( Laurence Wanambisi 6-3 200 Jr. WR/DB- Stanwood HS) |
Over the spring we had a chance to see some outstanding talent on our NEI/Barton Football Camp and Combine Tour. One of the kids that stood out with overwhelming physicality combined with speed and size was Laurence Wanambisi of Stanwood. The thing that makes Wanambisi most appealing is that the kid is 6-3 200 pounds and will only be a junior.
The underclassman did very well, especially with one on one’s as other athletes had trouble matching up. Laurence moved from Kenya three years ago and currently lives with junior QB Drew Wright and his family. Wright is a talented QB and did very well himself on the camp circuit. Stanwood had a tough time last season going (2-8) , but they return most of their top athletes and have a strong community backing that can appreciate how much improvement they have made.
Its always a neat story when a kid that has played soccer for 12 years of his life travels from far far away, and ends up being a stand out person and player on an improving football team. Make no mistake the Spartans had a rough year starting out (0-8) before winning their last 2 games of the season.
Stanwood returns Kyle (6-3 265 Sr. OL/DL) and Brian O’Donnell (6-4 240 Jr. TE/DL) both of whom are two of the better lineman within the conference, and also a very talented junior QB in Wright. You can also expect to see Jake Campbell (6-0 185 Sr. ATH) get a healthy dose of touches during the season.
Wanambisi is a kid that is still very raw, but extremely talented. When he initially told me he was a sophomore last season I jokingly said, "no your not". If Laurence can get enough game experience it will be very difficult to stop a kid that is just physically bigger and better then most.
When referencing the season Wanambisi says, " I think we are going to be much better this year, and personally I have been in the weight room 6 days a week except Sunday’s trying to get stronger". Laurence could end up starting both ways and being one of the better DB’s that the conference has. He is already slated to be a primary wide out, and we expect him to just get better as the season progresses.
" I really like living with the Wright family, they have been very good to me and im very appreciative". Its great for Laurence to be able to get to live with his QB as they are consistently on the same page. He is a three sport athlete (Basketball, track) that considers football his favorite, and is someone we will have on our junior rankings board when we release it shortly for Washington’s underclassmen.
We wish Wanambisi and Stanwood the best of luck in 2012 and look forward to seeing their improvements on the field.
