By James Gibowski

Contributing Writer

Playing football in front of 2,000 screaming Mount Si fans on a Friday night is a thrill. Playing football in front of 60,000-plus noisy Pac-12 college fans is a dream.

Mount Si grads Josh Mitchell and Cameron Van Winkle played out that dream on Saturday, Nov. 22 at Husky Stadium. Former Wildcat Nick Mitchell hopes to be joining them next season.

All three were teammates together at one time for Mount Si, but Oregon State University starting center Josh Mitchell and University of Washington place-kicker Cameron Van Winkle were competing against each other a few weeks ago, with Van Winkle’s three field goals and four extra points helping the Huskies to a 37-13 victory.  Nick Mitchell, a red-shirted freshman quarterback for the Beavers, watched from the sidelines.

Van Winkle will next be playing against Oklahoma State in the Jan. 2 TicketCity Cactus Bowl in Tempe, Ariz.for the 8-5 Huskies while Josh, whose team played in last year’s 38-23 win over Boise State in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, will be watching from home along with his 5-7 Beavers.

“It’s awesome,” said Josh about playing Division I football. “I’m extremely grateful for playing.”

The 6-3, 288-pound junior was called the “MVP” of the offensive line by Beaver offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh in a recent article in The Oregonian. newspaper. The sociology major was snapping the ball all season to quarterback Sean Mannion, the all-time leading passer in the Pac-12.

Mount Si head football coach Charlie Kinnune, who attended the game at Husky Stadium, was disappointed that the OSU center didn’t earn any post-season honors, but thinks the former Wildcat had a great season.

“Josh has great hands. He’s athletic, smart, not afraid to hit, and is the leader of the line,” said Kinnune, who has an amazing 27 former Mount Si gridders currently playing college football.

The Beaver center especially enjoyed playing in front of many home-town fans against the Huskies and for two hours battling one of the best defensive players in the country, Husky 340-pound nose tackle Danny Shelton.

“Playing against a tough, possible NFL player like Shelton shows what I can do,” said Josh, who is also a state champion wrestler at Mount Si.

Van Winkle, who successfully kicked 20 of 23 field goals (his 87 percent led all Pac-12 kickers) and was 45 of 47 in extra points, earned honorable mention in the Pac-12.

The 5-10, 180-pound sophomore, who launched a 51-yard field goal this season, said he might have been considered as a semi-finalist for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award if it weren’t for two of his field goal attempts being blocked and one hitting the uprights.

Kinnune, who said Van Winkle’s “accuracy is deadly,” knew he had a talented kicker when he started on varsity his freshman year.

Van Winkle, feeling much better this season after going through successful back surgery during the off-season, played plenty of soccer in his youth and always had a strong leg. One time, with a slight wind and a humid day down south at a kicker’s training site, he smacked a 72-yarder through the uprights.

He said he appreciated when Chris Peterson took over as head coach and let the players know the place-kicking position was “open.” Van Winkle’s leg closed that position.

“This year, I’ve been working more on the mental part and accuracy. I’m more interested in quality over quantity,” said Van Winkle, who plans on majoring in business.

He said his 18-yard field goal against Washington State was one of his shortest of the year, but because it was his first Apple Cup three-pointer in frigid Pullman, it will be one he “never forgets.”

Nick, 6-2, 184-pounds, will be in competition this spring with several hopefuls to be the 2015 starting OSU quarterback. He said he has as good a chance as any of the other athletes who will try out for that coveted position.

“I learned from one of the best quarterbacks (Mannion, a top pro prospect in next year’s NFL draft) in the country,” said Nick, admitting watching from the sidelines for the first time ever as a football player this year was “a humbling experience.”

That tryout will take on a new, unexpected twist next spring because long-time OSU head football Mike Riley last week decided to take over as head coaching spot for the University of Nebraska.

Kinnune said his former quarterback will get a good shot at being the top quarterback because of his athleticism and ability to adapt to any type of offense.

“Nick can do it all. He has great legs and a strong arm,” said Kinnune.

If he does become the quarterback next year, it would also create a rarity in college football, a brother center-quarterback combination.

“That would be cool,” said Josh, who enjoyed having his younger brother on the team this year.

“It was a more fun season this year with Nick on the team,” said the center, “and to watch him playing in practice on the scout team.”

The younger Mitchell also praised his older brother for helping him ease into college life and football.

“Josh has helped me blend in with the other players,” said Nick, including joining in with the other Beavers when his brother hosted his well-attended barbecues.

Van Winkle and Josh love competing in some of the best stadiums in the country and Nick is looking forward to it in the future. They are stronger and smarter football players, but they said it is basically concentrating on the same fundamentals they learned at Mount Si.

Like most athletes, they usually drown out the crowd noise in the middle of a game. But sometimes, they can’t help but notice those huge college crowds.

“When we were at Utah this year near the end zone by the student section, I couldn’t hear a word,” said Josh, trying in vain to listen to Mannion barking the signals.

Van Winkle is skilled at blocking out the noise, but in the OSU game he did hear a sound from the sidelines trying to rattle him, the voice of one of his kicking friends, freshman OSU kicker Mitch Seeley. It didn’t work as the football split the uprights.

Van Winkle and the Mitchell brothers have appreciated being in the middle of that noise from Mount Si to Corvallis to Montlake.

Oregon State center Josh Mitchell focused on the Husky defensive line all night on Nov. 22 in a game at Husky Stadium.

Husky Cameron Van Winkle had a busy night on Nov. 22 against Oregon State, successfully kicking three-of-three field goals (from 34, 41 and 26 yards) and four extra points. The holder is backup quarterback and Mercer Island grad Jeff Lindquist.

After the Oregon State vs. University of Washington football game finished on Nov. 22, OSU’s Josh Mitchell, left, and brother Nick Mitchell greet Mount Si alumni.