EHS inducting three former athletes into class of 2020 Hall of Fame

Each year the Eatonville High School Athletic Hall of Fame inducts its new members during halftime of a football game. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, they were not able to hold the induction ceremony last year. Instead, the ceremony will be held at halftime of the Oct. 2 football game. Friends and family of the inductees are invited to meet and greet the inductees between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Oct. 2 in the Eatonville High School Commons before the football game, which starts at 1 p.m. People planning to attend are requested to bring a mask to comply with the state mask mandate for schools.

Below is the Hall of Fame class of 2020’s newest members.

Don Rasmussen — 1979 football, basketball and golf

Don Rasmussen was a multi-sport athlete of the late 1970s. He was the quarterback for the first Eatonville team to make the state playoffs, as the Cruisers reached the state semifinals in 1978. He was chosen to the all-league first team and also to the all-state team in that same season. Rasmussen was also selected to the all-league team as a basketball player in his senior season.

Rasmussen also took up the sport of golf. He played in several minor PGA tournaments before becoming a teaching professional and a college golf coach. He was the golf coach at the University of Idaho from 1995-2000. He moved back to the Puget Sound in 2004 and coached golf at Tacoma Community College for five years, during which time his team won a NWACC league championship. He then became the Seattle University golf coach in 2008. Rasmussen later moved to San Diego where he was named the San Diego Teaching Professional of the Year in 2018. He is currently working as a teaching golf professional in the Spokane area.

Gail Bloom — 1948 football and basketball

Gail Bloom was a four-year letterman in football and basketball and was team captain in both sports as a senior. Bloom was selected to the all-county first team all-star basketball team in both 1947 and 1948. In 1947, Eatonville went undefeated in 16 Pierce County League Games and finished third in the state tournament. In 1948, Eatonville again went undefeated in league play and finished seventh in state with a 21-5 overall record. Bloom was chosen to the second team of the all-tournament team.

Following high school, Bloom was recruited to play for what is now the University of Puget Sound but instead started his own business logging and cutting cedar shakes. In 1950, he was drafted to fight in Korea. As a machine gunner he was shot twice in the leg defending a hill and was hospitalized in Japan. Upon recovery, Bloom was discharged in 1953. He enrolled at Pacific Lutheran and played basketball for legendary coach Marv Harshman for one year before he married his high school sweetheart, Margo. He then joined his brothers to form Bloom Brothers Logging. He passed away in June of 2015.

Kayla (Roof) Lemus – 2005 volleyball and fastpitch

Kayla Roof Lemus was a four-year letter winner in fastpitch. During her sophomore season, she was named an honorable mention to the Nisqually all-league team. In her junior year, she was named to the first team of the Nisqually League all-league team. As a senior, she was again named to the first team of the Nisqually League all-league team and was also named to the first team of the Class A all-state team. She was the Cruiser team captain and graduated in the top 10 in her class. In volleyball, Lemus was an honorable mention for the all-league team during her sophomore season as the Cruisers advanced to the state tournament. The following season, as the only returning starter, she was named to the second team of the Nisqually League all-league team. She was also chosen team captain. In her senior season, Lemus was again chosen as a captain. She went on to be voted the co-MVP of the league and was also chosen to the second team of the Tacoma News Tribune All-Area team, which included players from all classifications, and to the first team of the Class A All-State team.

Following graduation, Lemus continued her volleyball career at the University of Puget Sound (NCAA Division III). Her accomplishments in her freshman year included making the first team of the Northwest Conference All-Conference team, making the first team of the All-Region Team, and being selected as the West Region Freshman of the Year. She was also an honorable mention for the All-American team. Kayla then transferred to Central Washington University to finish her college career. There she received the Academic Athlete Award in 2008 as she earned her B.A. in exercise science. She now lives in Puyallup and works in home health physical therapy.