They’re offensive coordinators’ best weapons and opposing defensive coordinators’ worst nightmares.
The term ‘Swiss Army knife’ in sports culture is a metaphor meant to compliment an athlete’s ability to excel in various ways.
For Skyview’s Gavin Packer, Woodland’s Elijah Andersen, Seton Catholic’s Joe Callerame and Kalama’s Aiden Brown, their versatility shines just as much as their speed on the field. Name a scheme or formation and a position, and these four incoming seniors make an impact.
Three of them — Andersen (2A GSHL), Brown (Central 2B South Division) and Callerame (1A Trico) — are reigning league MVPs for state playoff teams in 2023. Packer, at Class 4A Skyview, is a five-time all-4A GSHL player at offense, defense and special teams.
Brandon Huffman, 247Sports’ National Recruiting Editor based in the Seattle area, said the rise of positional versatility in high school players now has college programs looking more at two-way prospects instead of one-way standouts. Also a growing trend? One school going after a high school recruit at one position, and another school recruiting that same player for a different position.
“There are a slew of guys who could legitimately play on either side of the ball in college,” Huffman said, “and their recruiting has borne that out.”
Chalk it up to versatility. Portland State football coach Bruce Barnum sees the next-level value of versatility on the recruiting trail. In fact, the coach tells the tale of what versatility did for former PSU standout and one-time Kent-Meridian High quarterback David Jones. He never took a snap at quarterback in his career for the Vikings, yet Barnum took advantage of Jones’ athleticism: on special teams, at receiver and finally, moved him to running back for one season as a senior in 2015.
That year, Jones rushed for 1,127 yards, earned All-Big Sky honors, and was at Washington rookie minicamp after signing an NFL undrafted free agent deal.
Even at the college level, versatility matters. Barnum welcomes it.
“The more competition they’re getting (at different positions),” Barnum said of high school players, “the better.”
WILLING (adj.): ready, eager or prepared to do something; Woodland’s Elijah Andersen
As part of Woodland’s hiring committee for a new football coach, Elijah Andersen came away impressed with the coach who’s been on Woodland’s football staff since the late 1990s and already is the region’s dean of girls basketball coaches.
“He showed that he cares about what he’s about to do, and he did it the right way,” Andersen said of new head coach Glen Flanagan, the longtime defensive coordinator, named the Beavers’ head coach in May. “Seeing that reassures me that I think we’re going to be really good.”
It’s understandable why Andersen and his teammates hoped the head-coach hire would stay in-house: to keep a good thing going. Andersen, the 2A GSHL MVP in 2023, did a lot of everything to help the Beavers win their first league title since 2007 and earn a 2A state playoff berth.
Going from an all-league running back to an all-phases spotlight player with nearly 2,500 all-purpose yards and 30 touchdowns boosted Andersen’s confidence and in turn, made him a better football player.
“It was the first time where I said, ‘I can do this’ and being able to put my body on the line every Friday like I do,” Andersen said. “I learned that I can take the hits and I can carry the ball as much as my team needs.”
For a guy who plays five positions not including special teams, where will Andersen line up this fall? At one point this offseason, he had a quarterback battle with 6-foot-2 sophomore Michael Belvin, who is expected to earn the starting job. That will allow Andersen to continue to roam within the offense under new coordinator Stephen Short after leading the Beavers in rushing and receiving yards as a junior.
Andersen all over the field won’t be new, but a big change is coming after Woodland’s big campaign last fall, he said.
“We’re going to be doing a lot of stuff that you don’t see often,” Andersen said. “We’re doing some new stuff. … Everything we do is going to be different.”
RELIABLE (adj.): consistently good in quality or performance; Kalama’s Aiden Brown
Kalama is a town with no stoplights, which seems fitting since Aiden Brown is all-go, all the time when it comes to football.
“It’s a lot of work,” Brown said, “but I really enjoy it. It’s a lot of fun.”
Opposing coaches rave about Brown, Kalama’s dual-threat quarterback who led Class 2B in total offense in 2023 with 46 touchdowns and 4,000-plus yards. He earned all-state honors as an ‘athlete’, has an offer to play running back at Idaho State, and recently caught passes for quarterback Andrew Peasley, who signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent.
Versatile enough? Could Brown play edge if Kalama coach Mike Phelps needed him?
“That would be funny,” Brown said.
Don’t put it past him. It’s common at small schools for players to see both sides of the ball. Brown also plays safety on defense for Kalama. At 5-feet-9 and 185 pounds, he chose to market himself as an ‘athlete’ and said it was the best thing he could do recruiting-wise.
“It shows your open-mindedness, really,” Brown said. “I’m not picky about what I’m going to play at the next level. “I’ll play running back, I’ll play quarterback, I’ll play wherever. … That’s something that’s helped me.”
Huffman, of 247Sports, said the term ATH (athlete) became a position in recruiting rankings about a decade ago when college football’s landscape shifted to more modern offenses and players open in space. Of 247Sports’ Class of 2025 Washington rankings, five of the top 10 players ranked are ‘athletes.’
But it’s Brown’s quarterbacking background for why Idaho State offered the teenager at running back. The coaches told Brown why they like recruiting high school quarterbacks.
“They can play other positions,” he said, “because we know and understand the game and coverages. … They want a smarter kid who understands how to read defenses and understands what routes to run based on coverages.”
Class 2B’s loss is Class 1A’s gain. The Chinooks are back in the Trico League for the first time since 2016 coming off a 2B state quarterfinal appearance.
Time for Brown to impress a whole new set of coaches.
ADAPTABLE (adj.): able to adjust or be modified for a new use or purpose; Seton Catholic’s Joe Callerame
Part of Joe Callerame’s lengthy application process for the United States Military Academy includes candidate essays. Whatever the essay prompts will be, there’s a good chance football and its impact will find its way to Callerame’s words.
“It will probably be one of the main topics,” he said.
How Callerame fits at Seton happens to be the same way he’ll fit playing for Army. One of the state’s premiere three-way weapons who can, does and will line up anywhere on the field will continue to do so at West Point.
“I’m super excited because I feel like it fits me perfectly,” the slot receiver and safety said. “At Seton … I’m all over the field and they got me doing a lot of different things. And it’s sort of a similar situation at West Point where I’m going to be taking handoffs, I’m going to be taking pitches, I’m also going to be running a lot of routes.”
The Class of 2025 has been part of a history-making era for Seton Catholic football. So far, chapters include three straight postseason seasons beginning in 2021. That year, Callerame, a freshman, quarterbacked Seton to the program’s first-ever playoff appearance. Then, last fall, came a run to the state semifinals behind two dramatic state playoff road wins.
In fact, look no further than its 42-35 quarterfinal win over Cashmere for the definition of what Callerame can do. He recorded touchdowns rushing, passing and receiving and helped Seton rally down 14 points the final 7-plus minutes to win.
It’s all part of utilizing Callerame in different ways in Seton’s offense under third-year offensive coordinator Jason Gesser, the former Washington State quarterback.
Callerame knows the opportunities provided at Seton likely wouldn’t happen at a larger school. There’s something special about playing Class 1A football, he said, and that starts by being privileged to play everywhere.
“It really helps me be able to love the game,” he said, “and appreciate the game because there’s so many different things that go into it.”
“It’s really fun being at a small school, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
TRUSTWORTHY (adj.): able to be trusted or deserving of trust; Skyview’s Gavin Packer
When asked how often track and field comes up in conversation, Gavin Packer flashes a smile before answering the question.
“A lot,” Skyview’s receiver and cornerback said. “Probably every (college) coach asks me about it.”
Packer likely is Clark County’s fastest man who isn’t a sprinter, but still gets asked about turning out for the sport. That’s what happens when you own a personal-best 4.51-second time in the 40-yard dash, and are named “Fastest Man” at football camps and showcase events. That tends to turn some heads, Packer said.
“A lot of times, people are a little surprised,” he said. “I’m more of the unknown guys there.”
But he is well known in Clark County and in Class 4A football. If it feels like Packer has torched opponents for years, it’s because he has behind game-changing speed that can make him a blur on the field at receiver, in the secondary or on special teams.
Even before his first varsity reps, Skyview teammates had a good feeling about Packer. So much so, he got added to the varsity text group chat in eighth grade.
Remember Gavin Packer’s first varsity start as a freshman in 2021 for Skyview in a playoff game, no less? His 103-yard interception return for a touchdown capped the team’s win over Kamiak. He got the start at cornerback that game, and during the regular season, also played quarterback for the freshman team.
Instead of a quarterback battle with eventual two-year starter Jake Kennedy, Packer believed he could play receiver. Over two seasons, he’s become a sure-handed, reliable pass catcher and elite route runner with more than 100 receptions and 23 touchdowns.
Boise State caught on at the perfect time, too. Packer verbally committed to the Broncos when an offer came following what he called his best team-camp performance in June.
“By the end of the night,” Packer said, “they had the whole (coaching) staff watching and I kept making plays.”
Just like Packer has done at Skyview since 2021.
