Marysville-Pilchuck’s Denton is unstoppable

Published 10:27 am Tuesday, December 8, 2009

MARYSVILLE — Figuring out why Austin Denton was downright unstoppable on the gridiron is a bit perplexing.

He doesn’t look especially fast, some said. He isn’t that big, others murmured.

But the numbers don’t lie. Denton, a senior fullback on the Marysville-Pilchuck High School football team, rushed for 2,055 yards in 2009, demolishing the single-season school record. He scored 26 touchdowns and gained an amazing 11.8 yards per carry, which translated to, on average, a first down every time he touched the ball.

The 5-foot-10, 205-pound senior gained at least 200 yards in every game he played except M-P’s preliminary-round playoff win over Graham-Kapowsin. Denton left that contest early in the second quarter with an ankle injury, which also caused him to sit out the Tomahawks’ first-round state clash at Auburn.

Though his remarkable season was cut short by injury, Denton is The Herald’s 2009 All-Area Offensive Football Player of the Year.

As mentioned above, some observers doubted Denton because he doesn’t have eye-popping speed or overwhelming power. So what made Denton special? The shaggy-haired, record-breaking senior isn’t great at one thing but is good at everything, M-P coach Brandon Carson said.

“He has good speed. He had good moves. He has good feet,” said Carson. “You put all those things together and he’s a good back.”

When running lanes caved in, Denton still found ways to gain more yards, Carson said: “His best asset is he is a great navigator in tight spaces. He really navigates in through traffic very well.”

Denton helped M-P advance to the state playoffs for the first time since 1989. In a matchup of two 10-0 teams, the Tomahawks lost 25-22 in a first-round clash versus Auburn.

As great as his season was, it ended in helpless agony. The high ankle sprain Denton suffered fighting for extra yards against Graham-Kapowsin kept him out of the Auburn game. Dressed in street clothes and on the verge of tears, he watched his team endure a season-ending defeat.

“I wanted to cry, bad. I wanted to get out there,” Denton said, “but I knew deep down I couldn’t because I couldn’t jump. I couldn’t run.”

Denton played in nine of M-P’s 11 games, sitting out a non-division battle against Kamiak with a sore neck. He averaged 228.3 yards per game and was in the hunt to challenge the 11-man single season state rushing record of 2,676 yards, set by Ferndale’s Matthias Wilson in 1997. Wilson averaged 191.1 yards in 14 games that season.

“Sometimes I think about if I never got hurt we could have made it to the semifinals (at the Tacoma Dome) and I could have beaten the state rushing record,” Denton said.

Coach Carson has a connection to that record. He was a student-teacher and volunteer assistant football coach at Ferndale the year Wilson set the rushing record. Wilson was faster than Denton but both backs had similar outstanding effort after contact, said Carson.

M-P players and other coaches also raved about Denton’s knack for grinding out extra yards after he was hit by a defender. It’s always been part of Denton’s approach, he said.

“I try my hardest every single play, keep my legs moving and when I do I break tackles and carry kids 5 or 10 yards per play,” said Denton.

In 2009, Denton’s most impressive stat might have been this: In 174 rushes he lost only one fumble. “For the type of runner he was that is quite an incredible feat,” coach Carson said.

Of course, Denton wouldn’t have had a chance without help from his offensive line, coached by M-P assistant Scott Stokes. Denton was quick to praise linemen Brett Parsons (right tackle), Jarrett Finau (tight end) JJ Gamalinda (right guard), Dan Hinckley (center), Kyle Bossom (left guard) and Zach Schumann (left tackle).

“Our line was unbelievable this year,” Denton said. “They worked harder than the line did last year and were more buddies with each other on and off the field — really good chemistry.”

In two seasons as a starting fullback, Denton rushed for 3,620 yards. Parsons and Finau were O-line starters both years. The trio helped the Tomahawks go 19-2 over the past two years and win back-to-back Wesco North titles.

Denton didn’t spend as much time with teammates as he would have liked. For about a year he has been in Marysville Mountain View High’s S.O.A.R. (Secondary Options and Alternative Resources) program, which helps students catch up on credits and get on track to graduate. Denton said he “messed around” during his freshman and sophomore years at M-P but S.O.A.R. helped him become more organized. Denton said he is nearly caught up and hopes to return to the M-P campus soon.

Despite his remarkable football success, Denton’s first love is baseball; that’s what he plans to pursue after high school. The standout center fielder, an all-state honorable mention this past spring, has talked to a few pro scouts who said Denton has a chance to be selected in the 2010 Major League Baseball draft.

If Denton’s football career is over, he will miss the unique atmosphere.

“Football is the whole camaraderie of everybody being at the game and cheering,” he said. “Running an 80-yard touchdown and having the crowd cheering behind you — there’s nothing in the world like that. It’s the best feeling.”

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