Montana State's Triple Bonus -- Three Top Players From Snohomish Set For Bobcat Football

Call them the Three Amigos or the Three Musketeers.

But when you call them, make sure you dial the area code for Bozeman, Mont.

Morgan Harris, Mark Grimmer and Brawn Lausen, three integral parts of Snohomish High School's state Class AAA semifinal football team, have signed letters of intent to play football for Montana State University of the Big Sky Conference.

"I'm really happy to be going there to play, especially since Morgan and Mark are both going, too," said Lausen, the Panthers' center and a Star Times selection as an all-area offensive lineman.

Harris, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound tailback, rushed for more than 1,000 yards for the Panthers but missed the team's semifinal loss to Puyallup with a broken leg.

Harris recovered from the fracture to play basketball, but an injury to his other knee in a motorcycle accident has sidelined him for the remainder of the winter season.

"I was impressed with the campus over there," Harris said of Bozeman. "And they have a whole new coaching staff over there. They hired the defensive coordinator from Fresno State (Cliff Hysell) and he's brought in a bunch of new people."

Grimmer (6-3, 170) was a triple threat for Snohomish as an option quarterback and an outstanding defensive back.

The Bobcats want him to play quarterback, but they almost lost him. Grimmer moved with his family to Royal City after the football season, and most of the college coaches who had been wooing him lost touch.

"Morgan really helped me out there," Grimmer said. "We'd both wanted to go to the same school if we could, so when they offered him a scholarship, he asked them about me. All of a sudden they call me up and we get to play together."

Grimmer, also a basketball player, is making a mark at Royal High School, where he averages more than 18 points, seven assists and nine rebounds as the team's point guard.

Lausen (6-4, 215) anchored an offensive line that was retooled at midseason.

"They want all three of us to redshirt our first year there so we can hit the weights, bulk up and learn the system," he said. "But they only have one center and he's a senior. If I sit out this coming season, the next year I should be the starter."

Snohomish teammate Doug Seymour, a running back and linebacker for the Panthers, has been offered an appointment to Air Force to play football.

"I'm still undecided," Seymour said. "I'm going to make a trip down there to look around before I make a decision."

Also signing a letter of intent was Alec Whittle, a tight end from Shorewood High School. Whittle (6-5, 215) will play at Eastern Washington University.

Surprisingly, Marysville-Pilchuck's anchor on the offensive and defensive lines, Robert Poole, has gone through the first week of the recruiting season without a scholarship offer, his coach, Scott Stokes, said.

Poole, however, is also a contender for the state title as a heavyweight wrestler, and a scholarship offer could still come.

Jason Crain, the Marysville-Pilchuck running back who was one of the state's leading rushers, is waiting until after the baseball season to make his college choice.

Crain, a center fielder, would like to play football and baseball in college, Stokes said.

Last week, Jordy LePiane of Cascade signed a letter of intent to play on the offensive line at Boise State, and Everett defensive lineman Jeff Kensinger signed with Eastern Washington.