MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — Mountlake Terrace head coach Kelly Dougan is fully aware that “most quarterbacks in Wesco have probably been playing quarterback for the majority of their football careers.”
Not his signal caller.
Mikey Jenson, who was a running back and linebacker last season for the Hawks, was informed by the first-year coach last June that he was going to be the man behind center for Mountlake Terrace when the season started.
“Last year I took a few snaps at backup and all my friends were saying, ‘Well, next year you’re going to have to be the man,’” Jenson said. “I just took on the role and went for it. Once I heard it was my position, I was like, ‘Yeah!’ It’s pretty fun being one of the leaders of the team.”
“When presented with it, he wasn’t resistant,” Dougan said with a laugh. “I don’t think he was jumping for joy. He’s smart enough to know that a lot of responsibilities come with that position. But he took it on without hesitation and he’s learned fast.”
Dougan said the Mountlake Terrace coaching staff gave Jenson a “crash course” in quarterbacking. Tony Ellersick, who started for three years for the Hawks, is an assistant coach and he helped prep Jenson for what he was going to face.
The coaches recognized the talent was there. It was just a matter of learning the nuances of the position.
“The first thing is he can throw the ball 60 or 70 yards. So we’ve got a guy that can throw the ball,” Dougan said. “Then we knew he was athletic, we knew he was tough, being a senior he’s got some leadership qualities to him, he’s smart and that’s a big part of it. … A lot of those little things just kind of added up. We had a list of about 12 guys and we whittled it down to Mikey pretty quick.”
As a longtime running back, the Mountlake Terrace senior said he still looks for open lanes when he drops back to pass. He has rushed 93 times for 366 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
“We call pass plays but if I see a wide-open hole I’m going to take the hole before I pass,” Jenson said. “I like running the ball a lot.”
However, Jenson can also air it out. The senior has completed over 55 percent of his passes this season for 687 yards and eight touchdowns.
“People didn’t know I was a QB coming into this year,” Jenson said. “I’ve always been a thrower. I like throwing. … The biggest thing is being a leader. That’s my kind of thing. I like leading our team in clutch drives when we need it.”
The 6-foot, 195-pound Jenson also serves as Mountlake Terrace’s kicker and punter, averaging about 31 yards on 20 punts this season. Jenson has missed only one field-goal attempt and is a perfect 15-for-15 kicking extra points.
And despite suffering foot, hip and hamstring injuries over the course of the season, Jenson has played in every game for the Hawks.
“Like he just said, ‘It’s football.’ He knows what that means,” said Dougan, who coached Jenson when he played on a Mountlake Terrace youth team. “He knows that in week seven you’re going to be banged up and you’re going to have to play anyway if you’re capable of doing it. He definitely brings a toughness to our team. Mikey’s kind of a well-rounded guy. He’s got a lot of friends, he’s respected in the school by his teachers and his peers. In general, he’s just a good, courteous guy.
“But it always circles back to the same thing: he’s just tough as hell.”
Jenson has helped lead Mountlake Terrace to a 4-2 record this season, including a 3-2 mark in Wesco 3A South games. The Hawks wrap up their league schedule Friday against Lynnwood (1-3, 2-4) before a non-conference game against Kingston (2-4) in Week 8.
The Hawks are trying to get back to the state tournament, where they advanced last season and posted the first playoff win in Mountlake Terrace football history.
This season, the Hawks want to double that number.
“We just want to do what we did last year. We’re somewhat along that track,” Jenson said. “We had a good record last year — the best in school history. We’re trying to match that again this year. We want to get back to state and this year we’re trying to win two playoff games. We just want the best record in school history this year.
“Our whole team has been playing together since the youth program when we were nine. It’s nice, senior year, having all our buddies together. It’s our last year. We’re just doing it right.”
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