Gig Harbor's Seferian-Jenkins Picks Washington

Gig Harbor TE spurns Texas to stay close to home; top baseball draft picks Sale and Vettleson sign; Bear Don't Run breaks American Junior record.

By Nathan Joyce

Aug 18, 2010, 12:08pm

In the end, being close to mom won out.

That was one of the main reasons why Gig Harbor tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins announced Monday he would play collegiate football at Washington. The 6-foot-7 tight end picked the Huskies over Texas and Florida in an announcement at the Gig Harbor Yacht Club.

The tight end rated as first or second in the nation by every recruiting service said staying close to his mom Linda and the relationship with UW coach Steve Sarkisian were the main reasons he stayed close to home.

Washington signee Austin Seferian-Jenkins.

Photo by Tom Lemming

"It's a weight off my shoulders," Seferian-Jenkins told the Tacoma News Tribune. "It's been hard sometimes to sleep at night. It's great knowing I'm done, and I don't have to worry about it anymore."

Seferian-Jenkins said he would try to play basketball as well. Signing day is Feb. 2, 2011.

Seferian-Jenkins kept his decision a secret, and didn't even tell friend and teammate Troy Castle until just before he announced it. He had 38 offers from Division I schools.

Seferian-Jenkins made 14 or 15 unofficial visits to Washington, the News Tribune reported. Various reports said he went to three UW practices last week. And in that time formed a tight bond with Sarkisian.

"He cared about my mom, my family. He cared about me as a person. I had family stuff sometimes, and I could talk to him about it," Seferian-Jenkins told the News Tribune. "He was like a big brother almost. I didn't want to say no to him."

Bellevue's Henry Commits to Boise State
Bellevue offensive lineman Marcus Henry has committed to Boise State, the Seattle Times reports. The 6-foot-3, 275-pounder will try to lead the Wolverines to an eighth state title in 10 years.

Fall Practice Begins Today
High school football practice opens around the state on Wednesday. The first games are set for Sept. 2. All other fall sports begin on Aug. 23 and most will begin play after Labor Day weekend.

Baseball: Tampa signs two Washington standouts before deadline
The Tampa Bay Rays took two of Washington's best players early in the baseball draft in June. They took until the final minutes to get them signed.

Central Kitsap's Drew Vettleson and Bishop Blanchet's Josh Sale were at Tropicana Field on Tuesday watching batting practice, less than a day before agreeing to their last-minute deals.

The deadline was midnight Eastern time on Monday. The Rays announced the deal at 2:20 a.m.

Vettleson told the Kitsap Sun he agreed to the deal a minute before midnight.

Sale's signing bonus has been reported at $1.62 million. He was the 17th overall pick. He hit .520 with five homers and 20 RBIs for the Seattle-based Braves. He had a scholarship offer to Gonzaga as well.

Vettleson's bonus has been reported at $845,000. He was the 42nd pick, a sandwich pick between the first and second rounds. He hit .490 with seven homers and 29 RBIs for the Silverdale-based Cougars. He had a scholarship to Oregon State.

Baseball America lists the two among the top eight high school prospects in the nation. They will report to the Rays' training complex to play in the instructional league before play begins next month.

Track and Field: Bear Don't Walk Breaks Junior Record
Nooksack Valley senior Oliver Bear Don't Walk broke the American junior record in the 50,000 meters on Aug. 12.

Bear Don't Walk ran the distance in 3 hours, 10 minutes, 7.2 seconds at Bellingham's Civic Stadium. The previous best of 4:21.09 was set in 1984 by Danny Wilcoxson of Greensburg, Ky.