(Season schedule follows story)
He waited patiently for his turn, making stops in Kent, Puyallup and Auburn, among other places that dot the prep football landscape.
That patience has finally paid dividends for Jim Sutrick.
Now he’s hoping it pays off for the Foster High football program as well.
“I put my name in at a bunch of places,” explained Sutrick, who just a few short years ago appeared destined for a lifetime of assistant coaching duties. “I had some great interviews and got some great feedback. The fact is, if you’re not a teacher, it’s about impossible to get a head coaching job.”
It wasn’t until last season that Sutrick finally landed a head-coaching position, when he took over at Foster High in Tukwila.
“I owe everything to (athletic director) J.D. Hill,” added Sutrick, who is an air traffic controller with the Federal Aviation Administration. “I am not using this as a stepping stone. I love everything about this program.”
It’s a program in which Sutrick anticipates building the same kind of success he enjoyed during the past decade, when he assisted at Kentwood, Puyallup and Kent-Meridian high schools. However, Sutrick’s presence was never felt more than at Kentwood and Puyallup, where he was the defensive coordinator to head coach Tom Ingles, who was inducted into the Washington State Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
While at Kentwood (1999-2003), Sutrick’s defenses didn’t just slow down opponents, they stopped ’em dead in their tracks. In fact, during the team’s first state title (2001), the defense didn’t allow a 100-yard rusher all season.
FOSTER FOOTBALL 2010 SCHEDULE
DATE DAY OPPONENT LOCATION TIME DEPART SCHOOL
Sept. 3 Friday Bremerton Foster 7 p.m. 5 p.m.
Sept. 10 Friday Clover Park Foster 7 p.m. —
Sept. 17 Friday Highline Foster 7 p.m. —
Sept. 23 Thursday Tyee Highline Stadium 7 p.m. 5 p.m.
Oct. 1 Friday Kennedy Foster 7 p.m. —
Oct. 8 Friday Evergreen Highline Stadium 7 p.m. 5 p.m.
Oct. 15 Friday Hazen Foster 7 p.m. —
Oct. 28 (HC) Friday Lindbergh Renton Stadium 7 p.m. 5 p.m.
