Peninsula male athlete of the year: Watkins shows off big leg in soccer, football for Seahawks

Camron Watkins couldn’t have predicted how his athletic career would pan out at Peninsula High School.

A career soccer player, originating from South Carolina and having spent time living in Germany, leaves as one of the Seahawks’ most dynamic football players in recent memory.

“It was a blast; it couldn’t have been greater for me,” he said. “From soccer to football and everything else, I got to develop a close family feeling… I wasn’t really expecting to have so much fun with [football] but the team welcomed me so much. Overall, it was such an easy transition. They encouraged me and pushed me to get better.”

He may not have run over opposing players, catch or throw touchdowns, or record drive-killing sacks. But what Watkins did was control the kicking game for the Seahawks. In two years as the Seahawks’ kicker, Watkins hardly ever missed an extra point or field goal, and he would pin teams down near their endzone with touchback kickoffs.

His dominance at kicking in football paid off for Watkins as well, achieving first-team in the specialist group for the 3A South Sound Conference his junior year, and an honorable mention kicker in the 4A South Puget Sound League as a senior. Kicking created a path for Watkins to get to college athletics and in the fall. He will be a walk-on kicker at Boise State University.

However, his kicking prowess had to come from somewhere and it is no surprise that he excelled at soccer as a Seahawk, too. Watkins made the 3A SSC team as a freshman (honorable mention), and sophomore (first-team defense). As a senior, he made it as a second-team defender for the 4A SPSL.

Watkins is The Peninsula Gateway’s senior male Athlete of the Year from Peninsula High School.

“I would say he is a quiet leader. Once he is on the field, he is a leader by example,” said Peninsula soccer coach Brody Steigerwald. “He is one of the hardest workers on the team and he is one of the most efficient players we had this year, even though it was a crazy season. He’s just a phenomenal athlete; definitely a humble, hard-working kid.”

Wakins plays center back as a soccer player, meaning he’s the last line of protection between opposing players and the keeper.

Soccer was his passion for most of his life, as he played in South Carolina, Washington and in Germany. Watkins even thought of going to colleges that had superior soccer programs. After moving back from Germany to Washington, he joined Washington Premier as his club team.

Of course, he made the Seahawks’ varsity team his freshman year. Staying true to what he liked, things really broke open his sophomore year playing soccer.

“Sophomore year was really fun to play, especially with the Janson brothers (Evan and Grayson),” said Watkins. “It was kind of how I got recruited by the football team. I would bomb it up to Evan, have something like 80-plus yard kicks on video where he would house them into the goal. That was just so much fun just to be able to kick it past the entire defense for him to tap it in. He had a crazy season, too.”

Unfortunately, Watkins’ junior season didn’t happen because of the spring sports being cancelled due to the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic. It was a team he was looking forward to, as well.

However, it was those monster assists that were the basis for football coach Ross Filkins presenting the opportunity to join the team to Watkins. Citing their need for a kicker, Filkins was able to convince Watkins to join the football team.

That recruitment would prove to be a game changing move for the Seahawks football team. Watkins instantly became another weapon in Filkins’ offensive arsenal.

Proving accurate, Watkins converted all 41 extra-point attempts he lined up for. He also was nine for 10 on field goal kicks, with a long of 40 yards. Two of those successful field goals were game winners that put the Seahawks above Timberline and Yelm.

“Having a kicker of that ability is such a great weapon,” Filkins said. “When you have someone like that who has the character and you know you can really trust him in critical moments, it makes your team so much stronger. He made some big kicks for us, more so in his junior year. In his senior year, we got up a lot on teams pretty good so we didn’t have as much pressure for kicks.”

It wasn’t just field goals and extra points that Watkins excelled at either. Other schools could have really good returners that he would neutralize with kicks going out of the endzone. Watkins essentially controlled where other teams would start their drives after kickoff.

What really separates Watkins apart from others is how personable he is. Before soccer practices, he would chat with Steigerwald about things he could do better on the pitch. He cares about the teams he plays for and he thrives in the constant competition.

“I think my legacy is the culture of Peninsula: do good on and off the field as a student and as an athlete, and do good in life,” Watkins said. “Go out there and grind, work hard when no one is watching. And when it comes showtime, it’s all easy… I’m just very grateful for all the coaches and teammates that I’ve had throughout my entire career at Peninsula.”