Football State Players of the Year: Max Browne, Tyler Hasty

Skyline High School's junior quarterback knows that one day soon the reality of winning the Class 4A state football title — his first as the Spartans' starting quarterback — will settle in.

When that moment comes, he will say to himself: "We got it done."

Over at Bellevue, senior Tyler Hasty is dealing with the reality that he has played his last high-school football game. It hits him every time he walks past the football field. He thinks about all the work the Wolverines put in preparing to win their fourth straight 3A title — their ninth in 11 years.

As he tries to process the emotion, he thinks, "It was worth it."

In 2011, Browne and Hasty were the best players on the state's top teams. Their contributions were crucial and, because of their success, they are The Seattle Times' State Players of the Year.

"It's probably Skyline's most impressive title, just because, hey, we weren't undefeated or a one-loss team," Browne said. "We dropped three games and still came back. It means the world to me with the guys I grew up with all around me."

When asked about Bellevue's championship, Hasty said, "It showed that all the hard work and the things we did in the offseason all paid off. All the little things we did, the extra time we put into working out and just hanging out with the guys, instead of going out and hanging out with our buddies, with girls."

Browne entered the season leading a young team with state-championship aspirations. He didn't panic when the Spartans were 5-3 and unranked for the first time in years.

He kept playing, putting up huge numbers for the second straight season to lead Skyline to its fourth title in five years. He completed 288 of 409 passes for 4,034 yards and 45 touchdowns with just seven interceptions.

Over two years he's thrown for 8,216 yards and 95 touchdowns.

"We've had two successful years and a state title," Browne said. "It's been fun and we'll try to continue that next year. We've got a lot of guys coming back and I'll try to do my part."

In his second season at Bellevue, Hasty was asked to step in and play quarterback, while also lining up as a starting cornerback. When thrust into a leadership role, the quiet kid responded.

He matured into a vocal leader, while also letting his play speak for itself. On offense, he rushed for 509 yards and seven touchdowns. He also threw for 1,243 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Hasty, who ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash before the season, made 44 tackles and four interceptions on defense.

Both players lived up to the legacy.

"No one wants to go out their senior year without winning a state title," Hasty said. "It's kind of a tradition at Bellevue now. You have to continue the legacy. It's also just fun hanging out with all the guys. I just love spending time with them. Even if we didn't win it, it would have been a great season because of the things we did together."

Mason Kelley: 206-464-8277 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it