It takes a confident individual to represent a school, let alone an entire county. David Sinex is up to the task.
Sinex, a recent graduate of Archbishop Murphy High School, is a 6-foot-2, 270-pound football offensive lineman. He is the only player from a Snohomish County school participating in the 2007 Earl Barden All-Star Classic, an annual football game that attracts Washington’s elite small-school players, who this year come from the Class 2A, 1A, 2B and 1B ranks.
Sinex, a Western Washington University recruit, will play for the West. He and his teammates are practicing all week in preparation for the big game, with some of the workouts taking place in steamy 90-degree weather.
So far, the heat hasn’t bothered the All-Cascade Conference First Team honoree too much.
“It’s not bad. It’s kind of got the summer football camp feel, so I’m used it,” Sinex said in a telephone interview.
Last year, five local athletes – including Shiloh Keo and Stan Smith of Archbishop Murphy – were picked for the Earl Barden game. Sinex said he’s honored to represent his team, conference and county.
“It means a lot,” he said. “I’m the only guy from my league that ended up coming.”
A few years ago, Sinex seemed an unlikely candidate for all-star recognition.
“I don’t know as a sophomore that he did anything that led us to believe he would be anything special, but he just kept working and he played hard,” Archbishop Murphy coach Terry Ennis said.
Sinex is a fast learner and has an excellent mental grasp of the game, Ennis said. The coach called the lineman a warrior who “just always went full-speed and seemed to just look forward to working and getting better.”
Despite being a bit undersized compared to most college linemen, Sinex has a chance to have success at Western Washington, Ennis said. It’s because Sinex gives maximum effort and is extremely optimistic.
“I was real pleased that Western didn’t get too caught up in size and saw him for the kind of football player he (is),” said Ennis.
It’s often difficult for teenagers to enter a strange environment and connect with peers. Ennis doesn’t expect the outgoing Sinex to have problems, though.
“He’s a kind of happy-go-lucky guy. I think he (will) make friends easily and adapt real well,” said Ennis.
Sure enough, Sinex said he had already befriended his new roommate, lineman Mike Collins of Castle Rock. The West teammates are sharing a dorm room at Yakima Valley Community College.
The 6-5, 225-pound Collins previously met Sinex on the football field. In 2005, when they were juniors, Sinex and Archbishop Murphy demolished Collins’ Castle Rock squad 62-0 in the 2A state quarterfinals.
Apparently unafraid of the consequences, Sinex reminds Collins of the drubbing every day.
Said Sinex, with a chuckle, of Collins, “He doesn’t have anything to say.”
Sinex and his West peers are coached by Curt Kramme, who guided Lynden to a 2A state championship in December.
Kramme’s offensive scheme relies heavily on passing, which means big changes for Sinex. The lineman excelled for Archbishop Murphy in Ennis’ run-focused Wing-T attack and was rarely asked to pass-block. It’s weird to change gears, Sinex said, but Ennis predicted the transition will go smoothly.
“David’s got good feet. I think pass-blocking will be a strength for him. It’s a bonus for him to get experience doing it (before he plays for Western).”
Practices have been efficient but not real strenuous, Sinex said. Coaches trust the players to know what they’re doing and they keep the playbook fairly simple, he said. The Earl Barden workouts, Sinex said, are “definitely a breeze compared to (coach Ennis’ Archbishop Murphy) practices.”
A key difference for this year’s game is that players from teams like Ellensburg, Lynden, Centralia and Sehome are eligible. It’s because of a statewide reclassification, which occurs every two years, that dropped former 3A schools to the 2A level this past fall.
Here’s good news for Sinex: The West team seems loaded, game organizer Bill Alexander said. It features WWU-bound quarterback Chris Bolt (Lynden); brothers Matt and Zach Johnson (Tumwater), who both play running back and defensive back; and Steven Ayers (Sehome), a powerful 6-4 lineman who last month won state shot put and discus titles.
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