A broken leg forced Travis Snider to watch his football teammates from the sideline last fall.
This season, a difficult decision – not an injury – will keep Snider off the gridiron.
Snider, a senior at Jackson High School coveted for his talent in both football and baseball, has opted to pursue the latter sport in hopes of earning a college scholarship and/or playing professionally. Snider batted .524, hit six home runs, and drove in 26 runs during the regular season last spring and helped lead Jackson to third place at the Class 4A state baseball tournament.
Snider shared his decision with Jackson football coach Joel Vincent earlier this month.
“It was not completely unexpected,” Vincent said. “I’m pretty close to Travis and we’ve had a lot of discussions about it.”
Snider was a varsity football starter since his freshman year, when he led the team in tackles as a middle linebacker. As a sophomore, he spent more time at defensive end and, as a fullback, served as lead blocker for tailback Johnie Kirton, who rushed for 2,675 yards. After missing his junior season with a broken right fibula, the 6-foot, 225-pound Snider would have started at linebacker and tailback for Jackson this fall.
“We miss having him around and we miss his leadership,” Vincent said.
At the same time, Vincent said he understands Snider’s desire to go after baseball full bore.
Snider said he started considering life without football earlier this summer. He wants to stay healthy and increase his value for next June’s Major League Baseball draft. In the end, football had to go.
“It’s not something that I really wanted to do,” Snider said. “… But it was a decision I had to make.”
In the meantime, Snider has planned recruiting trips to Washington, Arizona State, Arizona, Cal State Fullerton and Texas A&M. This fall he will play for the Seattle Mariners Area Code team and compete in the World Wood Bat Championship in Jupiter, Fla.
Snider will probably play outfield in college and beyond, but his true passion lies in the batter’s box.
“I just like to hit, basically,” Snider said. “Hitting is my niche.”
Though the prep baseball season is about six months away, Snider already anticipates Jackson’s 2006 run at a state title. Last spring, the Timberwolves compiled a 22-6 record. They graduated just one senior.
“We feel like we could be the best team in the state, as long as we play hard,” Snider said.
New cross country coach for Granite Falls: Cathy Boyce has been hired as head cross country coach at Granite Falls High. Boyce, previously a Granite Falls assistant, replaces Jim Lien, who started the Tigers’ boys and girls cross country programs in 1981.
Also an assistant track coach at Granite Falls, Boyce has had assistant coaching stints at Mount Baker and Gladstone High in Oregon. She ran for coaches Jeff Sowards and Mike Evans at Lakewood, graduating in 1997.
“I am very excited about our upcoming season,” Boyce said in an e-mail. “We have a great group of kids who have been training hard this summer. We are looking to establish a community of distance runners in Granite Falls.”
Last fall, the Tigers girls team advanced to the state meet for the first time in school history. Four of the five girls from that group return (sophomores Crystal Marino, Lindsey Sannon and Hannah Anderson, and junior Alice Livermore).
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