Carson closes career in Classic
Dave Carson’s football coaching career winds up fittingly this week at the helm of an all-star team when the annual Washington East vs. West All-State Summer Classic comes to Central Valley on Thursday.
Carson, who last fall announced his retirement after 10 years as Gonzaga Prep head coach, leads an East squad that features assistant coaches who he worked with at varying times during his long career.
The athletes, with a few notable no-shows, arrived Sunday, are being fed, housed and entertained and they are practicing twice daily at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. through Wednesday at CV in preparation.
Carson himself was nearly unable to participate. It was discovered that he had spent the last year with a detatched retina that necessitated immediate surgery two Mondays ago.
“I asked if it could wait until after the All-Star game,” Carson said. “The opthalmologist said ‘you have 72 hours to decide.’ In all his years he’d never seen anything like this.”
He spent the past few weeks on “house patrol” and had to sleep sitting up, he said, before being cleared to coach.
The approach this week, said Carson, is to make sure the players have a good experience.
“Win or lose it’s about having fun,” he said. “The players will become friends forever.”
And it’s not a bad way for his long football career, that also included coaching all-star teams twice in California, to reach its conclusion.
Nearly 70 players from Class 4A and 3A schools statewide, many from state playoff teams, fill the rosters of the two teams.
Extra points
Joining Carson on the East coaching staff are North Central’s Grady Emmerson, Lewis and Clark assistants Jeff Reyburn and Dave Hughes and Skyview’s Steve Kizer. The West team is coached by back-to-back state finalist Tom Bainter from Bothell, assisted by Bill Christiansen, Bothell; Hoover Hopkins, Nathan Hale; Mike Miller, Newport-Bellevue and Tim Tri, Lake Stevens. … Greater Spokane League players are tailback/linebacker Alex Shaw who led LC to the 4A state championship; defensive back Lonnie Quirk from East Valley; quarterback/linebacker Bryan Karwacki and kicker Mat Barker from Gonzaga Prep; tight end/defensive end Patrick Mealey and linebacker/runningback Tyler Cochran from Central Valley, quarterback Jeff Minnerly and defensive back/running back McKenzie Murphy from Ferris. … Ferris’ Jared Karstetter and Mead’s Dan Spitz, originally on the East roster, will not play because of classroom commitments at WSU. Also not here is UW-bound Washington 3A Player of the Year Johri Fogerson from O’Dea. … Area businesses have purchased 200 tickets to Thursday’s game enabling junior football players who come and identify themselves to get into the game free, said coordinator Rick Giampietri. He said Monday that any past participant in the game will also have a complimentary ticket awaiting them at “will call” the day of the game and they will be introduced at halftime.