EVERETT — When the West defense takes the field for the annual East-West All-Star football game this Saturday afternoon, chances are that Corwin Perkins will be at middle linebacker with Kyle Newsom lining up a few steps away on the outside. It will seem like old times.
And the last time.
The linebackers were leaders on the Meadowdale High School defense last fall and have been playing together for two years now. They’ll have one final chance to play alongside each other this Saturday.
“We’ve been told by multiple teams that we’re the best linebacking corps they’ve ever played,” said Perkins, a 6-foot, 210-pound middle linebacker who moved from Anchorage before his junior year, “and we’re coming back together.”
The 6-2, 205-pound Newsom said he’s enjoyed having his former teammate around during the week of practices leading up to Saturday’s all-state football game.
“It’s nice meeting new people,” he said, “but at the same time, when you have your teammate here, it makes you feel more comfortable — especially when you’re in the same position group.”
East-West All-Star Football Game, Saturday, 1 p.m. at Everett Memorial Stadium
The Meadowdale linebacking duo represents several teammates who will be reunited for one final time in the all-star classic. The East team includes teammates from 10 different schools, while Meadowdale is among six high schools with multiple representatives on the West squad.
Lake Stevens has three players on the roster in quarterback Jake Nelson, offensive lineman Cody Tupen and wide receiver Christian Gasca. Jackson High was also supposed to have three players on the West team, but an injury to wide receiver Andrew Dodd left running back Traishawn Patrick and lineman Colton Niblack as the Timberwolves’ only representatives.
Arlington’s duo of Colton Hordyk and Bo Brummel also gets one last chance to be teammates on the gridiron.
“I’m glad I get to play one more game with him,” Hordyk said this week.
The Arlington pair is excited about the chance to play in a new offense that could provide new opportunities. Hordyk was mainly a running back in high school but has played almost exclusively at receiver during this week’s practices. Brummel, a 6-3, 225-pound tight end, has been lining up in the slot under the spread system that West coach Gordon Elliott is running.
“They use me in a lot of different ways, which is nice,” said Brummel, who will attend Butte (Calif.) Junior College in the fall and hopes to eventually earn a Division I scholarship.
While there remains a remote possibility that the duo from Arlington could be teammates again in the future, their paths are about to get really far apart. Brummel is headed to Northern California, while Hordyk will be in Kansas playing for MidAmerica Nazarene University. Hordyk was recruited by MNU assistant Matt Ashley, a former Washington high school coach who kept ties to this state.
Jackson’s duo of Patrick and Niblack won’t be going on to the next level, which means Saturday will mark their final game on the gridiron. Patrick plans on playing baseball at Bellevue Community College, while Niblack won’t play competitive sports in college.
“I can’t believe it’s over,” Patrick said. “I’ve been playing football my whole life. But it’s a great feeling knowing I’ll play one last game, especially in my home stadium (Everett Memorial, where Jackson High played home games). It’s sad.”
Meadowdale’s Perkins has plans to play at Montana State next fall, while teammate Newsom is destined for Feather River Junior College in Quincy, Calif.
They’ve become quite a pair over the past two years, and Perkins can pinpoint the exact moment they formed their on-field symmetry.
The Mavericks were playing Mountlake Terrace when Perkins invaded his teammate’s territory.
“I stepped on (Newsom’s) ankle, and he told me he has the outside,” Perkins said. “I’ve stuck to my position ever since.”
Newsom agreed that it was a key moment, admitting that he told Perkins: “(Expletive), don’t come outside!”
Now they know their roles, and Meadowdale’s linebacking duo didn’t need much time to get used to each other’s playing style this week.
This week, they’re getting a chance to show how they size up against some of the best talent in the state.
“It’s not once-in-a-lifetime, but it’s a last opportunity at something,” Newsom said. “So it’s once-in-a-lifetime in high school.”
Notes
Camas linebacker Kyle Goodnow was added to the East roster, which now includes 29 players. Goodnow practiced Wednesday and is expected to participate in Saturday’s game. … The West, which lost four players to injury and other factors before practices started, was practicing without Mercer Island linebacker Cameron Ogard. He watched practice from the sidelines, leaving the team with just four linebackers.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
