Hiebert the emotional leader at Mount Si
October 15, 2008
By Ryan Piersol
The word is out about Alex Hiebert – he’s been living two lives.
He’s been known by his friends and family most of his life as calm and laid-back, someone who takes everything in stride. These days, though, the Mount Si senior has raised more than a few eyebrows with his actions on the football field.
Senior Alex Hiebert has become a standout at both tight end and linebacker.
It started two years ago, when his coaches decided to throw the then-sophomore into the proverbial fire at defensive end. The result was a morphing of everyone’s favorite easy-going teammate into an amped-up beast, intent on wreaking havoc with the opposing defense.
When the Mount Si coaching staff saw that mentality, combined with a 6-3, 235-pound frame, they knew they had a football player — even if they didn’t know where the complete package came from.
“I imagine I do surprise quite a few people when I take the field. I’m pretty passionate out there,” Hiebert said. “Off the field, people know me as kind of shy. But, when I get on the field, I just let it all go. It’s the one day a week when I get to take my anger out on whomever. It’s the best day of the week – Friday at 7.”
That mindset has paved the way for Hiebert to become one of the top linebackers in the entire league. In fact, after four weeks of the season, the senior was leading all of KingCo 3A/2A in tackles with 44.
He’s also become one of the Wildcats’ best offensive weapons at tight end. He had a seven-catch effort in the second week against 4A’s No. 2 Issaquah and hauled in three catches Friday night against Mercer Island, including a touchdown in which he out-jumped two defenders for the ball.
Much of his success comes from his instincts and the way he’s able to tote his large frame around the field. But a lot of it also comes from his desire to win, a desire that seems to run in family bloodlines. Hiebert has a male cousin who plays football at the University of California Santa Barbara and a female cousin who plays basketball at Cal-Poly State University.
“I love to compete in everything I do. Even if it’s a badminton game, I always want to win,” said Hiebert, who is also on the Mount Si baseball team. “I love football. It’s just the ultimate team sport. I always have fun with my friends and have built some close relationships through it.”
His friends — and his coaches — are not ignorant to Hiebert’s commitment. When it came time to choose captains this season, Hiebert garnered more votes than anyone on the team with 54.
“That says a lot about him,” head coach Charlie Kinnune said. “He’s the quintessential football player. He’s always fired up and is our emotional leader. He really cares about the team.”
Like any athlete, Hiebert also hates to lose. Because of his competitiveness, however, he may dislike losing more than anyone on his team.
“It tears me apart when we lose. The Eastlake game, the first game of the year, was a tough one to take. We had so much going into it, but we couldn’t pull it off,” he said. “The loss in the quarterfinals a couple years ago was a tough one, too. That’s one of the things that drives me this year is seeing how close we got to our goal when I was a sophomore. Our goal is the Tacoma Dome and we really want to do it this year.”
With Friday’s win, the Wildcats are now 2-1 in league play and seem to have an excellent shot at finishing in the top two in KingCo 3A/2A. If they win out, they’ll finish second in the league and lock down a valuable playoff spot that includes a home game.
Don’t be fooled, either — Hiebert is fired up about it. Those who don’t believe it during the week need only wait until Friday for proof.
“He’s a great leader for us,” Kinnune said. “The one thing that everybody has in common on this team is Alex Hiebert — he’s respected by all of his teammates and valued by all of his coaches.”
Reach editor Ryan Piersol at editor@snovalleystar.com or 392-6434.
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Great Story!