Five MP athletes sign letters of intent

MARYSVILLE — There were no commitment issues for five Marysville Pilchuck seniors who signed national letters of intent Wednesday morning.

Well, except for nerves.

“I was really nervous. I messed my signature up a little bit when I was up there,” said senior football player Bryce Vitcovich, who signed with Colorado State-Pueblo. “But it felt pretty awesome.”

Vitcovich and teammate Austin Joyner, who signed with the University of Washington, were two of the five Tomahawks signing and faxing in letters of intent on National Signing Day. Abi Otto (softball) committed to Northwest Nazarene, and MP soccer players Abbi Koehn and Cassie LaBrake both signed with Everett-based Trinity Lutheran.

Unlike Joyner, who verbally committed to the Huskies in early January, Vitcovich’s recruitment went down to the wire. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Vitcovich just recently settled on Colorado State-Pueblo, the defending NCAA Division-II champion, choosing the ThunderWolves over Carroll College.

“The work ethic was the No.1 reason,” Vitcovich said. “I got a chance to see them in the weight room and see how hard they worked. That really drew me to them. And they’re D-II national champs. That’s a big plus.”

Vitcovich was a first-team Herald All-Area selection on both the offensive and defensive line, helping block for Joyner on a Marysville Pilchuck team that reached the Class 3A state semifinals.

“It’s really neat,” said Marysville Pilchuck head coach Brandon Carson, who attended the signing ceremony. “It’s very rewarding anytime you have kids that go on to play in college.”

Joyner, meanwhile, was happy to see his recruitment process finally come to an end. The star running/defensive back committed to Washington originally after his junior year. He pulled out of that commitment when former UW head coach Steve Sarkisian departed for USC, and instead committed to Washington State. After WSU fired defensive coordinator Mike Breske, Joyner’s main recruiter, the senior reopened his recruitment before finally settling on the Huskies.

“The whole recruiting train is crazy, up and down, you never know where it’s going to go,” Joyner said. “But it’s over now. I’ve seen the whole thing, all the way through, and here I am going to U-Dub.”

Joyner said Washington defensive backs coach Jimmy Lake was a big draw because of his experience developing defensive players. Another big plus for Joyner was Washington’s strong recruiting class, which is ranked No. 23 in the nation by the recruiting service Scout.com.

Joyner is the No. 1 recruit in the state of Washington and No. 255 in the nation according to ESPN.com. Joyner, who ran for 1,768 yards and 32 touchdowns his senior year, was a two-time Herald Offensive Player of the Year as well as the Gatorade Player of the Year for Washington this season.

“This class is really strong,” Joyner said of the UW’s recruits. “I like everybody who’s coming in with the class. I feel like that’s a good thing, that’s something you need to have. You’re going to be with them for four years so having people in the class that you like really makes a difference.”

Joyner is looking forward to the next level of his football career, and is eager to make an immediate impact at Washington.

“It’s the beginning of a new road,” Joyner said. “I remember when I first came to high school, there were no offers or anything like that. I was shooting to get offers and here I am going D-1. … It’s not like I come in and I have a spot. I have to earn it still. But I think I have a really good shot at playing.”

Otto, a first-team All Wesco 3A North selection at third base, will attend Northwest Nazarene, alone with Lake Stevens standout Cassidy Fifield.

LaBrake, a midfielder, and Koehn, a defender, will remain on the same team at Everett-based Trinity Lutheran where the pair will play soccer.

“Next year’s going to be a little scary but I’m super excited for it,” LaBrake said. “I know we’re going to have a lot of fun being together for another four years. It’s definitely something we wanted.”