR 97222.
