Gannon Ginnis has one of the longest punts in the nation this season. But, that’s not all he does for Fife
Late spring of his freshman year, Gannon Ginnis made an impression on long-time Fife High School football coach Kent Nevin. With his leg.
It took just a couple of booming kicks down the field for Nevin and his staff to realize what they had.
“It was in June,” Nevin said. “We always say, ‘Hey, if you think you can kick, come and see us.’ He walked over and literally just picked up a ball and said, ‘I think I can.’ And, boom. And we were like, ‘Yeah, you can definitely be a punter.’ ”
Punting is how Ginnis earned a starting position on Fife’s varsity roster that fall as a sophomore. His role for the Trojans has expanded since — he is now a focal point in all three phases and is this season’s Class 2A SPSL Mountain MVP — but his impressive high school career started with his leg.
“Before he was our starting quarterback, he was our punter,” Nevin said. “... That’s how he got on the field his sophomore year. We realized, wow, this kid has some athletic ability and he’s really special.”
Ginnis, a senior, is known more now for his ability as a dual-threat quarterback and presence at free safety, but he has quietly become one of the most consistent punters in the state.
His career-long punt of 82 yards against White River during Week 8 ranks sixth in the nation in distance this season, according to MaxPreps.
Ginnis has averaged 43 yards per punt — which is in the top 50 nationally — on 23 attempts this season, and has pinned teams inside their own 20-yard line six times.
And he has consistently improved at the position during the past three seasons. As a sophomore, he averaged 36.8 yards per punt on 24 attempts. His junior year, he was up to 39.5 yards per punt on 24 attempts.
“He can put it anywhere on the field,” Nevin said. “He’s confident right. He’s confident left. He can go down the middle. He can put it away from somebody. If you need a boomer, if you need to get some yards, he can boom one for you. If you need to get a 30-yard punt and put them inside the 5, he can do that as well. He can do it all.”
Ginnis said he’s attended a punting camp at the University of Washington, and his father was also a punter in high school. But, most of his ability is self-taught, Nevin says.
“He’s just a natural punter,” Nevin said. “I can’t wait to see what he does when he gets to the college level if he chooses to punt. He’s just a natural athlete all the way around.”
While Ginnis has continued to put Fife’s defense in favorable position with his leg the past three seasons, he has developed into a threat on offense and defense, too.
He had limited reps — apart from his special teams duties — as a sophomore, but earned a spot as the Trojans’ starting free safety as a junior, and had 43 tackles, a pair of interceptions, and a fumble recovery.
This season, he has 37 tackles, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries through 11 games.
Of the three phases, Ginnis says he enjoys defense the most.
“I like getting picks and making tackles,” he said.
Ginnis played some running back as a junior, and was thrust into the quarterback role when Falani Jennings injured his ankle against Liberty of Issaquah in the opening round of the 2A state playoffs.
“He came in and battled,” Nevin said. “We were short five starters going in, and then we lost (two-way lineman) M.J. Ale, he hurt his knee, and then we lost Jennings. We were down seven starters, and we made a game of it. We were so proud of our kids. (Ginnis) just led them down the field.”
Fife lost, 24-14, but Ginnis’ playoff experience at quarterback set up what has been a sucessful senior season.
He leads the Trojans in both passing (44 of 93, 652 yards) and rushing (164 carries, 1,011 yards) and has scored 22 total touchdowns while averaging 144.8 total yards per game.
Nevin noted Ginnis’ quickness — he was the anchor on Fife’s 4x100-meter relay team that was ranked sixth in 2A last season — as a big reason he can run past defenses.
“When he’s in the open field, he’s really hard to catch,” Nevin said. “But, even when he’s in a crowd full of people, he’s just really hard to get a full hand on because he’s so quick. And, he’ll stick his nose in between the tackles. He’s not that average guy who is afraid to get hit.”
Ginnis is one of the biggest reasons seventh-seeded Fife is in the 2A state semifinals for the first time in program history.
The Trojans haven’t lost a game since their opener against Rainier Beach, and Ginnis said Fife has been locked in since its 2A SPSL championship win over Steilacoom in Week 9.
“We’re really excited, and hopefully we can make it to the finals,” Ginnis said. “Since the Steilacoom game, it’s fueled our fire for the rest of the season. It just got us a lot of momentum going into the playoffs.”
Fife wasn’t favored to beat Steilacoom, which was then the third-ranked team in 2A. And the Trojans weren’t expected to shut out second-seeded Black Hills, which was undefeated and averaging 42.3 points per game, on the the road in last week’s quarterfinals.
But, Fife (11-1) keep finding ways to win, and a win over another 2A powerhouse in Lynden (11-0) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Sparks Stadium would send the Trojans to their first-ever title game in the Tacoma Dome next week.
“We view ourselves as underdogs most games, so it gives us momentum, and something to play for,” Ginnis said. “Everyone doubts us, and we just want to prove them wrong.”
This story was originally published November 23, 2018 at 7:17 AM.
