North Kitsap High School senior Dawsyn Anderson has decided not to play football this upcoming season in order to preserve his health to play college baseball at the University of Oregon in 2026.

Anderson committed to pitch for the Ducks earlier this summer, joining Bainbridge High School senior Trey Thompson, who also committed to U of O. He said if he gets hurt, he risks potentially having his scholarship pulled. Anderson was NK’s starting quarterback last year, leading the Vikings to the Olympic League title and a playoff berth.

“I’ve seen players get hurt over the years playing football,” Anderson said. “So I kind of decided on my visit to Oregon…I was like, okay, I don’t think I should play football. They want all their guys healthy and ready to go.”

Nonetheless, the decision not to play football this season was incredibly tough for Anderson, as he has been playing football since he was six and has played with a large number of the players currently on the NK football roster.

Anderson noted an equal love for baseball and football, but feels he has always been better at baseball. The Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, and Cleveland Guardians all had pro scouts that reached out to him as well, saying they may watch him this upcoming baseball season.

With that in mind, Anderson felt a stronger pull to not play football to avoid a long-term injury, which would nullify any pro scouts from coming to watch him play at all.

Dawsyn also attended one of J.R. Ritchie’s games, the former Bainbridge High School pitcher and current pitcher for the Atlanta Braves Triple-A Affiliate Gwinnett Stripers, and realized that baseball is what he wants for his final year of playing baseball at the high school level.

“Guys I’ve seen like J.R. Ritchie…. this is what I want to do,” Anders0n said. “I want everyone to be at my starts like how he had his guys there, just having a lot of people there watching.”

Currently, Anderson is on a pitching break in order to save his arm for the upcoming high school baseball season later this spring. He is also exercising and conducting strength workouts to keep himself strong and ready to go for the 2026 season. Anderson lifts every day during the week, but takes the weekend off to rest.

During the offseason, Anderson does exercises for his arms and legs as well as sprint work. When Anderson is in season, he mainly focuses on heavy lifting, which consists of dumbbells, bench presses, split squats, and a variety of other workouts to keep himself “good and explosive.”