EVERETT — What turns a boy into a man?
Nick Morrison has a theory.
Morrison, a senior at Cascade High School, endured an exhausting, will-testing strength and conditioning program the past several years as a member of the Bruins football team.
Offseason workouts included a variety of speed and weight-lifting drills. All of them were demanding, but one particular exercise was easily the most difficult, Morrison said.
It’s a squat machine that requires athletes to crouch extra low before using their legs to explode upward. It was always the final part of an already punishing workout.
Cascade players named the device the man-maker.
Said Morrison, “It takes everything you’ve got to finish it.”
No matter how drained his body felt, no matter how loudly the voice in his head screamed for him to stop, Morrison never avoided the man-maker.
Sometimes it got ugly though.
“For some of the leg workouts we did, I ended up throwing up,” Morrison said. “They’re just intense.”
But it all turned out well for Morrison, a 6-foot-4, 239-pound inside linebacker. He used superior conditioning to accumulate an astounding 112 tackles and six sacks this past season, anchoring the defense for a Cascade team that advanced to the Class 4A state playoffs.
Morrison’s dominance makes him The Herald’s 2007 All-Area Defensive Football Player of the Year.
The three-year varsity team starter led the Bruins in tackles, tackles for loss (17), interceptions (four) and defensive touchdowns (two). He fueled a Cascade defense that shut out four opponents and allowed an average of 9.9 points in nine regular-season games.
Morrison got better at shedding blockers and enhanced his reputation as a powerful tackler, Cascade coach Jake Huizinga said.
“Nick did a great job this year of reading the (offensive) guards and really zeroing in on his reads. It really helped him to fill the gaps and to pursue to the ball,” said Huizinga, who called Morrison a tenacious hitter.
On offense, Morrison switched this season from running back to tight end. It wasn’t as hard on his body and allowed him to focus more on defense, he said.
Morrison also tried punting for the first time and surprised Huizinga by averaging 35.6 yards per punt, earning All-Wesco North second team recognition. (He was a first team linebacker.)
Morrison, who tallied 49 more tackles this season than Cascade’s No. 2 tackler, is the second Bruin to win The Herald’s top defensive honor in three years. J.P. Oliver, also a linebacker, won it in 2005.
Morrison’s 112 tackles in a year is second only to Oliver, who had 152 as a senior. Morrison said he emulated Oliver when they were fellow linebackers in 2005, when Oliver spearheaded Cascade’s surge to the 4A state semifinals.
“I looked up to him (and thought), ‘I gotta be like J.P.’” said Morrison.
Just like Oliver, Morrison stepped up for Cascade in the postseason. Morrison said his 11-tackle, four-sack performance in a 27-21 quad-district playoff triumph over Federal Way was a major highlight.
It all stemmed from the senior’s unwavering commitment to get bigger and stronger than his foes.
“If you want to be the best you have to work harder than anyone else. We provide them an opportunity to work year-round and the ones who take advantage of that are the ones who are going to excel at the highest level,” Huizinga said.
Morrison is a perfect example.
Determined to play college football, preferably for a Division-I team, Morrison said he hopes to accept a scholarship in February. Huizinga, who said Morrison might play defensive end at the next level, expects the Bruin star to find a spot.
“Someone’s going to pick him up. He’s got too much raw talent,” Huizinga said. “He’s big, he’s strong, he’s fast and he’s not afraid of work at all.”
For proof, refer to the man-maker.
Contact Herald Writer Mike Cane at mcane@heraldnet.com. For more high school sports news, check out the prep sports blog Double Team at www.heraldnet.com/doubleteam.
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