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Player 2 Watch - Cascade Conference

The Patient Leader

Jullian Gamache, Granite Falls, senior tailback/linebacker

By Mike Cane
Herald writer

Shouting orders doesn’t come naturally to Jullian Gamache, but he must find a way to motivate younger teammates this season. A rare four-year varsity starter, Gamache is expected to help propel a youthful Granite Falls team that wants to build on its 2006 success.
“I’m actually not that loud of a person. I’m fairly quiet,” said Gamache, the Cascade Conference’s top returning rusher (896 yards, eight touchdowns in ’06). “But this year I have to lead more.”
“He’s not a real vocal guy, but he’ll get out and work hard and give it his all,” Granite Falls coach Eric Dinwiddie said. “I just expect him to act like he’s been there before.”
That should be easy, because Gamache has.

THE WAITING GAME
Many ballcarriers charge to the line of scrimmage so fast that they miss potential openings. Gamache takes a different approach. “Sometimes I actually have a problem hitting the hole real hard. I get kind of patient and wait for the blocks. I like to attack it in a smart way.”
Said Dinwiddie, “He does a good job of allowing his blockers to work and set up their blocks.”

PRE-GAME PURGE
Some guys put on a lucky shirt or listen to a favorite song to get ready for a game. Gamache pukes. But it’s not because he wants to. It just happens, he said: “I throw up before every game. I don’t like to. Before kickoff my eyes are usually watering.”

HAPPY ACCIDENT
Gamache got his No. 4 jersey by accident. Before his junior season he requested No. 24, but an assistant coach only heard “four” and gave Gamache that uniform instead. But Gamache likes to think there’s some ac-cidental meaning behind the whole mix-up. “I’d like to make up a story and say, ‘Oh, it’s (No. 4) because I play all four quarters,’” he said.

MUSIC, M’S AND MATURITY
In his spare time Gamache loves listening to rap and hip hop music — one of his favorite groups is Seattle’s Blue Scholars — and watching Mariners games with his dad. In addition to becoming the first National Honor Society member to play for Dinwiddie, Gamache has learned to stay focused and help others. “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know him and seeing him grow as a person,” Dinwiddie said. “He’s always been and will always be a quiet person, but the way he goes about his job (is) fun to watch.”