Coach’s diligent research gives Marysville reason to celebrate

Published 9:31 pm Wednesday, October 1, 2008

About seven years ago, Bill Hodgins got curious. He wanted to know more about the history of high school football in Marysville.

During his search for a complete record of games played by Marysville High, Pilchuck High and Marysville-Pilchuck High, Hodgins realized something: It didn’t exist.

For some, curiosity would have faded. But not for Hodgins, a 1986 graduate of Marysville-Pilchuck and a former football captain. He embarked on a massive research project. His mission: to compile an all-time guide to Marysville prep football.

“I just decided that we should have one, I guess, and I just researched every game that we ever played,” said Hodgins, who teaches physical education at M-P and has been an assistant football coach at the school since 1994.

Using a variety of sources (yearbooks, newspaper clippings, archived microfilm), Hodgins worked on the project off and on for a year. He eventually tracked down every score, roster, record and much more, tracing Marysville football to its origin in 1908.

“I have more information than I know what to do with,” Hodgins said.

One thing he learned was that 2008 marks the 100th season of high school football in Marysville (there was no team in 1909).

Hodgins’ efforts led to a celebration planned for Friday. M-P will commemorate its history when it plays host to Arlington in a Western Conference North Division game at Quil Ceda Stadium.

The school plans to present plaques to former head coaches, and recognize past players during a halftime ceremony, and current M-P players will wear “100” decals on their helmets, Marysville School District athletic director Greg Erickson said.

It’s a chance to honor special people who made contributions to the community, Erickson said.

“A lot of things we do in high school (are not) just about wins and losses,” he said. “It’s about experiences and education, and this is an exciting thing. It’s stuff that’s been around for 100 years and a lot of people have represented Marysville — in this case on the football field.”

Hodgins’ tireless work made the celebration possible, former M-P head coach Scott Stokes said.

“Bill Hodgins deserves the lion’s share of credit for all the research he put into … making the community and the school aware of the 100 years,” said Stokes, now a Tomahawks assistant coach.

During his research Hodgins discovered many interesting facts. Here are some examples:

* From 1934-1939 Marysville High lost only once and won six Snohomish County “A” championships. The program had 40 victories and nine ties during that stretch. A.J. Lindquist coached five of the six years.

* Five Marysville-Pilchuck players have played in the NFL, including brothers Jeff Pahukoa (1987 M-P graduate) and Shane Pahukoa (1989). Jeff, a lineman, competed for the Rams and Falcons. Shane, a defensive back, played for the Saints. Both played college football at the University of Washington.

* Marysville High’s first team played only one game, defeating the Tulalip Indians 10-0 on Dec. 5, 1908. The following year Marysville didn’t have enough players to field a team, Hodgins said, but the squad returned in 1910.

* Marysville’s biggest margin of victory was 134 points (134-0 over Edmonds in 1919). Marysville’s worst defeat was a 98-0 loss to Bellingham in 1916.

One former coach expected to attend Friday’s game is Ward Sayles. He was Marysville’s head coach from 1967-74 and then guided Marysville-Pilchuck until 1982. (Marysville High and Pilchuck High merged in 1975.)

In a phone interview, Sayles recalled his first season at Marysville. The team was winless the previous three years. Sayles learned how important football was to the community when about 60 people showed up to watch his first practice in 1967. “That was amazing to me,” he said.

Sayles led Marysville High against Pilchuck High from 1970-1974. It wasn’t a friendly rivalry. It had some old school vs. new school animosity, Sayles said. But in 1975 the schools merged and became Marysville-Pilchuck. The Tomahawks enjoyed a fantastic season, going 9-1 and winning the Northwest “AA” championship.

“It was a great feeling,” Sayles said of the merger, “because we had a great year.”

M-P, along with Sumner, was ranked among the top two teams in the state all season, Sayles said. After beating M-P in a first-round playoff game in Mount Vernon, Sumner went on to win the state title.

Pilchuck’s first football coach was Jerry Parrish, who also plans to participate in Friday’s celebration. Parrish, a 1952 Marysville grad, coached the Pilchuck Chargers from 1970-72 before beginning a long, successful career at North Kitsap High.

In its first year, Pilchuck had eighth-, ninth- and 10th-graders. The next year the school had juniors and posted a 1-8-1 record at the varsity level. “It was really a challenge,” Parrish said.

But by the fall of 1972 Pilchuck had its first senior class and went 7-2-1, the best season in the school’s brief five-year history. Marysville beat Pilchuck 8-6 that season.

Friday night that old rivalry will be recognized as one of many key eras in the city’s long history of prep football. But what about the present team? This year’s fast-starting M-P squad (4-0) will try to add to the excitement by battling a talented 3-1 Arlington group.

No matter who wins, Hodgins — the researcher, assistant coach and former M-P defensive back/wide receiver — said he wants the 100-year commemoration to stir up something positive in the community.

Said Hodgins, “I just hope that if people know about it, it will spark interest.”

Writer Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/heraldnet/doubleteam.