Two more Yelm High School football players are bound for collegiate football, as seniors Jacob Tracy, offensive tackle, and Bol Bol, edge rusher, signed their National Letters of Intent (NLI) on Wednesday, Dec. 4 to continue their education and football careers at Boise State University.
Yelm head football coach Jason Ronquillo spoke highly of the two departing Tornados. He said it was amazing to see Tracy’s maturity and ability to self-reflect and envision his future throughout the season.
“Most, if not all, athletes want to either run, catch or throw the ball, and Jacob Tracy was one of them for years,” Ronquillo said. “When he came to Yelm he was a tight end. But selflessly, and with a little convincing, he understood the mission of giving back to the team and helping on the offensive line [was] ultimately going to make our team better and ultimately propel his recruitment in a direction where he’ll blossom in. I’m really excited to see his growth over the next few years.”
Ronquillo added that Bol has a bright future as a Bronco, with great potential.
“I’m very excited about Bol’s future at Boise,” Ronquillo said. “He’s just scratching the surface with his ability because I think his frame can hold another 20-30 pounds without affecting his twitchiness, which is why Boise is really excited to have him. His personality will take him far. He’s such a people person and great with relationships.”
Bol, the 6-foot-6-inch, 230-pound foreign exchange student from Canada, finished his senior season at YHS earning South Puget Sound League (SPSL) Defensive Lineman of the Year honors. He received his offer from the Broncos on Thursday, Sept. 26, and officially committed to Boise State on Saturday, Oct. 19. He said he’s an SAT test away from being able to officially enroll early with the Broncos.
“This happened fast. I moved out here four months ago, and this entire process flew past me. I’m grateful and thankful it happened. I never imagined myself here at this moment, but I’m thankful I am here. Ever since I committed, I’ve been anxious and ready to get down to Boise and ball out,” Bol told the Nisqually Valley News on early signing day. “Any opportunity to play at the next level is a blessing. Having a Division 1 offer from a top 10 FBS team is a blessing from God.”
His Tornado teammate and future colleague in Boise, Tracy, a 6-foot-5-inch, 260-pound offensive tackle, finished his senior campaign by being voted to the SPSL’s first team all offense after not allowing a single sack throughout his final season at YHS. Like Bol, Tracy said he’s worked his entire high school career to get to early signing day. He was offered by Boise State on Thursday, June 27, and officially committed to the Broncos on Thursday, July 4.
“I put in so much work during the offseason. I trained every single day to get here. I predicted myself to be in this position. Whether it would’ve been signing to a D2 school, an NAIA program or a D1 like Boise State, I expected myself to be signing somewhere collegiately,” Tracy said. “My first three years of football, I played tight end. This was my first year switching to the offensive line. I took the offseason camp season pretty seriously. It was pretty intense with all of the showcases and camps for the O-line. I definitely did not envision myself being an O-lineman in college, but I’m definitely excited and blessed to have this opportunity. We made it.”
The two Bronco signees practiced every day against one another at YHS and played with each other on Friday nights, and the pair were thrilled to share the moment of early signing day together.
“It’s awesome to share this moment with Jacob. I met him a couple months ago, and the bond that we’ve built over the last couple of months has been great,” Bol said. “I’m excited to play with him at the next level, and I know that our relationship will continue to grow, and we’ll thrive and succeed together.”
Tracy added, “It’s exciting to share this moment with Bol. It’ll be nice having someone in Boise that I already know. Me and Bol, we tore it up together down here our senior year. I love that Bol is coming down to Boise State to join me as a Bronco.”
The two signees reflected on their time at Yelm and were each extremely thankful for the Tornados and the lessons learned while competing in the red and black.
“My time here at Yelm was great. As soon as I arrived, I was welcomed in like they knew me for 10 years. I got straight to work and put in that work to get the offers that I wanted,” Bol said. “I just thank God that I’m here because it’s a blessing to be in the position I’m in today. All glory to God.”
Tracy reflected on the championship mindset and culture that’s been instilled into him throughout his tenure at YHS.
“I loved my time here as a Tornado,” Tracy said. “With the Yelm program, the standard will always be the standard. Our standard will be the standard until Q [Jason Ronquillo] retires. Everyone knows that our goal every year is to get to the state championship game, that’s the standard.”
