High School Sports
WesCo South: Just a passing passion for Sean Tracey

By Michael Ko
Seattle Times staff reporter

BETTY UDESEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES At 6 feet 4 and 220 pounds, Sean Tracey is a towering presence in the backfield.

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SHORELINE — The recruiting letters came for Sean Tracey near the end of his junior year. But he'd never gotten these kind before — handwritten notes from powerhouse Nebraska, six or seven days in a row, penned by an assistant coach.

They asked about his family, encouraged him to maintain his grades and invited him to the university's summer football camp.

Tracey got excited, and then he shrugged. Even this wouldn't change his mind.

"When I'm getting letters from big-name schools, it makes me think twice," says Tracey, 17, a senior at Shorewood High School. "But my love is basketball. If I have to go to a college that's not-so-higher status for basketball, that's the way it'll have to be." Which sport comes first? Although he's drawing more interest in football, his heart beats basketball. That's the dilemma Tracey faces as he starts his second season as quarterback of the Thunderbirds.

Last year, he threw for more than 1,000 yards but had more interceptions (15) than touchdown passes (12) and struggled to read defenses. Coaches know they have something special, however. At 6 feet 4, 220 pounds, Tracey towers over most teammates and delivers a tight spiral in a blink.

Shorewood coaches say whatever success they have this season depends largely on Tracey's performance. They installed a pass-friendly offense, hoping Tracey and some quick receivers can help the team contend in the wide-open WesCo South.

"Sean's the kind of kid who controls the mood of the team," says Shorewood coach Jeff Weible. "If he comes out working hard, the mood of the team is going to be that way."

Weible is confident that Tracey is committed to the team, but is he committed to the sport?

Tracey, who averaged 15 points per game last season in basketball, remembers shooting baskets since he could walk. By the time he was 8, he says he could take his dad and his creaky knees one-on-one. His father, Tim, played college basketball at Hawaii Pacific in Honolulu.
 
Even during football season he's thinking basketball. When Tracey works out in the weight room, one thought helps him finish the last few reps — "running down the court, dunking on somebody."

"When I'm lifting, it's always got to be basketball," he says. "My fire is basketball."

Still, Weible told Tracey's parents last spring that their son had more potential for a scholarship in football.

"I think if he put as much work into football as he did basketball, he'd probably have offers already," Weible says, adding that it isn't a criticism.

Tracey has drawn basketball recruiting interest from Western Washington and Seattle Pacific, but his father says he probably needs to grow three more inches to snag a Division I scholarship.

"It's hard to give up a dream," Tim Tracey says.

When Sean Tracey talks football, words spill out faster and faster. Suiting up Friday nights. Throwing the perfect ball. Running for a touchdown. Hearing the marching band.

Last year, in his first varsity start at quarterback, Tracey heaved a pass for a 75-yard touchdown to beat Port Angeles.

"So far in sports, that's the most amazing feeling I've ever had," Tracey says.

Including basketball?

Tracey hesitates.

The throw drops to No. 2, behind a last-second layup to beat Lynnwood his sophomore year.

Basketball wins again.

Michael Ko: 206-515-5653 or mko@seattletimes.com