At 6-foot-4 and weighing north of 170-pounds, it was easy for Karsen Denault to dominate Class 2B High School football. Still, he wasn’t a perfect wide receiver.
He found that out pretty quickly when he first stepped on campus at George Fox University.
“All my footing was wrong, my routes were wrong,” Denault said. “I had to change everything I did. Being a wide receiver in general, it all changed to how I was in high school.
“It kind of annoyed me, but there is no perfection. I took the advice and it worked out in the end.”
That may have been the only adjustment the Napavine High School graduate spent time crafting.
When he was on the field, just like his days in Lewis County, he was dominant.
Denault’s final stat line for the Bruins was 908 receiving yards on just 42 catches and nine touchdowns. He eclipsed the century mark three times and totaled over 100 kick return yards to boot.
His freshman season culminated by being named the Northwest Conference’s Rookie of the Year and a spot on the All-NWC first team. He’s the second player from George Fox to earn the honor, joining teammate Jacob Erickson.
And the first wideout to be a first team honoree since Leon Johnson III three years ago.
“I’m glad I was able to show my skills and do what I did,” Denault said. “It was awesome seeing the post. It felt great seeing my name up there. I was expecting to do just as big things in college as I did in high school.”
Bruins coach Spencer Crace said in the press release on Denault, “Karsen got better and better every single week. He was one of the most explosive players in the conference. For a team that doesn’t throw the ball every play, Karsen scratched the surface of nearly 1000 yards with less than 50 catches. I’m so excited for Karsen’s future as a Bruin.”
George Fox has been a go-to program for kids in SW Washington. Other representatives from the 2Bs and 2As from the area include Jaxon Dunnagan (Adna), Tucker Land (W.F. West), Declan McDonald (W.F. West) and Rylan McGraw (Onalaska).
There’s also a handful of Clark County kids, too. Yet Denault stood above the rest, a goal he wanted to achieve when he committed.
“I was happy with the outcomes even though our season didn’t do how we wanted it to,” Denault said of the 4-6 team record.
There was a newness to Denault in his first collegiate season. He found himself on the sideline and off the field talking to his receivers coach, Tracey Reynolds. It wasn’t a one-off either, but routine conversations.
Whether it was discussing coverages and routes, or going over film, Reynolds and Denault established a bond relatively quickly.
“It is nice to have someone you can always go to,” Denault admitted. “He’ll listen to my feedback and what I have to say about what is going on in the game.”
The two weeks where Denault broke out came in mid-October.
Against Whitworth on Oct. 11 and the second contest against Lewis & Clark a week later, Denault eclipsed 150 yards and scored two touchdowns apiece. He needed four catches against Whitworth and seven versus Lewis & Clark.
“Achieving that in college kind of feels like, almost unreal,” Denault stated. “All these older dudes and I’m just the young (pup) on the field. It shows me what I’m capable of in my future.”
The future will be one more year for the Bruins where Denault is potentially moving to the slot. He feels next season, both individually and for the program in general, will be better.
“After this season, it is hard to not have a little trust in me,” Denault said. I’m always in the meeting rooms talking, getting closer to them. We’re pretty close outside of football.”
