Sciortino goes from back of pack to front

Gunnar Sciortino led Post Falls High in tackles as a senior this past fall as the Trojans’ middle linebacker and was named the defensive MVP of the 5A Inland Empire League in part because he had 88 tackles, 15 tackles for losses, two forced fumbles and a fumble return for a touchdown.

He will attempt to walk on to play football at a four-year school but is not sure which one at this time.

But believe it or not, Sciortino was not always the best player out there. When his fellow third-grade classmates at Prairie View Elementary in Post Falls were picking players, he was often chosen last.

“I was pretty bad at football,” Sciortino said. “I was in third grade and I wasn’t really picked early. I remember that vividly, I was pretty average. Even in junior tackle, on defense I was all right. In eighth grade, I got invited to an all-star game. I saw how good they were and how good I had to be. I worked out a lot more after that.”

While playing on the freshman team at Post Falls, he got hurt in the first practice right before the season started. But his first one back was a kind of coming-out party from the kid who was once picked last on the playgrounds.

“I got hurt and had to sit out two weeks,” Sciortino said. “I came out the next practice and beat up on everybody.”

Now 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, Sciortino will try to become a college football player, likely in the Northwest.

Sciortino was happy, of course, about taking home the defense MVP trophy.

“It was pretty cool when I was named all-IEL first team as a junior,” Sciortino said. “Zach Hillman was a safety on our team. He said, ‘No, I’m going to win it.’ So we competed for it.”

THE DATE was Oct. 24, 2014. The Trojans were hosting the Coeur d’Alene Vikings in the regular season finale. The Vikings were the defending state 5A champions at the time. Post Falls won in a classic, 37-36, in which the Trojans went for a 2-point conversion and got it, instead of kicking the extra point and going into overtime. Post Falls (5-4, 2-1 IEL) qualified for the state playoffs for the first time in 10 years as Sciortino racked up 75 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles. They finished 4-5 (1-2) last season.

Drew Berger, who last season redshirted as a freshman linebacker at Boise State, was also a star running back at Coeur d’Alene at the time. Sciortino played one of his best games, shadowing Berger at quite a few stops.

“We put Gunnar on task of him,” said Post Falls defensive coordinator Adam Shamion, who played at Post Falls and linebacker at the University of Idaho. “He was completely shut down, even on screen passes. We asked Gunnar, ‘You wanna be the big dog?’ Go get their big dog. That was when he answered the task. During his entire time here at Post Falls, he was the king of the ‘1 yard and a headache’ (tackle after a short gain). He was one of our leaders in tackles for losses, he had plenty of sacks, fumble recoveries, things like that.”

The Trojans went on to play at Eagle and lost, 35-21, in the first round of the state playoffs.

“I thought he had a good game,” Shamion said. “They had a good game plan, they had an on-balance fly motion play and had a spread offense. Gunnar played his heart out. Their (offensive) scheme beat our (defensive scheme).”

Shamion has been the defensive coordinator at Post Falls the past three years and has known Gunnar since his youth football days.

“I’ve had a privilege knowing him,” Shamion said. “I think he’s an exceptional football player. He’s a hard-working, dedicated kid. I have the highest respect for him. Coach (Jeff Hinz) met Charles, Gunnar’s father. Charles said his son would be something special and he was right.”

Gunnar has been a three-year varsity starter and has seen Hinz fight through cancer, or stage IV adenocarcinoma, which is a type of lung cancer, which he’s suffered since November of 2013. Like several of his former players, Gunnar has known Hinz since his youth football days. Blaine Bennett, who was the Trojans’ wide receivers coach last season and was a head coach at Central Washington University from 2008-12, was named the interim coach in April. Hinz is taking a leave of absence.

“I’ve been around him for several years,” Gunnar said of Hinz. “It’s been tough, it’s crazy to see him keep fighting. Not everyone can do that, it was hard. If he had good days, we’d see him walking with a cane. On not so good days, he’d be in a golf cart. A lot of people wouldn’t be able to do what he’s done.”

Shamion mentioned one of the turning points that flipped a light switch, so to speak, in Gunnar’s mind, when he played a bit as a sophomore.

“Gunnar started one game after our starter, Nate Gomer, went down,” Shamion said. “He played against Richland (in the team’s homecoming game). We didn’t know if he was mentally ready; he took himself out after he had a few bruises. We as coaches said, ‘That’s not acceptable. You’re our leader out there and you can’t keep taking yourself out of games.’ After we had that discussion, he proved himself with his toughness. The Richland game taught him that it’s not easy, you’ll go up against more mature dudes. He made a lot of plays after that. There were a lot of times he could’ve taken himself out (in later seasons). His senior year, he was one of the best football players on the field in several games. He has an instinct and nose for the football. He has a knack for making plays on the field. He never missed any games due to any injury.”

DUE IN part to his father, Charles, Gunnar wants to major in either political science or criminology, wherever he attends college. His mom, Jacqueline, is a homemaker. Charles was a deputy in the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department for several years. In 2005, Gunnar and his two younger brothers, Garrett, who was a sophomore safety on the Post Falls JV team last fall, and 12-year-old Jack, moved to Post Falls, along with their parents.

Charles is retired after serving as a deputy on the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department and working for the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. Gunnar likes chess and has tutored his younger brothers. Charles also coached his sons in youth football during the past several years.

Gunnar turned 18 in May and can vote in his first presidential election this November.

“I’ve always been interested in politics,” Gunnar said. “You’d start in local government, get up to state and federal government. I liked Rand Paul; I might register as an independent.”

So Gunnar has gone from the bottom of the pack to the top of the Trojan football world.

Bruce Bourquin is a sports writer at The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2013, via e-mail at bbourquin@cdapress.com or via Twitter @bourq25