09/26/2026
Way to go, Ellie!! We are so proud that you’re a Coug!!!
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WD SPORTS MEDIA PLAYER SPOTLIGHT
At six years old, Ellie Bennett put on a football helmet and stepped onto the field. She never stopped coming back.
Year after year, season after season, football became part of her life.
She grew up in the Lakewood Youth Football program, starting with peewees and continuing all the way through seniors. Along the way, Ellie became the first girl to complete the entire Lakewood Youth Football program from beginning to end.
That is years of practices.
Years of games.
Years of cold mornings, sore muscles, long drives, hard losses and moments that make all of it worth it.
And through every stage, Ellie kept showing up.
Now she is a freshman at Lakewood High School and the starting center for the freshman football team. She also suits up and travels with varsity, learning from the older players and getting a look at the level she hopes to reach.
For Ellie, this is not a story about a girl who decided to try football.
She has been doing this most of her life.
She knows what it feels like to line up across from someone bigger than her.
She knows what it feels like to get knocked down.
And more importantly, she knows how to get back up.
Playing center means every offensive play begins with her. Before the quarterback gets the ball, Ellie has a job to do. She has to read the defense, communicate with the line, make the snap and immediately go to work.
It is one of those positions that does not always get the attention, but the offense cannot function without it.
That fits Ellie’s story.
A lot of her journey has happened away from the spotlight.
The practices.
The work.
The years she spent proving she belonged.
Now people are starting to notice.
Ellie is also a Tulalip Tribal member, and that makes this story even more special for us.
Every time she steps onto that field, she carries her family, her community and the young Native athletes who may be watching her and wondering if there is a place for them too.
There is.
Ellie is showing them.
Her athletic story does not end with football either. She has played basketball with Lakewood Select and plans to play for Lakewood High School this winter. She has also competed in track and field, including the shot put.
But football has been there since she was six.
From peewees to seniors.
From youth football to high school.
From a little girl putting on pads to a freshman starting at center and traveling with varsity.
That kind of journey does not happen by accident.
It takes commitment.
It takes family.
It takes coaches who believe in you.
And it takes a young athlete who refuses to stop showing up.
Ellie is only a freshman.
There is still so much of this story left to tell.
But one thing is already clear.
She earned this moment.
Congratulations Ellie.
And congratulations to her parents, grandparents, family, coaches and everyone who has been part of those years behind the scenes.
WD Sports Media and WDHoopsMedia are proud to shine a light on Ellie Bennett.
We will be watching the rest of the journey.
Ellie Bennett
Lakewood Cougars
Freshman
Starting Center — Freshman Football
Varsity Travel Roster
Tulalip Tribal Member
WD Sports Media | WDHoopsMedia
Preserving the youths history.
All photos provided by Britney Craig
