Kennedy grad, Renton native Thompson ready to make mark as Husky

The moment is probably still burned in the minds of diehard Renton High fans. The night was Oct. 25. The Kennedy Lancers had just rattled off 21 points in the fourth quarter and withstood a futile, late-game charge by the Indians to hang on and win. The cost: an outright Seamount title for Renton.

To make matters worse, as the Lancers stood on the field, victorious, one of the most influential players in the game was one of Renton’s own, Everrette Thompson.

After he reached the top of the high school ranks at Kennedy (Thompson was the 13th- rated defensive lineman in the country by Superprep and the second overall prospect in Washington by Scout.com), Thompson moved on to the University of Washington. There he’s starting over, ready to climb the ranks again.

“It’s been good here so far. I’m just trying to adjust from high school to college football,” Thompson said. “Mostly it’s the meetings and the playbook, it’s pretty big.”

The 6-foot-6, 255-pound true freshman is hoping to crack the rotation at defensive end and log some significant time for the Huskies this season.

The UW originally recruited Thompson as a tight end, where his size and speed would give him the base to be successful at the position. Somewhere along the line, Thompson’s and the Huskies’ thinking changed and he became a defensive-end prospect, which is fine with Thompson.

“I’ve always felt more natural at defensive end,” Thompson said. “Pass rushing is definitely the most fun out there.”

The same physical attributes that would have made him a good tight end should make him a great pass rusher.

The defensive line is the Huskies’ least-experienced group, with just one returning starter, end Daniel Te’o-Nesheim. Te’o-Nesheim collected 57 tackles last season and led the team in tackles for loss (15) and sacks (8.5). Thompson said he’s been working in a rotation with the other defensive ends so far in training camp.

Most of the Pac-10 schools recruited Thompson, but the Huskies stood out because they were close to home. He said the Huskies’ situation at defensive end was a big reason he chose the school. With a lot of upperclassmen that would be graduating soon, Thompson knew he’d have a chance to start sooner rather than later.

The Huskies’ defense was one of the team’s weak points last season, allowing 411 points, which was the most in the Pac-10. So what do they have to do to be better this year?

“Just collectively as a group, bring it every play. That’s what we’re working on right now,” Thompson said.

Starting at age 8 with the Kent Knights, Thompson has been a natural on the football field. After eighth grade he made big strides in his game, becoming better than the other players, instead of just bigger and stronger.

“That’s when I really started developing my football skills,” Thompson said. “Actually understanding the game instead of just banging heads out there.”

While he lived in Renton, Thompson said he chose Kennedy because of the educational aspects. “I didn’t even know about the football program at the time,” he said.

Thompson enjoyed great success while he was at Kennedy, but his time as a Lancer came to a roller-coaster end. Evergreen smacked the Lancers 52-24, giving the Lancers their first and only league loss in 2007. Kennedy then bounced back two weeks later by beating Renton and guaranteeing a tie for first place in the Seamount.

“We knew we had to step up the challenge because Renton beat Evergreen,” Thompson said. “After the game we just felt relieved.”

The relief wouldn’t last long. The Lancers hit a road block and lost to Nathan Hale 21-14 in the preliminary round of the 3A state tournament.

“It was definitely a disappointing end,” Thompson said. “We just stood there saying ‘Wow, it’s over already.’”

With a chance on a bigger stage, Thompson is working to avoid a similar disappointing end as a Husky.

Adam McFadden can be reached at amcfadden@reporternewspapers.com or 425-255-3484.