Stanford's pitch lures quarterback Tavita Pritchard

In the end, it was an opportunity Tavita Pritchard couldn't pass up.

The Clover Park senior quarterback made an oral commitment to Stanford yesterday, calling coach Buddy Teevens less than a week after learning the Pac-10 school had accepted him.

"There aren't a lot of places you can turn Stanford down for," said the 6-foot-4, 180-pound Pritchard. "We got the call that I was accepted last Thursday, and my mom almost started crying in the kitchen. My parents and I talked about it and prayed about it, and decided this was the right decision."

Pritchard, considered one of the state's best quarterback recruits, leads the Seamount League with 1,333 passing yards and has thrown for 13 touchdowns with three interceptions through six games.

The Warriors (5-1 overall, 3-1 league) are in third place in the Pierce Division behind White River and Lakes. Clover Park plays host to Fife on Friday night and finishes the regular season at division rival Lakes on Oct. 29.

"This is exciting, and also a relief," said Pritchard, who was also being recruited by Oregon, Hawaii, Montana and Idaho. "Our team is really coming together and it's time for a playoff push. It's good to get this out of my mind and focus on the rest of the season."

Pritchard is not the first person in his family to play major college football. His father, David, played at Army and Washington State, and his uncle, Jack Thompson, was a legendary quarterback for WSU.

Besides the educational benefits of Stanford, Pritchard is also excited about the direction the Cardinal program is headed.

"They're a good team, and they have a ton of young guys," said Pritchard. "Coach Teevens has the program heading in the right direction and a good situation to go into."