Husky football puts married life on hold

Carl Bonnell would like to tell you that life with his new bride, Katie, has helped his football game – but the truth is, he hasn’t experienced married life yet. Not really.

“We got married a month ago,” Bonnell reported midway through Washington’s fall camp. “We had a two-week honeymoon in Hawaii and I’m in my third week in the dorms. So it’s not as if we’ve had any ‘everyday’ life.”

Still, the sophomore quarterback has had a glimpse of the best kind of impact the union can have on his football career.

“She understands what I’m going through,” Bonnell insisted.

Bonnell and Katie Folden began dating their junior year at Kentwood High School. She went off to play basketball and volleyball at The Masters College in California – she already has her degree in liberal studies.

Bonnell spent a grayshirt year at Washington State, transferred to Washington and redshirted and played sparingly last fall.

“She knows that sports puts different stresses on you than what the average person has and the time demands it takes to be successful,” he said. “She’s always been really supportive and encouraging.”

That was especially welcome when Bonnell suffered a severe thigh contusion early in fall camp and fell behind in UW’s quarterback derby because of the inactivity. Katie would check in daily after practice and drive Bonnell back to his dorm where the Huskies were sequestered for camp – but it wasn’t always just to boost his spirits.

“I think she’s starting to get a little lonely,” Bonnell said. “This isn’t exactly the normal way to start your marriage.”