PORT TOWNSEND — The seeds of the Port Townsend football team’s run to a 10-1 record and the school’s first state playoff appearance in 11 years were planted well before the season started.
Forward momentum began to build when head coach Nick Snyder entrusted senior David Sua with the reins of the team’s offense as the starting quarterback.
“I decided to go with the guy who I thought was the best leader,” Snyder said.
“He never made me question that decision. He immediately stepped up, started organizing 7-on-7 workouts without the coaches, he’d follow up on guys and make sure they’d put in their work in the weight room or running.
“When we got to football camp last summer, and after people got to see him lead the team, I had other coaches coming up and saying they’d love to have a player that could command as much respect and attention as David Sua.”
Sua’s play on the field garnered a similarly high level of respect and attention from opponents.
He was voted the Olympic League 1A MVP, splitting time at quarterback and running back while leading Port Townsend to a second-straight league title and an undefeated regular season.
Sua completed 53 of 95 passes for 673 yards and five touchdowns and three interceptions this season. He also led the Redhawks with 738 yards rushing and seven rushing touchdowns on 81 carries.
The Redhawks’ offense also improved its scoring average by 10 points from 2014, putting up 45 points per game.
Sua’s performance has earned him the All-Peninsula Football Offensive MVP, as determined by a poll of area coaches and the Peninsula Daily News sports staff.
“I came into the season thinking we wouldn’t be as strong offensively because we lost guys, we lost big linemen,” Sua said.
“But I knew we were going to be fast. I thought we’d lose a lot of strength. But that didn’t change a bit. I’d say this was the best group I was able to play with — our linemen were extremely intelligent in everything we did.”
Football is the preference for the three-sport athlete (he also plays basketball and baseball).
“The intensity level,” Sua said. “Everything about it, there’s just a different type of feeling than I get with every other sport I play.
“You have to use more than just your physical skills in football. It offers up life lessons, there’s always something to learn in football. I’ve played 12 or 13 years now, and every day there’s something new to learn.”
Snyder called Sua a “coach on the field” for his understanding of the game.
“The biggest thing about playing QB is making really good decisions, which he did,” Snyder said.
“I think the hardest thing to do is to make a QB be a good decision maker.
“He understand how important that was from day one after being a backup to Jacob [King] and [Jeff] Seton.
“I think he understood that better than any quarterback the last four years.”
A power runner at 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds, Sua said his running style was practical.
“I’m not too fast, so I’d rather go straight up,” Sua said.
Snyder said Sua had a different type of speed, maybe not one that’s noticeable during a 40-yard dash drill.
“He just ran people over,” Snyder said.
“His speed, if you clocked him, it wasn’t real fast, but he had game speed. If he needed to beat somebody to a spot in a game, he could make the run in time.”
Sua started at quarterback most of the season but also spent time at running back after Wesley Wheeler suffered a season-ending knee injury during the Redhawks’ second time facing Klahowya.
Wheeler’s severe injury could have derailed the team in an important league game, but not on Sua’s watch.
“When Wesley got hurt, on David’s first play at fullback, he broke off and went 55 yards for a touchdown,” Snyder said.
Sua said that combination of events remains an emotional memory.
“Wesley sat there on the stretcher and watched the whole play,” Sua said.
“Before he left [for the hospital], I wanted to climb in the ambulance with him and talk to him, but I didn’t know if I would get a flag.”
He continued his tribute the next game when he switched from his usual No. 5 and wore Wheeler’s No. 44 jersey.
“That was awesome,” Snyder said.
“That kind of sums him up right there. Wesley meant a lot to him, a lot to all of us. David understood what that gesture would mean to Wesley and what it would mean to the team.”
All part of being a captain in his senior season.
“One of the most important parts was being a leader with the same group of kids that I had played with since we were little,” Sua said.
“Being a leader came easy because I’d been playing with Keegan Khile, Jacob Ralls, Ezra Easley since grade school, with Lucas Foster and Wesley Wheeler since high school.
“They all made it easy as a leader because they trusted me.”
Snyder said Sua’s legacy is already present in younger Redhawks players.
“It’s there in Detrius [Kelsall] and Berkely [Hill] right now,” Snyder said.
“He’s set the bar for what a QB needs to be, the commitment in the offseason, the passion in his play.
“He’s a winner is what he is. He was a blessing for us at every position.”
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-452-2345, ext. 57050 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
