Tuesday, November 20, 2012
WR Nic Sblendorio earns EWU offer
By Mason Kelley
SEATTLE -- In the middle of a tied game, with Seattle (Wash.) Roosevelt believing it could potentially upset Washington’s top-ranked team in the 4A classification, Nic Sblendorio delivered some doubt.
The 6-foot, 190-pound senior receiver (Sammamish, Wash./Skyline) got behind the Roughriders’ defense and hauled in a precisely placed ball from quarterback Max Browne for a 73-yard scoring strike.
A favorite target of USC-bound Max Browne, Nic Sblendorio just picked up an Eastern Washington offer last week.
“That just kind of gave them a little bit of doubt in their minds,” Sblendorio said. “It was a good momentum booster.”
It was the first of six straight scores that helped the Spartans pull away to a 54-21 victory in the state quarterfinals. When they need someone to make a play, Sblendorio delivers. He knows Browne, a USC commit, will get him the ball. All he has to do is get open.
“I just run and he just throws it under me,” Sblendorio said. “He’ll put it in the position where it needs to be and, even if I’m covered up, he’ll still find a way to get me the ball. It’s nice to have.”
But while his teammates and the coaching staff understand the senior’s value as a receiver and safety, the recruiting process has only recently started to pick up. He added an offer from Eastern Washington last week, which he paired with the one he already held from Northern Colorado. He also continues to hear from Wyoming and Portland State.
“Those are pretty much the only schools I’m talking to right now,” Sblendorio said.
His focus continues to be on the season. Recruiting can wait. But he admitted it did feel good to land the offer from Eastern Washington.
“The only thing I’m trying to do right now is just focus on my team, but it feels good to finally get something I thought I deserved,” he said.
