Jan. 26, 2023
Yelm celebrates 3A state championship team with parade
Community members came out in droves to the Yelm High School stadium on Monday, Jan. 23, to celebrate the city’s first-ever 3A state championship win in football.
At the event, which was hosted by the City of Yelm and Yelm Community Schools, Northwest Chevrolet donated 10 trucks that were used to drive athletes down Tornado Alley at Yelm High School before the coaches and players took their seats on the sideline.
“This is something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I wish I could’ve won a state championship like you guys did,” Yelm Mayor Joe DePinto said to the crowd. “To bring a state championship to Yelm is something special, and I hope you guys can do it again next year. What an incredible last play. I thought it was over and I think we all did.”
Yelm head coach Jason Ronquillo then reflected on the team’s journey to the championship victory.
“I’m very blessed to be the head coach of this team. It’s been a blessing since I first got here,” Ronquillo said. “Not everybody has liked me along this nine-year journey, but I learned long ago that if I wanted to be liked, I’d go sell ice cream and everyone would like me. What I learned a long time ago from mentors in my past, is that passion looks like aggression to the unmotivated.”
March 2, 2023
State champion Madisyn Erickson reflects on Mat Classic victory
After winning the 120-pound bracket at the 2023 Mat Classic tournament in February, Madisyn Erickson said she was overcome with emotion.
Erickson finished her season with the Tornados with a dominant record of 45 wins and just three losses, pinning her opponents 38 times throughout the season. The junior secured 81 takedowns and allowed just eight through the season.
“After I won the state championship, the emotion I felt didn’t feel real,” Erickson said. “It felt like all this pressure was lifted off my chest. It was an amazing feeling and I hope every finalist gets to experience a championship victory at least once.”
Due to her efforts, Erickson holds the record for most wins, pins and takedowns in a season for a Yelm girls wrestler. She’s also 82-7 in her Tornado career.
Her hard work throughout the season paid off on Feb. 18 at the Tacoma Dome when she defeated Reese Prescott of Moses Lake High School.
Leading up to the Mat Classic, Erickson’s preparation went up a notch both on and off the mat as she practiced defense and specifically escapes. She added that she kept her cardio up by running four miles a day.
“Once we entered the postseason, my preparation was studying my opponents, and doing what I needed to do to get that state title,” Erickson said. “My coaches believed in me and so did my teammates.”
June 1, 2023
Yelm’s Isaiah Patterson announces commitment to UCLA
Isaiah Patterson, an upcoming senior linebacker at Yelm High School, announced his commitment to the University of California Los Angeles on Wednesday, May 24.
UCLA finished with a 9-4 record in 2022, which included a 6-3 record in the Pac-12 Conference and an appearance in the Sun Bowl. The Bruins anticipate using Patterson in a “hybrid” linebacker role, where he’ll play an off-ball role, and possibly serve as an edge rusher.
“I went down to UCLA and loved my visit. I have a really good relationship with coach Ken Norton Jr. and coach Chip Kelly, and they made me feel like I’m at home,” Patterson said at the time. “I felt like UCLA was going to be the best place for me to develop as a player and a person. I believe they can develop me into a player that can play beyond college.”
Patterson enjoyed his official visit to UCLA in early May so much that he nearly committed then. He said he loved the campus and the location of the school, which played a role in his decision.
“I plan on enrolling early to UCLA,” Patterson said. “To be able to learn from players and coaches that have done it before me, and use their experience, knowledge and apply it early on, I feel will help me in the long run.”
June 8, 2023
Yelm boys track team reflects on 3A state championship victory
After four Tornados claimed individual state championships at the 2A/3A/4A state championship track meet at Mount Tahoma High School last month, helping the boys team earn a state title, members of the boys track and field team reflected on their victory and performances.
At the three-day meet in Tacoma, Trevontay Smith, in triple jump, and Brayden Platt, in shot put, repeated as state champions, while Jordan Lasher, in the pole vault, and Isaiah Patterson, in the discus, were first-time state champions in track and field.
“As a coach, to have a group of athletes as dedicated as they were was amazing,” head boys track coach Chris Stovall said. “It’s difficult to keep kids that are driven toward the football field, and our guys decided to step back from their dreams a little to perfect their track goals this season. They deserve an applause for that. All the work our coaches did to prepare them was second to none as well.”
The four were members of the 2022 3A state championship football team at Yelm High School.
July 13, 2023
Yelm’s Trevontay Smith talks commitment to UW track
Yelm High School’s Trevontay Smith, a two-time 3A triple jump state champion, committed to the University of Washington on June 13 to continue his track and field career at the collegiate level.
Just weeks before his departure to Seattle, the three-sport athlete told the Nisqually Valley News what went into his commitment to the Division I Huskies.
Leading up to his decision, Smith said the recruitment process was difficult. He said his recruitment felt rushed due to track being at the end of the school year, but eventually he found the right home in Seattle.
“My ultimate decision to choose the University of Washington was, first and foremost, the coaching staff. It felt like a family. They really expressed how they want to build a team based on the ‘fit’ and I like that,” Smith said in July. “They also offered a scholarship.”
Smith had track offers from Washington State University and Eastern Washington University and said he had great conversations with the University of Arizona and the University of Nebraska before he ultimately committed to the University of Washington’s track program.
“The best offers I received were from UW and Eastern Washington, and then WSU as far as scholarship money,” he said. “Then I also had multiple offers for roster spots from other DI schools. I had some great conversations with Arizona and Nebraska, even had an offer for an official visit at Nebraska, but when it came down to timing, I just felt the connection with UW and decided to commit before getting the opportunity to visit the others.”
Sept. 7, 2023
Yelm football and track star Brayden Platt commits to the University of Oregon
After receiving 20 full-ride scholarship opportunities from Division I football programs throughout the country during his high school career, Brayden Platt, Washington’s top class of 2024 football recruit, announced where he would commit.
After narrowing down his top two schools to the University of Oregon and the University of Oklahoma, the All-American linebacker committed to the Oregon Ducks, where he will play football and throw on the track team, on Sept. 4 inside Yelm High School’s Performing Arts Center.
During the ceremony, Platt was flanked by his dad, Cy, and mom, Rachel, who celebrated her birthday on Sept. 4.
“First, I’d like to thank God for putting me in this situation and being where I’m able to be at today. Also, I’d like to thank my mom and dad for making me the person I am today, and my brothers for pushing me and making me the best version of myself, and also my previous coaches that have pushed me and made me the athlete I am today,” Platt said during the ceremony. “What I was looking for in a school was a family, and also a school that can develop me at the next level.”
Oct. 12, 2023
Rainier quarterback breaks school records in shoot-out win over Wildcats
Rainier sophomore quarterback Jake Meldrum broke the school single-game yardage and touchdown records with 543 passing yards and eight touchdown passes in October.
The signal-caller led the Mountaineers to an 82-52 home conference win over Ocosta on Oct. 6, in a game in which both teams fielded eight players due to a shortage of Ocosta players.
“I’ve never been a part of a game like this,” Meldrum said. “Once [Ocosta] didn’t play a safety, I think all of our players were good enough to beat them one-on-one. It was a good win, but we can still clean up some stuff.”
Although playing against a short-handed defense, the Mountaineers racked up 744 total yards of offense in the win and scored 12 touchdowns on offense and a special teams safety. Meldrum accounted for 581 yards — 38 rushing — and nine touchdowns — one rushing. His brother, Josh, recorded 197 yards and two touchdowns on just five receptions, while wide receivers Hunter Howell and Jared Sprouffske each surpassed 100 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Howell added a rushing touchdown as well.
Nov. 16, 2023
Rainier pitcher commits to Panola College
Rainier High School senior and right-handed pitcher John Kenney has verbally committed to Panola College, located in Carthage, Texas, to play baseball.
Kenney had verbally committed to Lassen Community College in Susanville, California, but flipped his commitment when he received a full-ride scholarship offer from Panola College.
“I was pretty stoked. It was really a surprise to me,” Kenney said of receiving the offer from Panola College. “Not having to pay for college is really nice. It’ll be nice to play down in Texas. They have a really good program down there that I can make an impact on. I’m really excited to play for their coaching staff.”
Kenney, who has played baseball for over a decade, said he has always wanted to live in Texas as his sister lives there. He said he hopes that playing at a strong program like Panola College will give him the opportunity to garner interest from Division I baseball programs or potentially be drafted in the MLB draft, which are both long-term goals of his.
Nov. 30, 2023
Yelm shut out in 3A state championship
It wasn’t supposed to end like that.
Yelm, which won its first state title last season in the most storybook of fashions, came around a year later on an even grander stage, trying to repeat as 3A state champions while putting their 27-game winning streak on the line at Husky Stadium.
In the Tornado’s way stood No. 6 Bellevue, the 2021 champions, for a rematch of last season’s thriller of a semifinal that barely went Yelm’s way.
They were set to cap the story of a team reclaiming their spot on the mountaintop, or barring that, the one of a side that barely fell short of getting back to glory.
And while that second narrative was closer to the mark, all anyone could talk about, even during the game, were the dramatics of the first quarter, which saw all-around star Brayden Platt ejected, setting the stage for a 14-0 Bellevue win.
“My message to them was that losing hurts, but we didn’t lose as individuals, we lost as a team,” Yelm coach Jason Ronquillo said. “The most important thing is that you can turn towards each other, not against each other and learn that although sometimes you fall, we’ve all got to get back up together, and love each other when we do.”
The Tornados advanced to the 3A state championship after defeating the Eastside Catholic Crusaders, 7-0, on Saturday, Nov. 25 at Bethel High School’s Art Crate Field.
Dec. 14, 2023
Yelm wrestling returns young, talented squad in 2023 for coach’s final season
Gaylord Strand, member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, has coached the Yelm High School boys wrestling program for 50 years. After leading Yelm to numerous league championships, a plethora of state champion wrestlers and one state championship team throughout his tenure, Strand will retire at the conclusion of the season.
Strand said there’s still a lot of work to be done until then, however, including improving upon the team’s eighth-place finish at the Mat Classic in the 2022-23 season.
“The team goals are to place higher than we did last year at state. We placed eighth, and I felt we could’ve done better. We’re projected to do better than that this year by certain coaches, and if all holds true, we can do that,” Strand said. “Personally, since it’s my last year, I want to leave this team better for next year than what it was when I got it this season. I have a really young team, and there’s a lot of numbers this year. Whoever I leave the team to, I want them to be successful with the athletes that are coming back. It looks like they could have more success next year than I could have this year.”
