Raymond Fry epitomizes the crowd-pleasing impact player.
Blink at your own risk when he’s on the football field – you just might miss a move that stretches the boundaries of athletic reality.
During his senior season at Mariner High, the 5-foot-8, 170-pound Fry dazzled onlookers with uncommon speed and elusiveness. Now he’s decided where to take his considerable talents after high school.
Fry, a flashy running back/defensive back/returner, made a verbal commitment on Monday to accept a football scholarship from the University of Idaho. He also considered an offer from Eastern Washington University but chose Idaho following a visit last weekend to Moscow.
“I liked the (Idaho) campus a lot and all the guys were cool,” said Fry, a member of The Herald’s Class 3A/4A All-Area first team at running back and kick returner. Fry rushed 193 times for 1,654 yards and 27 touchdowns in 10 games and was also an All-Area second team defensive back.
Idaho, a Division I-A program, competes in the Western Athletic Conference. Fry can’t wait to prove himself among other high-quality athletes: “I want to step my game up to the next level.”
Fry said he might return kickoffs and punts right away at Idaho and eventually earn a chance at running back, too. He will join Jevon Butler, a former Archbishop Murphy standout, and Everett alum Lee Smith on the Vandals roster.
Mariner head football coach John Ondriezek believes Fry can contribute immediately for Idaho. “He’s a very versatile athlete,” Ondriezek said. “As a (college) freshman, I could see him stepping in … and helping their kick-return game. He’s a threat every time he gets in the open field and he’ll help you get great field position.”
But Fry is more than a football phenom.
“They’re getting just a quality person,” Ondriezek said. “His honesty and integrity are just extremely high.”
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