In case you were living under a rock Wednesday, national signing day for next year's college athletes has nearly ended. There were quite a few high-profile in-state football signings — Bellarmine Prep's Michael Rector switched allegiances from Washington to Stanford at the last minute, joining Puyallup's highly-sought Josh Garnett — but unlike last year, none of them occurred in Gig Harbor.

I did have the opportunity to attend Wednesday morning's low-key event at Gig Harbor High School, where soccer player Jazmin Jones and football standout Korey Durkee signed their letters of intent. I also stopped by Peninsula High to chat with Danny Welstad, a football player without a home at the moment.

Below is the column that I've written for our Feb. 8 print issue. Please feel free to let me know if there are any Gig Harbor or Peninsula kids who sign later in the year.

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No offense to Lakes High School football players Zach Banner and Cedric Dozier, who signed NCAA Division I scholarship offers last week, but their orchestrated and streamed-live-over-the-web public announcements had a rather circus-like atmosphere about them.

That certainly wasn’t the case last Wednesday for Gig Harbor High School seniors Jazmin Jones and Korey Durkee. A handful of classmates and teachers dotted the school’s library that morning as Jones accepted an offer to play women’s soccer at Florida International University, and Durkee officially reunited himself with former Tides teammate Austin Seferian-Jenkins by joining the University of Washington football program.

A few cameras, but no media army, no oversized school banners, no pulling hats out of sacks to prolong the suspense. It was poignant, considering Jones and Durkee had given oral commitments to their schools months ago, and hadn’t waffled one bit.

Jones didn’t play for the Tides soccer program the last two seasons, opting to focus her energy on the high-level settings of Washington Premier FC and the state’s Olympic Development Program. Her skills and versatility — she can play outside or central defender — got her noticed by many schools, but she chose FIU last June.

“Just the energy of Miami was kind of what pulled me in,” Jones said. “And it was just such a different environment than it is here. Obviously, it’s warmer, but going down there and meeting all the players, and walking around the school, it just felt right.”

When she spoke with Golden Panthers coach Thomas Chestnutt, she learned she’d have the opportunity to play immediately.

“That’s really nice to hear, that I wouldn’t be sitting on the bench for the first two years, and I’d actually be getting on the field,” Jones said.

Jones is more than just an athlete. She sports a 3.4 cumulative grade-point average, plans to study business and might go after an advanced degree in dentistry.

Having Jones on the field would have made Gig Harbor’s team even stronger — the Tides were fourth at state in 2011 — but Jones has no regrets about her decision to quit high-school soccer.

“I felt that if I wanted to play Division I soccer, I had to make the switch,” she said. “And it has ultimately made me the player I am today. It’s made me better, and I’m so grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given.”

Huskies land special teams powerhouse in Durkee
As one of the top punters and placekickers in the national Class of 2012, Durkee was given a wide array of options last summer. Along with Washington, he received serious interest from the Air Force Academy and the two participants in this year’s BCS title game, Alabama and Louisiana State.

Then a problem presented itself. Alabama, LSU and UW were hosting key scouting camps on the same weekend, and Durkee would have to make a choice.

“I went to the Washington camp, and thankfully, I got a scholarship up there, so it paid off,” he said.
Circumstances have aligned in Durkee’s favor, as the Huskies will lose starting kicker Erik Folk and punters Kiel Rasp and Will Mahan to graduation. UW signed Travis Coons, a junior-college transfer from California, and he and Durkee will likely be the team’s top legs in 2012.

“I kicked with him a couple times down in California,” Durkee said of Coons. “He was a great guy, a great kicker, and I look forward to getting into competition with each other.”

Durkee’s hard work in the classroom — he has a 3.9 GPA — has him prepared for a potential career in medicine or business. He’s also looking forward to having his parents, Karen and Alan, at home games, which will take place next fall at Seattle’s CenturyLink Field before a refurbished Husky Stadium opens in 2013.

He says he owes his success to a solid upbringing.

“Gig Harbor is a wonderful place to grow up,” Durkee said. “The community is involved with sports. Everything you do, people will know about, so it keeps you conscious, and you’re aware of what you do as a person.”

Peninsula’s Welstad still sifting through his options
Across town at Peninsula High School, national signing day came and went without any fanfare for Seahawks football star Danny Welstad.

Welstad had colleges raising their eyebrows after a scintillating senior season in which he rushed for 2,254 yards and 30 touchdowns, and was a spark plug on defense as an outside linebacker.

Eastern Washington, Idaho and Idaho State offered Welstad full-ride scholarships. He wasn’t interested in ISU, never visited Idaho, and lost his chance at Eastern when other recruits expressed interest more quickly.

Still, the 6-foot-4, 215-pounder has options left. Washington has invited him to walk on as a non-scholarship athlete, or he could play Division III ball with Whitworth in Spokane, Willamette (Salem, Ore.) or Linfield (McMinnville, Ore.).

It doesn’t matter to Welstad whether he plays offense or defense.

“I’ve been recruited as basically everything,” he said, “so I’m OK with playing whatever they want to put me at.”

Welstad would like to pursue a master’s degree in business administration, and he said he would’ve “liked some other choices” in schools simply based on academics.

“I know Eastern and U of I aren’t bad schools, but I was kind of hoping to have some higher academic schools offering me,” he said. “But it is what it is.”

Though his future is uncertain, Welstad looks back with pride on the Seahawks’ 2011 season, which started with a Fish Bowl victory and ended with an 8-2 record.

“It was a ton of fun playing with all the guys for the last time,” he said. “I didn’t know that I would have that big of a year. It was a great experience.”