5 prep players honored

EVERETT — Andrew Smith, Timothy-Lee Frohning and Lucas Perry are pretty good football players. Caleb Smith and Grant Arnold are pretty good too.

The five high school football players won scholarships at the 28th annual Snohomish County Football Officials Association Hall of Fame Scholar Athlete Awards banquet Wednesday night at the Holiday Inn. The banquet honors one back and one lineman from each school in the county. Guest speaker Randy Van Divier, a former offensive lineman for the University of Washington and the Baltimore Colts and current assistant football coach for Stanwood, preached the importance of working hard in the classroom and on the field, something these exemplary young men have mastered.

“Be the whole guy,” Van Divier said. “A total man.”

Andrew Smith, a quarterback for Arlington, received the $1,000 back scholarship. Smith has a 3.77 GPA and has been on the honor roll since his freshman year. He lettered in basketball and football, and was the team captain this season. Smith’s coaches voted him the offensive and defensive back of the year. He also serves as the Associated Student Body Vice President.

“Responsibility and leadership being captain,” is what Smith said he learned on the football field. He is now looking to major in engineering, perhaps at Washington State University.

“This was well put-together,” Smith said of the banquet. “It’s an honor to be with these phenomenal players and student athletes.”

Monroe’s Frohning, the recipient of the $1,000 lineman scholarship, started playing football a little later in life, but wasn’t too late to make an impact. His older brother urged him to play football when he got to high school. After his brother died in a hunting accident, Frohning honored his brother’s wish, trying out for the team his sophomore year.

“My brother wanted me to try,” Frohning said. “So I tried. It was like having another family.”

So Frohning traded the family farm for the football field and made an instant impact. He hopes to go to Modesto Junior College, and focus on agriculture and mechanics. He has a 3.4 GPA and hasn’t completely given up on farming. Frohning is a member of Monroe’s 4-H Club and Future Farmers of America.

Jeff Schireman, a referee and his wife Betty also sponsor a $1,000 scholarship to honor the Armed Services. The winner of that scholarship was Snohomish’s Perry, the son of Panthers’ head coach Mark Perry. The younger Perry claims to have been around football “as long as I can remember.”

“There’d be coaches meetings in the basement,” Perry said. “It was really important.”

Perry, who boasts a 4.0 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society, lettered three years in wrestling and football, and was a captain on the football team. He is a youth football coach, flag football referee and a story reader for young elementary children. He hopes to attend either UW or Boise State, where his brother currently goes to school, next year.

Archbishop Murphy’s Caleb Smith took home the $500 back award and Grant Arnold, a senior from Edmonds-Woodway, got the $500 lineman scholarship. Caleb Smith, with a 4.0 GPA, is his class vice president and lettered in football, wrestling and track. He also volunteers at a local food bank and the Big Buddies program. Arnold, a member of National Honor Society, has a 3.86 GPA, is a three-year letterman in football and was a team captain this year.

Scholar Athletes Nominees

Archbishop Murphy — Back: Caleb Smith, Lineman: Jacob Hines.

Arlington — Back: Andrew Smith, Lineman: Benjamin Torve.

Cascade — BacK: Casey Wiedmer, Lineman: Timothy St. Marie.

Edmonds-Woodway — Back: Reid Sullivan, Lineman: Grant Arnold.

Everett — Back: Christopher Woods, Lineman: Garrett King.

Glacier Peak — Back: Zach Richter, Lineman: Samuel Smith.

Jackson — Back: Tyler Desmarais, Lineman: Kiefer Anable.

Kamiak — Back: Jake Sortor, Lineman: Lucas Takatori.

Lake Stevens — Back: Chase Crowley, Lineman: Jason Mendel.

Lakewood — Back: Cameron Fry, Lineman: Simon Williamson.

Lynnwood — Back: Michael Stanley, Lineman: Jacob McCann.