NEAH BAY — Josh Monette hasn’t carried the ball or caught a pass for Neah Bay this season.
He has gotten his hands on the ball a few times on special teams, compiling 15 yards on kickoff returns.
It might be easy to think that Monette, a senior, is a little bit overshadowed compared to some of his more offensively inclined teammates.
“Oh, no, no. No way,” fellow senior John Reamer said.
“That’s just a given: Josh is in on all the kickoffs, Josh is in on every hit. Josh leads the team in tackles, that just goes without being said.
“Josh is a workhorse.”
Monette has 114.5 tackles this season, including 69 unassisted.
Against Lummi in the state semifinals last week, Monette was credited with 6.5 tackles (three solo), and was near the ball on nearly every play. He also forced a fumble.
It was a valuable performance in the defensive slugfest, won by Neah Bay 26-20, and Monette will likely be one of the most important Red Devils in this Saturday’s Class 1B state championship game against Liberty Christian.
“He’s going to be one we miss after this game because that kid’s got a motor like you won’t believe, man, he just keeps going and going and going,” Neah Bay head coach Tony McCaulley said.
“You know, to be right honest, he’s the heart of the team, I think, because he just keeps everybody going.”
“He wants to play. He’s always the one that’s jacked up and ready to play.”
Martinez stepping up
Last year, Monette was a special teams whiz. He was often the first one to reach a kickoff returner, and therefore he didn’t leave many special teams tackles for the rest of his team.
That was Monette’s main role for the 2013 state champs. He saw some time on defense, but there weren’t a ton of snaps available.
Many of this year’s seniors have joined Monette in making the most of their first chance at being full-time starters.
One of those seniors, Chris Martinez, has become increasingly important to the Red Devils (12-0) as the season progressed.
Martinez switched from receiver to tailback a few games into the season, lightening Cole Svec’s load while bolstering Neah Bay’s run game with 797 yards and nine touchdowns on 87 carries.
He also has become a valuable defensive contributor after struggling at times early in the season.
He has been in on 65 tackles and has three interceptions and four fumble recoveries.
Last week in the semifinals, Martinez was on his way to help Svec bring down Lummi ball carrier Austin Brockie.
Svec arrived first and got his helmet on the ball, separating it from Brockie, and Martinez was right there to snag it out of the air and return it 60 yards for a touchdown.
“The player most improved, this guy is up there with the best of us: Chris Martinez; he came storming onto the scene, offense and defense,” Reamer said.
“He wants it, and he works for it.”
WIAA honor for Svec
Svec, a sophomore, has been chosen as this week’s Class 1B WIAA Athlete of the Week.
Against Lummi, Svec had a 72-yard touchdown run, a 68-yard touchdown pass and forced the fumble that Martinez returned for a score. He also was in on eight tackles.
Each Athlete of the Week winner receives a letter of recognition from the WIAA Executive Director, a commemorative WIAA Athlete of the Week T-shirt and certificate.
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Sports Editor Lee Horton can be reached at 360-417-3525 or at lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com.
