When Bellevue and Eastside Catholic meet tonight for a spot in the 3A state quarterfinals, it will be for the first time since 2006. For everyone other than cousins Chevy Walker and Budda Baker.
The dynamic offensive threat for the Crusaders and all-everything budding star for the three-time defending 3A champion Wolverines go back a little further than that.
The first memory Walker has of his younger cousin is seeing him wrapped tightly in a blanket just moments after he was born. The two attended Enatai Elementary school in Bellevue, have grown together as athletes and even shared in some childhood antics.
Walker described a scene from their youth when the two were playing basketball, which eventually turned into a rock fight. When Walker felt something hit his shoulder he picked up “a pebble”, chasing his cousin around a car. When he thought he had a clear line of sight, he let the stone go.
“I hit the back of a car and the windshield shattered,” Walker said. “We just bolted.”
Baker, who was quick to point out he won the basketball game, remembers that as just one of many childhood memories with Walker, whom he considers like an older brother.
“We hid for a little bit before they came out and realized the window was broken,” Baker said. “Then, we got in trouble.”
As youngsters, the duo would compete with other cousins and friends in a game they called “tackle the dummy”, essentially a football free-for-all where one player avoids the attempted tackle of the rest. According to his elder cousin, Baker was dominant even then.
“He used to run people over, hurdle people and tackle everyone,” Walker said. “And he was the littlest guy out of the whole group.”
Since moving to the varsity prep ranks this season, not much has changed.
Bellevue defensive coordinator James Hasty, a two-time Pro Bowl selection at defensive back during his time in the NFL, said he has been hearing about Baker since he was still in the youth football system.
“Word was, he was the next best thing on the Eastside since Kasen Williams,” Hasty said. “He’s a physical tackler and probably the most mature sophomore I’ve ever coached here. The hype is for real.”
Baker has made his presence felt on defense and special teams as a sophomore, returning three kickoffs for touchdowns (including two in one game against Interlake), intercepting four passes and recording 53 tackles on the year.
But big cousin has been no slouch.
Walker, who holds offers from Idaho, Montana and Portland State, has his team in the playoffs for the first time since 2008 and is looking for a signature moment in his prep career. For the season he has 119 carries for 742 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground to go with 32 receptions for 437 yards and three more scores through the air. Add in four return touchdowns (three on kickoffs, one on a punt) and he is without a doubt the primary scoring threat for the Crusaders.
“I think he’s great,” Baker said of his cousin’s ability on the field. “He deserves more attention than he gets.”
This will be the first time the two have ever met on the gridiron, having always played on different levels throughout their time in the GEJFA. But the initial plan was to play together.
“I was supposed to go to Bellevue,” Walker said. “I have a lot of friends at Bellevue. They [Wolverine players] know me and I know them.”
After his older cousin chose to head to Sammamish, Baker considered doing likewise before deciding instead to remain at home with the Wolveirnes.
“It was tough,” Baker said of missing an opportunity to play with his cousin and close friend. “I was going to go to Eastside Catholic, but I knew Bellevue was the right place for me.
While the two remain close, Baker knows that when the lights go on tonight and a 3A quarterfinal berth is on the line, there will be no love lost.
“I’m not going to let up,” Baker said of a likely collision with his cousin. “And I know he’s not either.”
