John DeWulf sacrificed statistics for better good of Odessa-Harrington football

Jeff Nelson didn’t flinch when talking about why his Odessa-Harrington football team is playing for a state championship.

In a word – er, name – John DeWulf.

“He’s had to play a different role than he’d like to,” Nelson said. “He’d be a great tight end, but he’s the most versatile player we have. I even had to put him at safety in one game. He returned an interception for a touchdown.”

DeWulf, a 6-foot-3, 175-pound senior, is a two-way starter at right guard and defensive end. He was picked first-team all-league at both positions.

“He’s smart and can do it all,” Nelson said. “All of our linemen are good, but he’s our best. He’s why we’re at where we are.”

That would be playing for the State 1B 8-man championship. The Titans (12-0) take on the Neah Bay Red Devils (10-1) Saturday at the Tacoma Dome. Kickoff is at 4.

The Titans wouldn’t be headed to Tacoma had it not been for DeWulf scoring the winning touchdown in a 42-40 victory over Sunnyside Christian in the semifinals last week.

Facing fourth-and-goal at the 13-yard line, Odessa-Harrington pulled off a trick play. The Titans split four players out to one side of the field and four to the other. The alignment allowed DeWulf to be an eligible receiver.

Four receivers went to one side and DeWulf pulled to the other like he was going to block. Instead, he released outside and was all alone when quarterback Colton Hunt threw him a pass.

“It was the swinging gate,” DeWulf said.

The Titans have some other tricks, involving DeWulf, in case they need them against Neah Bay.

Last year, DeWulf started at linebacker on defense. But Nelson switched him to defensive end because he needed somebody athletic with the ability to contain and chase quarterbacks.

The result is what Nelson anticipated. Teams have run away from DeWulf as much as possible.

Nelson is hopeful that Neah Bay doesn’t know DeWulf’s full story. This is a game Nelson believes DeWulf’s defensive prowess will serve the Titans well.

“They have good speed and the quarterback likes to run around,” Nelson said. “We have to get a rush on the quarterback. He likes to scramble and make plays. So it seems like our plan will work well. He’s smart and reads things well. He has great instincts.”

DeWulf carries a 3.8 grade-point average and wants to study engineering in college.

Coming into the season, DeWulf expected the Titans to have a good year.

“We knew we had a pretty good team, but I don’t think any of us really thought this was possible,” DeWulf said. “It’s a pretty big surprise.”

DeWulf doesn’t have the statistics like the Titans’ running backs and quarterback, but Nelson knows the impact he’s had this season.

“He’s had the most impact all over the field,” Nelson said.

Nelson expects Neah Bay to try to run all over his team.

“They’re big and they want to establish the run,” Nelson said.

DeWulf expects a battle.

“They’re a really good football team, but we’re also a pretty good team ourselves,” DeWulf said. “I think it’s whoever shows up and plays well will win.”

The Titans’ extended season will cause the basketball season to be put on hold for a bit. DeWulf will start for a third straight year.

He’ll cap his high school career in the spring when he tries to defend a state title in the pole vault and win a title in javelin. He was runner-up last year.

At the moment, though, DeWulf is only thinking about Neah Bay and one more football game.