Puyallup’s Dwyer wants to be 4A SPSL MVP. So he challenged himself to do everything for Vikings
Jordan Dwyer approached new Puyallup football coach Brian Grout during a summer workout, following his junior spring football season with the Vikings. He had a message for his coach.
“I’m going to be the league MVP this year.”
That goal is requiring Dwyer to take on an expanded role this season with Puyallup, one that he’s embraced wholeheartedly. For the first time in his high school career, he’s playing on defense at cornerback. He’s taking on a bigger role in special teams, too, returning kicks and punts.
“I didn’t play defense the last two years, but I’m an athlete. I can play both ways,” Dwyer said.
His assessment was proven correct in Puyallup’s 44-17 win over Skyline in week one. Dwyer hauled in an 82-yard touchdown reception. He took a 90-yard kickoff to the house. Oh, and on defense, he had a pair of interceptions. How’s that for an impact in all three phases of the game?
“One thing we talked with (Dwyer) about between last season and this season was taking on more of a responsibility and a role with the team and not just in leadership, but also in playing,” Grout said. “We told him the best players, the Division I players, are a factor on both sides of the ball and on special teams.”
Challenge accepted. While Dwyer hasn’t played defensive back in high school before, his perspective as a receiver translates naturally.
“He’s just got sticky hands,” said junior quarterback Micah Balzarini, who made his debut start in the win over Skyline. “He can sit back in coverage, come up in press. He gives the guys trouble, because he knows exactly how they’re going to run their routes, how they’re going to try to get open against him, because he’s a receiver as well. That’s something that wows me about it: He’s played no defense up until now.”
Dwyer, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound receiver, is considered a three-star recruiting prospect by 247sports.com. He’s the 28th rated player in the state in the 2022 class and a top-200 receiver nationally. He holds offers from Idaho, Idaho State, Montana State and Portland State. And he knows if he wants more offers to come in, he’ll need to showcase his skillset in a variety of facets of the game, not just on offense.
“It always helps to be real versatile and be able to get it done on the special teams side and the defensive side of the ball,” he said. “So I definitely wanted to showcase my versatility. Hopefully that helps me in my recruitment.”
Dwyer said he still prefers offense. Grout just likes having him on the field, no matter which side of the ball he’s on. At receiver, he’s a matchup issue — quick, smart, fast, precise in his route running.
“He’s a long strider,” Grout said. “When I first saw Jordan, I talked to him about how he had ran track before. He’s a high jumper, he knows how to high-point the ball. He’s got great hands, runs really good routes. (He) takes a lot of pride in his blocking. I remember talking to him about making sure he put stuff like that on his highlight tape. He’s really a complete, total football player. He wants to win and he understands what we have to do to win.”
When previous quarterback Luke Holcomb needed a completion last spring, he was usually looking Dwyer’s way, knowing he was going to A) get open and B) probably not drop the ball.
That much has remained the same with Balzarini. The junior quarterback threw for 396 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-for-28 passing performance. Not bad for his first varsity start.
“I just felt super comfortable in the offense,” Balzarini said. “The coaches put me in a good position to succeed and I have a bunch of playmakers around me, so it makes it really easy for me.”
Those playmakers include Dwyer and 1-2 punch of Zaire Ford and Ryan Cramer at running back. And Puyallup’s offensive line is led by Oregon commit Dave Iuli and 6-foot-5, 296-pounder Tyler Lawrence, who holds an Air Force offer. Suffice it to say, there’s no shortage of talent around Balzarini.
“That’s a heck of a debut — not only the stat line, but how comfortable he was commanding the offense, his poise in that game in that environment,” Grout said of his QB. “Playing at Skyline High School with a video board in front of thousands of people for the first time is quite a different environment. I think that he really showed some dexterity for that opportunity. I think he was ready and prepared.”
Count Dwyer among the believers.
“I’ve seen it for over a year,” he said. “(Balzarini) is my guy. I was excited he could come out in the first game and ball like that. We all know he has it. He brings a real big arm to the team, big accuracy. He’s a guy who can just get it done at the quarterback position.”
