SEATTLE _ Take a look inside the box.
If you can find it. It's hiding in plain sight inside Tom Tri's cramped office at Lake Stevens High School, where team photos are taped onto the orange cabinet doors behind the desk and footballs and shoulder pads are strewn across the worn purple carpet. Every inch of the head coach's office is occupied _ with framed paintings and golden footballs and hats and mini helmets and papers and playbooks and fond memories of fall Friday nights.
In the corner of the office, there is a white refrigerator. On top of the refrigerator, there is a black microwave.
On top of the microwave, there is an entirely unspectacular brown cardboard box.
On July 31, a day before University of Washington head football coach Chris Petersen is scheduled to meet the media to kick off fall camp, Tri grabs said box from on top of the microwave and drops it on the floor. He reaches inside and pulls out two parts of the same trophy _ a round, reflective silver base and a pyramid-shaped crystal to place on top of it. (Some assembly is required.)
Look close, and you'll see the inscription printed in bold black type.
ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT EXEMPLARY CHARACTER
2015-2016 GATORADE NATIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
JACOB EASON
This is arguably the most prestigious award in all of high school football. Previous winners include Kyler Murray (2014-15), Brock Huard (1994-95), Peyton Manning (1993-94) and Emmitt Smith (1986-87) _ not to mention the list of stars and future celebrities from who have won the Gatorade award in other high school sports. On Dec. 15, 2015, the trophy was presented by Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner during an all-school assembly.
"Having my name on that trophy with all those crazy great athletes _ LeBron James, Derek Jeter, all those guys _ I can't really put into words how it makes me feel," Eason said in an acceptance video. "It's another step in the right direction, just to be recognized for more than just my athletic achievement.
"It's a really humbling experience, and I can't wait to see where it goes."
At some point between then and now, it went into a cardboard box that sits on top of a microwave in the corner of his coach's office. And really, that's the point.
Eason won so many awards at Lake Stevens that the school literally ran out of places to put them.
