Snyder leaves Cascade Christian to become defensive coordinator at Lakes High

Devin Snyder was always a man divided between two worlds in his football life.

Having grown up under Lakes and Cascade Christian high school football, Snyder has spent a lifetime on the sidelines. In the mid-1990s, he buzzed around Harry Lang Stadium as one of Lakes’ ball boys while his father, Roy, was an assistant with the Lancers (1996-2000 and 2006-2012).

And growing up playing the game, he went through Cascade Christian and its youth programs. It was always these two worlds that dominated Snyder’s life.

“I bleed orange and blue,” Snyder joked.

Those colors came calling this past spring when Lakes head coach Dave Miller sought the young coach to fill his defensive coordinator vacancy. Snyder will also take on strength and conditioning duties, a position where he’s help build championship-level athletes.

The decision to leave Cascade Christian was one of the toughest decisions of Snyder’s young coaching career.

“Dave gave me a call and asked if I wanted to come in for an interview,” Snyder said. “I came in and wanted to see how I would fit in with the coaching staff, see if we connected. That happened right away once we started talking about football.”

Should he take the job with Lakes and leave Cascade Christian? How could he leave a state championship-level program he helped build these past few years to venture into the unknown, into a tougher and more demanding league?

“After all the interviews, I sat down with my wife and talked it over with her about where I should take this job,” Snyder said. “I always wanted to move back to Lakewood, and this is a chance for me to go back out there bring to them what I’ve learned (from Cascade Christian).”

Snyder will remain as Cascade Christian’s track and field coach next spring.

The hire was a steal in Miller’s mind, as he believes his team just picked up one of the top young minds in the state.

“He’s probably one of the top three young minds in the state today,” Miller said. “He’s already been coaching at a championship-level, and he has a deep understanding on what it takes to motivate (people). He’s able to go in the weight room and lift with the guys. It’s a big deal when you can have a guy who’s willing to do what is necessary to push a person in the right direction.”

For Cascade Christian coach Randy Davis, the loss hurts, but it wasn’t totally unexpected. It was always in the back of his mind after the Cougars claimed the 2014 Class 1A state championship.

It was never a matter of “if” Davis could keep Snyder at Cascade Christian, but for how long.

“Not many people understand X’s and O’s as well as Devin does. His ability to go through film study and relate what he sees, and how to stop an offense is incredible,” Davis said. “We all knew this day would come … You take pride in not only turning these players into men, but helping our coaches get to where they want to be.”

Going from a small 1A school tucked away in Puyallup to a 3A program that is routinely in a cauldron of pressure each year will be an adjustment. Especially after a season where Lakes reached the final four at the Tacoma Dome.

“With the guys at Cascade (Christian), they were already in the program three or five years before they got to me,” Snyder said. “They already knew what to expect coming in. That’s been the toughest part in getting everyone on the same page: Get the defense at the level where the offense is at.”

The start of Lakes’ season will incite migraines for any defensive unit, as the Lancers’ opening four games has them playing Eastlake and Bellarmine Prep before opening up league play against Lincoln and Wilson.

All four games will be a test for Lakes’ new coordinator. Yet as camp approaches, those nerves break way to an all-familiar feeling Snyder has had too many times at this point in the summer: anxiousness.

“I can’t wait to work with them and help them get to where they want to go, whether it’s on the football field or not,” Snyder said.

This story was originally published July 12, 2016 at 12:43 PM with the headline "Snyder leaves Cascade Christian to become defensive coordinator at Lakes High."