Renaud Gets His Kicks Out Of Football And Studies At North Thurston

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joey renaudBy Gail Wood

Whatever Joey Renaud does, whether he’s kicking a field goal for North Thurston’s football team or taking a math test at school, he approaches it with the same all-out gusto.

He’s always been driven not just to do his best. But to be the best.

“He’s always pushed himself,” said Joey’s dad, Walter Renaud. “He’s the one who deserves the credit.”

Joey is the ultimate overachiever. While only 5-foot-8, he’s a two-time first-team all-league kicker for the North Thurston Rams, making four of five field goals in the team’s run to the playoffs this season. In soccer, he’ll be a four-year letterman, scoring his first goal as a freshman in his first high school varsity game.

As a student, he’s a 3.99 student, getting all As throughout high school. His only “blemish” is an A-minus in French last spring as a junior.

As a leader, he’s the student body president and a team captain on the soccer team.

He’s a walking, talking definition of a true “student-athlete.”

“I’ve always tried hard in school,” Joey said. “It’s just something I’ve thought was important. You look in my bedroom and I’ve got books all over the place.”

Yet school hasn’t come all that easy, not like for some straight-A students. He studies hard. And his secret weapon is flashcards. He writes questions on one side of the cards and the answers on the other, drilling himself until he’s memorized it.

In middle school, a math teacher gave Joey some advice.

“I’ve never been really great in math,” Joey said. “I had a teacher say I’d never do well in math and that pushed me to excel.”

Now, every time Joey gets a point marked off on a math test, he retakes it.

“That’s automatic,” he said. “I really enjoy math and science, which is kind of weird. But it’s probably because of some teachers I’ve had. My math teacher in high school got me interested in math.”

No one has had to tell Joey to work harder.

“He’s the kind of guy who never missed any practices,” Rams football coach Rocky Patchin said. “He was probably our most committed guy in the weight room over the summer. He never missed a day. He’s a hard worker and a great kid.”

Since grade school, Joey has played soccer. Then in the fall of his freshman year, when he was barely 5-foot-4, he came home with an announcement that surprised his dad.

“He said he wanted to try out for football,” Walter said. “He was pretty small at the time. I just said okay. He went for it. We were just supportive. It was something he wanted to do.”

And, just as Joey does in everything he sets his mind to, he did it well. He ended up getting some coaching help from Ryan Perkins, a former all-league kicker for North Thurston who went on to kick for the University of Washington.

Perkins is one of two former Rams to go on and kick for the Huskies in the past eight years. Evan Knudson, who like Joey was a soccer player turned field goal kicker, kicked for UW from 2003-05. Evan’s brother, Chris, coaches Joey in soccer at the high school.

On weekends, Perkins frequently works on Joey’s kicking form. Joey’s uncle, Martin McElliott, who was a kicker and a quarterback for the Olympia Bears, also works with Joey.

“They’re going to help me put together a highlight film and send it out to some colleges,” Joey said.

Joey, the undersized kicker with the oversized heart, is hoping to kick field goals next year for some college football team. He’s not received any recruiting letters yet. But he’s not giving up. He never does.

Joey thinks he’s got the leg and the determination to kick in college. In a game, his longest field goal was a 32 yarder. In practice, he said he’s booted a 55 yarder. His only miss in a game this season was actually a blocked field goal in a game against Timberline.

“Someone got through the line,” Joey said.

It was a great year for Joey and for the Rams. North Thurston reached the playoffs and finished 9-2, losing 29-26 to Lynden in the quarterfinals. He appreciates what football and  coach Patchin taught him.

“Coach motivated me to set goals in life and that’s to be the best you can be,” Joey said. “He’s a great coach. He’s done a lot for the program.”

And Joey has made the most of his opportunities. Just like he always does.

“I’m proud of him,” Walter said about his son. “I’m proud of all my kids.”

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