T-Birds of a feather block together

Of course, it’s about winning and maintaining the tradition of Tumwater High School football.

It’s also about having a good time.

Position coach Jamie Weeks said this year’s starting offensive line is a special group that’s not only one of the best he’s ever coached, but one that is close-knit.

“They like each other and hang out together. You don’t always get that,” said Weeks. “They have great communication skills. They’re all smart and like to watch a lot of film of our opponents. They’re personable and sociable.”

Steeped in the lore of T-Bird football most of their lives, none of the offensive linemen wants to graduate without hoisting a state championship trophy.

“It would mean everything,” said two-time, first-team all-2A Evco center Tommy Brassfield. “My freshman year we lost in the Tacoma Dome, my sophomore year we lost in the Dome, my junior year we lost in the Dome. We’ve won a lot of games, but we don’t want to go out without a championship to show for it.”

Yet the group is not so burdened by the pressures of trying to keep alive Tumwater’s first undefeated season since 1990 — it travels to Squalicum for a 2A state quarterfinal game Saturday night — that the linemen have lost sight of the fun.

Walking out of Tumwater District Stadium after a practice this week during a chilly drizzle, a lighthearted discussion of which fast-food establishment they should visit was interrupted when they were stopped by a broadcast reporter wanting to record Brassfield’s rap stylings for an upcoming show.

Backed by a couple of teammates’ human beat-box effects, Brassfield spun a few entertaining verses about the upcoming game with the Storm.

“We hang out with each other on the weekends,” Brassfield said. “That’s an integral part of what happens on the field. If you can’t trust the guy next to you, it’s hard to give 110 percent, but we know we can.”

Head coach Sid Otton sees the togetherness.

“They’re five-as-one,” he said. “They take a lot of pride in their work.”

“We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and we build off that chemistry,” said junior guard Jayson Haury.

That togetherness is what makes the current T-Birds’ line — which has blocked for Tumwater’s running backs as they have rolled up more than 3,600 rushing yards in 2015 — among the five best that Weeks says he has coached since taking the job in 1987.

Brassfield, at center, and Haury are joined by junior guard Adam Warren and senior tackles Bailey Snow and Brin Hanson, another first team all-2A Evco choice. They are unanimous in returning their coaches’ praise.

“A huge part of our success is coach Weeks,” said Hanson. “He’s one of the greatest coaches I’ve ever had. He pushes us, but in a good way. He’s motivating and encouraging.”

The linemen also praise strength coach Rick McGrath for putting in long hours supervising grueling summertime workouts.

Otton sees Brassfield, the lone member of the group with college football aspirations, as a key component.

“It all starts with the center,” he said. “You need a big-time leader. Tommy’s very competitive, he’s an emotional leader and a tremendous blue-collar worker.”

Tumwater’s guards pull a lot to lead sweeps. Otton says both Haury and Warren are adept at creating the necessary lanes. Hanson earned his all-league honors with his mobility and intensity while Snow stepped up from JV to earn the varsity starting job this season.

Snow’s inspiration has been there a long time.

“Since I was in second grade, I had youth football coaches who had played for Tumwater and won state championships,” he said. “They said it was the greatest feeling they had during the high school years. I want to experience that.”

This story was originally published November 19, 2015 at 6:34 PM with the headline "T-Birds of a feather block together."