EVERETT – Bam. Thunk. Kapow.
Those aren’t just noises from an action sequence in the old “Batman” TV series. They’re also a partial soundtrack for a season’s worth of crushing tackles by Cascade High School senior J.P. Oliver, The Herald’s 2005 All-Area Defensive Football Player of the Year.
You could often hear the impact of the middle linebacker’s crushing hits echo into the press box or through the parking lot. For Oliver, they were sounds of bliss. Michael O’Leary / The Herald
“It just riles my nerves,” Oliver said of making a big hit. “It gets me excited. I love that feeling.
“Hitting is my cup of tea.”
Oliver racked up plenty of ferocious collisions during a memorable senior season, his first as a linebacker. The stocky 5-foot-9, 220-pounder tallied a team-leading 145 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions. He also was a dominant force on offense, rushing for 1,744 yards, a Cascade single-season record, and 21 touchdowns.
“He set a bar of football excellence that hopefully other kids in our program will want to strive to achieve,” Cascade coach Jake Huizinga said.
Though Oliver’s rushing feats snared most of the headlines, his defensive impact was crucial during Cascade’s run to the Class 4A state semifinals. Oliver, who switched to linebacker after starting for two years at defensive back, tried to set the tone with punishing tackles.
“We came out and hit hard early,” he said, “and teams would be scared of us. I just had to make a statement. Whoever runs my way, I just have to (make him regret it).”
Thanks to a rigorous weight-training regimen and a high-protein diet, Oliver packed on 20-plus pounds of muscle between his junior and senior seasons. He maintained his flexibility and speed by running track last spring.
With his body makeover complete, Oliver had to make mental adjustments to become a successful linebacker. He learned to play closer to the line of scrimmage and to make more split-second reads. Huizinga said it took Oliver a few games to adjust, “but once he made that transformation, he continued to get better. He was a real physical and emotional leader for us.”
Oliver led Cascade’s surprising playoff run and helped the Bruins reach their first state semifinal since 1998. Cascade ended its season with a 9-4 record following its 28-7 semifinal loss against eventual runner-up Woodinville at the Tacoma Dome.
The turning point of the season, Oliver said, was Cascade’s 47-17 first-round state-playoff victory over Edmonds-Woodway in Edmonds. Oliver rushed for 247 yards and five TDs that night, both season highs, and made his biggest hit of the year: a full-speed helmet-rattler against the E-W quarterback.
“We just all stepped it up,” Oliver said, “and that game is what really got us rollin’.”
Oliver hopes to play football in college. He doesn’t care what school or which position – just give him a chance to prove himself.
For now, he’ll reflect on a season full of intense hits and devoted supporters.
“I’ve never seen so much school spirit,” Oliver said. “There were just so many fans, and we fed on that.”
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