Darrien Sampson, Anthony Stell Jr. rode wave from Rainier Beach to become final members of Eastern Washington’s 2018 recruiting class

It was mid-December, and the Sampson family was hosting a few Eastern Washington coaches for pizza night.

As Corey Sampson watched Darrien, his son, he could tell the high school senior was antsy.

Darrien Sampson was deep into the football recruiting process. Like his friend Anthony Stell Jr., who was also enjoying pizza that night, Sampson had offers from Hawaii, Eastern Washington and a few other schools.

But that night in 2017, Sampson stood up. He had something to say.

He was committing to Eastern Washington.

“They all jumped up,” Corey Sampson said. “Then Anthony said, ‘You know what, I’m committing, too.’ ”

Just like that, Eastern Washington received commitments from two players in one home visit. About a month later, they got one from Freddie Roberson, their teammate and friend from Rainier Beach High School in Seattle.

Of the Eagles’ initial 2018 recruiting class, only Sampson and Stell remain on the roster. That’s not terribly unusual. Many graduated in the usual course of things and moved on from football. A few others, like Roberson, chose to transfer elsewhere to use their extra year of eligibility granted because of the COVID-19 season.

But for Stell, a wide receiver, and Sampson, a cornerback, sticking around made sense. Both of them have given the Eagles valuable veteran leadership as they push toward the end of their careers.

“They’ve meant a great deal,” cornerbacks coach Wes Nurse said. “They’ve shown great maturity in what they do, and they try to help the young guys as much as they can.”

Sampson and Stell traced their friendship back to fourth grade, when Stell started playing basketball for the team coached by Corey Sampson. By sixth grade, they were hanging out regularly.

“We would just always do stuff together,” Stell said. “There’s probably not one thing we don’t know about each other.”

That meant Stell was often around the Sampson house through high school, when both attended the same school – Rainier Beach – for the first time.

“He spent the night at our house. Ate up food,” Corey Sampson said. “He’s like a son, a family member.”

The recruiting process led them to similar places. Stell had 10 offers, which was a few more than Sampson did, but Hawaii and Eastern wanted both of them. To Stell, that narrowed the list.

“I was either going to go off by myself and play at a different school, or we could all stay together and bond even more and also play football together,” Stell said, referring also to the wide receiver Roberson, who had offers from Nevada, Weber State and Eastern, but not Hawaii.

“I chose to do the second option,” Stell said.

It’s not terribly common for three high school teammates to end up at the same program, but in the case of the Beach Boys – as Roberson, Stell and Sampson became known by their Eastern teammates – it made sense for all three.

Still, on the night he committed, Sampson didn’t know Stell was going to follow suit. They each made independent decisions, he said.

Five years later, the three found themselves in a similar spot, with potential options to transfer elsewhere with their extra year of eligibility. Injuries factored into Stell and Sampson’s decisions to stay. Stell missed all of 2021 with an Achilles injury. Sampson missed most of the 2022 season after injuring his knee.

Roberson, coming off a second-team All-Big Sky season in 2022, chose to transfer and ended up at Mississippi State. After a slow start, Roberson scored his first touchdown of the season on Oct. 7 against Western Michigan, when he had five catches and 68 yards.

“He’s a grinder, and he’s a guy who can make plays,” Sampson said.

Neither Stell or Sampson begrudge Roberson for leaving after last season, and they still talk regularly.

“We knew he was going down there to handle business,” Stell said.

Finish and contribute

Stell and Sampson, a team captain, are the veterans on a team that is certainly younger than the past couple of Eastern teams. Including transfers Jaren Banks and Robert Mason III, there are only four 2018 high school grads still on the roster.

Last year’s roster had 11 players who graduated high school at the equivalent time, in 2017.

Through seven games, Stell ranks third on the team with 24 receptions and 251 receiving yards – both career single-season highs – along with two touchdowns.

Sampson, after months of rehab, finally made his return to the cornerback spot in last week’s 31-23 victory. He admitted he was a little rusty, something that showed on a sideline play late in the game when he missed a tackle.

“The first time I was just going to knock him out (of bounds), but he stayed in,” Sampson said, referring to that play. “I made sure the next time I did wrap up and escort him out of bounds.”

It was his first game action since last October at Florida.

Nurse said he saw the rust, too. But he was proud of Sampson for doing the work to get back on the field.

“He’s done an awesome job as far as being there every day, being a captain,” Nurse said. “More important than anything else, he got out there and was able to finish the game and contribute. That’s all he’s been wanting to do.”

‘Pipeline’ from Seattle to Cheney

When the three Rainier High School seniors signed with Eastern Washington, they also built a new bond between the programs. Those bonds, Nurse said, are significant to the recruiting process.

Nurse wasn’t at Eastern in 2017 – this is his second year with the program – but he is a beneficiary of those connections.

“I think the biggest thing is, once one kid comes over here from that school, that kid may be a person who is a great ambassador to their (high school) team,” Nurse said. “So if they come here and have a great time at Eastern, that trickles down to the younger classes. So that’s why you see a bunch of guys from the same school. They want to be a part of that (trickle) as well.”

Jaelin Green is one such example – though it helps, too, that Sampson is his cousin.

The redshirt wide receiver Green had offers from Nevada, Oregon State and Colorado, but he chose Eastern. It’s a decision Sampson and Stell said was influenced by those ties.

“I think he was already going to come here, just knowing the pipeline from Rainier Beach to Eastern,” Stell said.

Corey Sampson said he “didn’t think Eastern would have a chance to get him.” But the Eagles coaches stuck with Green and in the end he landed in Cheney.

Darrien Sampson said he expects big things from his 6-foot-6, 192-pound cousin.

“He can run, he can get out of breaks, he can jump,” Sampson said. “He’s got great upside.”

Green may not be the last Rainier Beach graduate to come to Eastern. Stell, Sampson and Roberson weren’t the first either.

Iran Belt, a defensive back, played at Eastern from 1978 to 1980. Wide receiver Antonio Morgan was at Eastern in 1994. Reggie Witherspoon, a running back, played for the Eagles from 2001 to 2004.

But the most notable name on the list is Trent Pollard, a third-team FCS All-America selection in 1993 who played for Eastern and also graduated from Rainier Beach. He was drafted into the NFL and played three seasons before retiring. Later, he coached at Rainier Beach, and he still works in the Seattle Public School system.

It wasn’t until Stell got to Eastern that he realized he was connected to Pollard in that way.

“(When) you’ve already got guys from your school playing here or guys who have previously played here, it’s huge,” Stell said. “(That) there was a Rainier Beach All-American who was here back in the day, that gives me even more motivation when I see that on the wall.”