Published: Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Taking his turn in the spotlight

Now that talented teammate Justin Boyce has graduate= d, Everett's Parker Burns has moved from the JV to the varsity and is making his presence felt.

Imagine a high school athlete who is a fixture on the junior-varsity team but ends up placing sixth in the state tournament.

As unlikely as it seems, that's exactly what Parker Burns did last season.<= br>
Burns, now a senior wrestler at Everett High School, was stuck behind Seagu= lls standout Justin Boyce for three years. They always competed in the same wei= ght class and Boyce, a year older than Burns, filled the varsity slot in dual m= eets while Burns plugged away on the second team.

But since JV wrestlers can compete in varsity postseason events, Burns got chances to shine. He qualified for state the past two seasons, finishing si= xth at 215 pounds in Class 4A in February.

Now the door is finally open for Burns thanks to the graduation of Boyce, a state champion in 2005 and runner-up as a senior in 2006. Burns, a 215-pounder who is 9-0 this season, is making the mos= t of his long-awaited move out of his former teammate's shadow.

"Now he's kind of the guy everyone's looking at," Everett coach <= span class=3DSpellE>Brien Elliott said, "(but) he's not conceited ab= out it. He wants to earn it and not be given anything." Before his senior = year Burns had competed in just two varsity dual meets, both last season. He no longer sits in the stands wondering how it feels to be a full-time me= mber of the top squad.

"It was different," Burns said of joining the varsity lineup. &qu= ot;I went out with the same attitude but I realized that I'm on varsity so I'm in the spotlight now. It's kind of fun that way."

Teammates noticed Burns' enthusiasm.

"He's definitely pumped up," said Everett senior Cole Anderson, a co-captain with Burns. "He's been waiting a long time for this. He's definitely ready for the challenge."

Burns proved his readiness on Dec. 9 when he won the 215-pound title at the Battle at the Border tourney in Blaine. He blew threw his opening matches w= ith three first-round pins before winning a 9-1 decision over Mount Baker's Sco= tt Johnson in the championship. It was a big step for Burns, who last season narrowly beat Johnson, currently ranked No. 1 in the state in 2A and No. 12 overall at 215 by Washington Wrestling Report.

Anderson said Burns, ranked No. 1 in 3A and No. 2 overall, was supremely focused before the title bout: "I've never seen somebody so pumped. Nothing could distract him."

It's all part of Burns' mission to win a state title.

Coach Elliott said Burns improved significantly by practicing against Boyce= the past three years. At first, Boyce dominated. But by last year, Burns closed= the gap and regularly challenged his talented teammate.

"If he didn't have (Boyce), I don't know if he would (be) in this position," Elliott said. "I think having him in his life, even th= ough he was in the shadow, was better than not having him."

The lessons went beyond practice. Last season Boyce edged Burns 3-1 in the divisional final. At state, the teammates advanced to the same semifinal but Burns forfeited (officially an injury default), allowing Boyce to rest for = the final.

Burns said the most important thing he gained by going against Boyce was toughness. It made matches against other opponents seem less daunting.

Besides intelligence and an impressive work ethic, Burns excels because of heart, coach Elliott said. Burns displayed his w= ill to win in his first year of wrestling. As a seventh-grader at Everett's Evergr= een Middle School, he rallied to beat an older, much bigger competitor from Nor= th Lake Middle School of Lake Stevens.

"That's when I knew that we had something special on our hands," = said Elliott, who coached Burns at Evergreen.

Burns bumped up two weight classes to battle the North Lake eighth-grader in the district final. Burns lost badly against the kid early in the season, b= ut at districts he overcame a slow start and, nearing exhaustion, earned a late pin.

The match, held in front of a packed gym at Marysville-Pilchuck High, helped Evergreen take the team title. It was a mind-altering achievem= ent for Burns.

"I kind of broke out of my shell right there and it was a really good feeling for me," Burns said. "Kids started looking at me differen= tly and my coaches noticed me then."

It's even easier to notice Burns now that he's firmly in the spotlight.

Said Anderson, "He's no longer the JV kid anymore.= "