The Herald’s 2022 Football Player of the Year: Jayden Limar

This fall was a storybook ride for Jayden Limar.

The electrifying Lake Stevens star running back turned his senior season into a highlight-reel extravaganza, making the spectacular look routine with a seemingly constant stream of jaw-dropping plays.

He cut and juked and raced his way through the school record book, leaving opposing defenses in the dust while piling up massive numbers week after week.

He was sensational throughout the Class 4A state playoffs, capped by a gutsy championship game performance that came while battling through a high-ankle sprain.

And ultimately, he lifted the Vikings over the hump and helped deliver the powerhouse program its elusive first state title.

How’s that for a legacy?

“I feel like I left my imprint on Lake Stevens High School,” Limar said. “And that always has been my goal. I want to leave and still have people there remember me and what I did there.”

They certainly won’t forget.

Limar, a four-star running back who signed with the University of Oregon earlier this week, was the centerpiece of the Vikings’ championship season.

During his dazzling senior campaign, the ultra-talented 5-foot-11, 195-pound back racked up 2,331 yards from scrimmage and 40 total touchdowns in 13 games.

He rushed for single-season school records of 2,003 yards and 36 TDs, while averaging a whopping 8.5 yards per carry. He displayed his versatility with 26 catches for 328 yards and four TDs. He even threw for a TD on a trick-play halfback pass in the state semifinals.

And he was a virtually unstoppable force down the stretch, totaling 897 yards and 15 TDs in Lake Stevens’ four state playoff games.

For his extraordinary season and starring role in propelling the Vikings to state glory, Limar is The Herald’s 2022 All-Area Football Player of the Year.

“Words don’t describe it,” longtime Lake Stevens coach Tom Tri said of his Pac-12-bound running back. “The plays that Jayden was able to make with his legs are extremely rare.

“In all the years I’ve been coaching football,” he added, “I can only think of maybe three or four kids (on Lake Stevens or any opposing team) that can do all the multi-dimensional things that Jayden can do on the field.”

Limar has elite athleticism, with a 41.5-inch vertical jump and blazing 4.46-second, 40-yard dash speed. He has ankle-breaking agility, lightning-quick acceleration, superb vision and tackle-breaking elusiveness. He has the versatility to move all over the field as both a running and receiving threat.

And he put it all on full display this season, while unleashing a barrage of staggering, head-shaking plays.

Limar front-flipped into the end zone over a Federal Way defender. He stiff-armed a Gonzaga Prep defender to the turf on his way to a catch-and-run score. He raced past opposing defenses time and time again, rattling off six TDs of 50-plus yards and three of 70-plus yards.

And he turned numerous surefire losses into big gains, like he did on an improbable third-down conversion in the state title game.

Limar took a third-and-21 direct snap up the middle, spun out of a crowded pack, reversed field to the right, accelerated around the edge, slipped past multiple defenders and then powered his way for the final few yards to reach the sticks for a stunning first down.

“He’s just got a lot (in his) bag of tricks with what he’s able to do with the ball in his hands,” Tri said. “It’s between the tackles. It’s off the edge. It’s out in space. It’s his ability to go catch the ball not just on screens, but on crossing routes and posts and vertical routes.

“You just don’t see (all) those kinds of talents in one kid very often.”

Limar opened the state playoffs with 248 total yards and four TDs against North Creek. He amassed 284 yards and five TDs against Gonzaga Prep in the state quarterfinals. He totaled 178 yards and five TDs against defending champion Graham-Kapowsin in the state semifinals, along with a 22-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter that helped seal the victory.

“Teams were definitely keying on Jayden,” Tri said. “And yet, he was still able to produce just incredible numbers.”

However, adversity struck when Limar suffered a high-ankle sprain in the closing minutes of the state semifinal.

It’s an injury that often sidelines athletes for weeks. Limar said he was barely able to walk for two days afterward. And he hardly practiced all week leading up to the state championship game.

But he was determined to play.

Throughout that week, Limar received laser treatment twice a day from his former chiropractor. He did physical therapy during practice with a team trainer. And by Saturday night, he was cleared to play and healthy enough to shoulder the load for his team.

Despite not being at 100 percent, Limar still managed to churn out 185 yards and one TD on 33 carries, lifting the Vikings to a 24-22 state championship triumph over Kennedy Catholic.

“He didn’t have to go through all the sacrifices and all those extra things behind the scenes — that even some of his teammates may have not known about — just so he could be ready to play and help us win a state championship,” Tri said. “And that just tells you everything about his personality and his character.

“He’s willing to sacrifice himself for the good of the team and the good of the program. He’s done it time and time again. … He’s a winner. That’s who he is.”

Limar and Tri praised the trainers and other individuals who helped prepare the star running back to take the field that night.

“Without (them), we would not have been able to do what we did,” Tri said. “If Jayden doesn’t play, we probably don’t win this game. Or at least it’s a lot more difficult. So it really does take a village.”

During the postgame championship celebration, Limar described just how much the state title meant to him and the Lake Stevens community.

“It’s the most satisfying thing that’s ever happened in my life,” he said. “It does not compare to any (college) offer. Offers don’t matter compared to this. This is the best feeling I’ve ever had.

“It’s amazing for this whole city,” he added. “If you’ve never been to our city, you don’t understand how big football is. … This means everything.”

Limar finished his decorated prep career with 5,028 yards from scrimmage and 77 total TDs, including career school rushing records of 4,179 yards and 66 TDs.

Those numbers came despite Limar playing sparingly as a freshman and only having a five-game slate during the COVID-shortened 2021 spring season.

And as Tri noted, there were also a handful of times last season when Limar removed himself from the game at the goal line to give his talented younger brother, Jayshon, opportunities to score.

“That could’ve easily been Jayden (adding to) his stats,” Tri said. “But he wasn’t about that.”

Limar deflected credit this season to his senior-laden offensive line, which included a trio of first-team All-Wesco 4A selections.

“All my success this year, none of it would’ve happened if they weren’t on their game,” Limar said. “… Everything goes to them. All my yards, those are their yards too.”

Going forward, the Vikings certainly will miss Limar’s game-breaking talent. But his contributions went far beyond that.

“I don’t know how to put into words all the things that he brought to us,” Tri said. “There’s so much more than just his rushing talents — his ability to be a good friend and a good teammate and really an extra coach in the program for the last two (or) three years.

“He’s always smiling — always smiling,” Tri added. “Even when he doesn’t feel good, even when he’s sore and tired, he finds a way to just energize all the people around him. And that’s what a leader does. … He’s been one of the best (leaders) we’ve ever had.”

It’s been a busy stretch for Limar, who flipped his college commitment from Notre Dame to Oregon on Wednesday after taking a trip to Eugene this past weekend.

“Oregon got a great running back and an even greater human being,” Tri said. “I think he’s gonna be very successful at the next level — not because of what he’s done in the past, but (because) as good as Jayden is, I think that he still can get better.”

Limar said he plans to enroll early at Oregon and will be heading to campus in a few weeks. He’s set to join a talented Ducks recruiting class that made a major splash during this week’s early signing period.

“It’s super exciting,” Limar said. “It’s very obvious that they’re building something special. I just can’t wait to be a part of it.”

But in the meantime, Limar is still soaking up everything he and his teammates accomplished this fall.

“To be part of the first group to win state for Lake Stevens is absolutely amazing,” he said. “That’s always been everyone’s dream.

“It still really hasn’t set in,” he added. “Every day I wake up and I think about that (championship) game, and it puts a smile on my face.”