High school football countdown, No. 5: Pusch RIdge's Will Way, an 'exceptionally big athlete,' holds Wazzu offer

Editor’s note: The Star is counting down the 10-best high school football players in Tucson. Up next: Pusch Ridge Christian defensive end and tight end Will Way.

Name: Will Way

Rundown: Way is a 6-foot-4-inch, 250-pound senior defensive lineman and tight end for the Pusch Ridge Christian Lions.

Who he is: Way is a Pusch Ridge Christian lifer.

In middle school, he served as the Lions’ waterboy and ballboy.

At that time, the 5-10, basketball-playing Way mulled his sports future. He played basketball and football, and could see himself focusing on either sport.

Ultimately, he decided to use basketball as a way to stay in shape for football — not the other way around.

“In basketball, you’re constantly running around and going through motions, so the cardio really helped me, especially club ball, because we’d play tournaments on the weekend, then I’d return to football Monday through Friday,” Way said. “That helped me with conditioning.”

Way sprouted to 6-1 the summer before his freshman year, and added a few more inches the following year. Despite the added height, he knew he had made the right decision to focus on football. He made the Lions’ varsity team as a freshman.

“Doing that my freshman year made me want to focus more on football. I developed into more of a football body than a basketball body,” Way said. “All of those together made me want to shift my focus to football.”

In his high school career, Way has totaled 99 tackles, 5.5 sacks and 16 stops for loss along with seven catches for 104 yards as a tight end. During the Lions’ 37-7, season-opening win over Waddell American Leadership Academy-West Foothills on Saturday night, Way had four tackles.

Proof he’s good: Way attended a football camp at San Diego State in July, which had a plethora of college coaches from the “Pac-12, Big Ten — wherever you could think of” in attendance, he said.

Washington State defensive tackles coach Pete Kaligis couldn’t help but focus his attention on Way. It wasn’t long before Way earned his first Power 5 offer from the Cougs.

“He introduced himself to me and said, ‘I’m going to be following you for the rest of the camp.’ I thought, ‘Whoa, that’s pretty cool, but I didn’t think anything of it at the time,’” Way said. “Once he followed me around camp, it was like I was already one of his players. He would give me tips for drills and talk to me about what I needed to improve on.

“At the end of the camp, he asked me about my offers, and at the time it was (Northern Arizona), South Dakota and Idaho State, so once I told him that, he said, ‘Well, if I pull the trigger on you now, everyone is going to want to hop on the train as well.’ … He told me right then that I would have an offer from Washington State. Going into a camp and then leaving with an offer, that’s something I’ve always wanted to have happen, selfishly. Leaving that camp was very gratifying. It’s a cool experience to have.”

Way is the second Pusch Ridge Christian senior to hold a Division I offer; linebacker linebacker Tyler Mustain was also offered by NAU.

“I think that’s huge. For him and I to be those two Division I kids to come out of Pusch Ridge is huge. There haven’t been too many football players to come out of here,” Way said. “We pump out D-I athletes through baseball, beach volleyball. But for football, there hasn’t been too many true Division I players, and I think for Tyler and I to play at the next level is huge for us.

“But to do it at the Pac-12, Power 5 level? That’s a huge opportunity that I’ve been presented with. It’s really an honor to have an offer of that caliber.”

Way toured the WSU’s campus this summer after previously visiting Idaho, and plans to take an official visit to Pullman for the Cougars’ final nonconference game against Colorado State on Sept. 17.

Wherever Way ultimately decides to play collegiately, coach Kent Middleton said he can see him playing either on the offensive or defensive line.

“Will is an exceptionally big athlete. He has really big feet, very athletic and can catch anything you throw at him,” Middleton said. “He knows how to use his body and we’re going to see tremendous improvement from Will compared to last year. He has a lot of confidence now. I think he’s got the potential to dominate football games. I really do. He can put on easily 20 more pounds. He’s got a great body and great frame and has a great work ethic.

“When college coaches look at him, they can just see the potential. When you look at his feet, his athleticism and size, he’s definitely somebody that’s going to get noticed.”

He said it: “I shake my head sometimes, because he’s probably 260 pounds right now, but has a good frame. None of it is belly. He dominates the weight room, and if he puts on 20 more pounds, he’s definitely a Division I football player, there’s no doubt about it. I don’t see many guys as big and athletic as he is. And he’s got a mean streak in him, too, and when he realizes it, he’ll dominate games. He’s going to be a nightmare this season.” — Middleton