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Oregon RB Jonathan "Snoop" Stewart (official thread)

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Stewart on verge of rushing mark- tonight!!

http://www.theolympian.com/home/news/20040916/sportssection/145944.shtml

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It was just one play in last week's game, but it symbolized what makes Jonathan Stewart more than your everyday high school running back.
Against a hungry and aggressive Black Hills defense, Stewart took the ball on a routine handoff and cut to his right. There, he met a wall of Wolves defenders eager to take him down.

Instead, Stewart immediately broke to his left, outrunning everyone on Black Hills clear across the field and into the end zone for a touchdown.

It was a breathtaking run. But it was almost routine.

"Just reversing your field and outrunning everybody doesn't happen very much, and he does it all the time," Timberline coach Kevin Young said with a chuckle.

Such rare ability is why Stewart is 349 yards from setting the state career rushing record going into tonight's game between Timberline and Chehalis.

Stewart has 5,780 career rushing yards. He has rushed for more than 300 yards four times in his career, including 369 against River Ridge last season and a state record- tying 422 against Centralia in 2002.

According to Stewart, the key to his success is simply being able to stay on his feet.

"I think balance is my best attribute as a running back," he said. "My balance is the key to my style."

It's the reason why he can take a hit that would bring most backs down and continue to pick up yards.

"I'll be able to get hit where my helmet will be at ground level and I'll just be able to pop back up," Stewart said. "Or when I'm running on one foot because someone has the other. It's just natural."

And it wows anyone who has seen him play.

"I've never seen a runner with his balance," said Chris Fetters, Northwest recruiting analyst for TheInsiders.com. "It's almost uncanny the way he can make people miss and how he's able to always move forward. He uses great lean and drive to make it almost impossible for linebackers to get a clean shot on him."

Stewart also says that his vision has been key to his success, although he can't quite put his finger on how he is able to see the field so well.

"I go to the line and just look at the field and see what the defense is in," he said. "If I get the ball and it's kind of cluttered ... if I can feel something, I just slant and go the other way. I don't know, I really can't explain it. It's just instinctual."

Young said that while Stewart's natural abilities are impressive, he hasn't rested on talent alone.

"He's worked really hard to not just take what's God's given him," Young said. "He makes himself better. He hasn't taken anything for granted."

Indeed, Stewart went from a slender freshman to a chiseled senior, spending time in the weight room to get up to 220 pounds.

"Getter bigger and stronger was a big key," he said. "My freshman year I was just running. I knew that in order to get better, I had to get stronger. I knew I couldn't be a guy just running down the field hoping not to get hit.

"I got bigger and I committed myself to the weight room. When I have to lift, I'll do it. I go at least four times a week."

Fetters said that he has been impressed with Stewart's work ethic.

"He's a tireless worker and extremely durable," he said.

Most importantly, according to Young, he's never satisfied.

"I hope younger players look at him and see someone that's not only a superstar, but also someone willing to put in the hard work," Young said.
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http://www.theolympian.com/home/news/20040916/topstories/145835.shtml

Right away, Kevin Young knew he had a special talent on his hands.

Four years ago, the Timberline High School football coach was blown away during the first practice of the year by a freshman who was unlike any other he had ever seen.
"You could tell," Young said. "Guys that are that gifted stand out. You just know. You could tell that he had the speed and that he was real strong. I knew that he was going to be good."

"Good" is too mild an adjective to describe Jonathan Stewart, the Blazers' 5-foot-10, 220-pound running back who has left mouths across the state agape with his heady mix of bruising power and blazing speed.

"I've not seen a better running back than him period in my 30 years here," legendary Tumwater coach Sid Otton said. "The picture that runs in the paper looks like an NFL guy to me."

Now, Stewart is on the verge of etching his name at the top of a very exclusive list.

Going into tonight's game against Chehalis, the senior is 349 yards away from breaking the state career rushing record of 6,128, set by Cathlamet's Jerod Moore in 1999.

And lest you think 349 yards is a lot to get in one game, take a look at Stewart's resume -- he's rushed for more than 300 yards four times, including a 369-yard effort against River Ridge in 2003 and a 422-yard outburst against Centralia in 2002.

"Jonathan Stewart is the most-talented running back I've ever seen, bar none," Centralia coach John Schultz said after that game.

But according to the extremely humble Stewart, chasing records is not even on his radar screen.

"It's not that important to me," Stewart said, who thinks reaching the state tournament is more important than personal goals. "If I rush for 20 yards a game the next seven games and we go to state, I'm happy."

It's that blend of talent and maturity that has college football recruiting experts everywhere touting Stewart as one of the premier prospects in the country.

"The combination of blinding speed, great balance and tremendous strength reminds me of Bo Jackson," recruiting guru Tom Lemming wrote for ESPN.com, ranking Stewart the No. 3 prospect in the country. Jackson won the Heisman Trophy in 1985 as the outstanding player in college football.

Some of the top college football programs across the country feverishly call Stewart to try to attract him to their school.

A reporter who called Stewart's house this week was told by the 17-year-old that, "I'll have to call you back, because I'm on the phone with the Notre Dame coach (Tyrone Willingham)."

Stewart's suitors include every Pacific-10 Conference school and national powers Tennessee, Florida and Notre Dame.

"It's crazy," he said. "I'm being wanted by some big colleges. I'm happy."

All this seemed preordained for Stewart after he burst onto the scene as a freshman, rushing for 1,279 yards to lead the Pacific-9 League. He seemed well on his way to a monster season as a sophomore when, during a game against Clover Park, he was gang-tackled and broke his foot, sidelining him for the remainder of the Blazers' season.

"I think it might have been good for him in the fact that he found out how quickly it could be over and also how important football was to him," Young said.

Stewart bounced back from the injury to put together a remarkable junior season, rushing for 2,566 yards and 36 touchdowns as the Blazers advanced to the state quarterfinals.

Now, the state record is in his reach, and if he continues at the pace he has set during his first three years, Stewart could come close to putting the record out of reach for a long time to come.

But for Stewart, football isn't about that. It doesn't come close to family, God or friends in his order of importance. It's the way it should be -- a game.

"Football is fun," he said. "It's an opportunity to just go out there and lay it all on the field. And I get to be with my friends. When we win the game and we're all out there celebrating and chanting, we're just having fun."

Elliott Smith covers sports for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5473 or [email protected].



The Jonathan Stewart file

- Age: 17

- School/Year: Timberline High School senior

- Size: 5-foot-10, 220 pounds

- Record: Needs 349 yards to break state's career rushing mark of 6,128, set by Cathlamet's Jerod Moore in 1999

- G.P.A: 3.2

- College suitors: Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, Tennessee, Florida and others
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sears3820 said:
It looks like whatever school he ends up committing to will no doubt force him to redshirt to add some much needed bulk......:wink:
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oh my.. assuming he's anywhere close to the posted 5'10" and 220 lbs along with the various photos in this thread (which seem to validate the measurements)... what in the world could they do to this kid other than attach him to a mechanized steroidal input machine.. he's already MC's size (well.. before Mo became Burger King customer of the year)
 
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Stewart needs one more game to break the record

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2002038330_prepnotes17.html

One more football game and the state's high-school career rushing record should belong to Timberline's Jonathan Stewart.

Stewart closed in on the mark last night in the Blazers' 55-37 Pacific-9 victory over Chehalis. He totaled 253 yards on 19 carries, according to statistics compiled by The Olympian newspaper.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound senior, considered one of the nation's top running backs, scored four touchdowns — including a 65-yard run.

Stewart has 6,033 career yards. That ranks No. 3 on the career list, trailing No. 2 Mike Brown of Adna by 5 yards.

He needs 96 yards in next Friday's game at Yelm to break the state record of 6,128 yards, set by Jerod Moore of Wahkiakum High in Cathlamet from 1996-1999.

Stewart has rushed for more than 300 yards four times in his career — including a state record-tying 422 against Centralia in 2002. He missed part of in his sophomore season because of a broken leg.

Timberline, ranked No. 2 in Class 3A by The Times behind Bellevue, won its third straight game.
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http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/preps/191294_stewart17.html

This weekend, Stewart will be in Pullman on an unofficial visit to Washington State. He will be visiting friends who he played with last season that attend WSU. He has not yet made a decision on which school he plans to attend but said the Cougars are one of his top choices.

Taylor is also speaking with Washington State, as well as several other Pac-10 schools. It's possible the two could come as a package deal.

"I hope it comes like that," Taylor said. "I'd like to go to school with 'Snoop.' It'd be nice to go to school with him he's been my best friend for a while."
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sure glad he did something about that crappy 10.7 yards per carry avg he had last week... over 13.3 sounds a bit better...

interesting how the various writers want to implicitly coerce him onto a Pac-10 roster... but when they actually get a quote from Stewart, he always mentions tOSU... been following a lot of media on this fellow for a number of weeks... and I think we have a helluva shot once the SAT thing is over and done with...
 
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http://www.theolympian.com/home/news/20040917/highschoolsports/146738.shtml

Blazers pull away from Chehalis
Timberline's Stewart rushes for 253 yards, now 96 away from breaking state record


ELLIOTT SMITH THE OLYMPIAN Blazers 55, Bearcats 37
- Records: Timberline (3-0 overall, 3-0 Pac-9), Chehalis (0-3, 0-3)

LACEY -- This wasn't about breaking records. This was about survival.
With all the pregame hype focused on Timberline running back Jonathan Stewart's quest to break the state rushing record, Chehalis showed right away that it wasn't going to be anybody's patsy, returning the opening kickoff 90 yards for a stunning touchdown.

From there, it didn't get a whole lot easier for the Blazers, who eventually did prove to be too much for the Bearcats in a 55-37 slugfest at South Sound Stadium on Thursday.

Stewart finished with 253 yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries -- including a staggering 145 yards in the second half on only four rushes -- to move within 96 yards of breaking the state record, a feat he should accomplish next Friday at Yelm.

"This is a team sport," Stewart said. "I do whatever I can just to win the game. And if I do overlap the record, that's what comes along with it."

Stewart likely could have broken the record, but with Timberline up by 20 points in the third quarter, Timberline coach Kevin Young made the decision to give his star the rest of the night off.

"People called me all day and asked me, 'Are you going to be leaving him in to break the record?' " Young said. "I said, 'No, unless we have to.' We almost did.

"We're just trying to win the game and we're also trying to keep Jonathan healthy. I'm not going to give him needless carries to break the record. He's going to break it eventually."

Most people in attendance didn't think Chehalis stood a chance against Timberline, but after Beau Hanson's kickoff return and Tim Williams' 75-yard fumble return, it was the Bearcats that held a 14-7 first-quarter advantage.

"Our starters were not crisp," Timberline coach Kevin Young said about his team's slow start.

After Chehalis' Tyler McCallum and Joe Weshinskey hooked up for a 21-yard touchdown pass to give the Bearcats a 21-13 lead, the Blazers were in desperate need of a spark.

They got it from Jaron Taylor.

Taylor took the ensuing kickoff and broke free for a 73-yard touchdown return that pulled Timberline even at 21.

"On the kick return, there were a lot of holes opening up that people were creating, so I've got to give credit to them," Taylor said. "I just did my thing. I know I'm capable of making big plays. I know I'm a playmaker.

Taylor's kickoff return seemed to snap the Blazers out of their funk, and they scored the next 35 points to take control of the game.

In that run, Stewart and Taylor were at their best.

Stewart carried the ball four times in the second half, for gains of 16, 34, 30 and 65 yards. On the last two carries, he powered through the Chehalis defense for touchdowns.

"We talked about Jonathan and doing what we can to stop him, but it's tackling -- it's a fundamental thing," Bearcats coach Kevin Ryan said. "We had some fundamental breakdowns. (Stewart) makes you do that."

Taylor and Nick Maxwell struck a blow for the passing game as well, connecting on a 73-yard slant pattern for a score. Taylor finished with 142 yards on eight receptions.

"They're putting nine dudes in the box, and that's a little disrespectful," Taylor said. "But I know I can take advantage of it."

Still, no one on the Blazers was happy with the effort, which was sloppy at best. Timberline had three turnovers, committed 11 penalties and continued its special teams troubles.

"We've just got to come out and start playing every quarter, every down," Stewart said. "We're going to lose some games if we don't come out prepared. We weren't really prepared, and we had some guys with bumps and bruises, but we've got to overcome that, which we did."

Stewart suffered a little scare in the second quarter, when he had to leave the game after tweaking his left ankle getting tackled.

"It hurts," he said. "I'm going to try and get it better."

And while many in attendance were disappointed not to see history in the making, perhaps the most dismayed person may be Young, who will now have to put up with another week of queries and distractions about the record.

"Yeah, I do (wish it had happened)," he said. "But I'm not worried about it and I don't think Jonathan is worried about it. When it comes, it comes."

Elliott Smith covers sports for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5473 or [email protected].
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thebkb said:
Wells or Stewart? I'm greedy. Give me both. I'd say Stewart looks more like a Big Ten back, whatever that is. If OSU gets either, I'll be thrilled.
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Wells, Stewart, and Ringer! If USC can run 7-WR formations to lure in all the guys they get, then we can find a way to get carries for all these guys!
 
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