The annual border battle between East Ridge and Woodbury was in full swing back on Oct. 19, 2016, when Ty Okada threw a costly interception.
East ridge junior punter Grant Ryerse holds up junior Ty Okada in celebration after beating Wayzata 31-28. (Pioneer Press: Holly Peterson)
Okada was an undersized quarterback who might have weighed 150 pounds soaking wet. Instead of brooding, he channeled his frustration in that moment, squared up the defender near the sideline, then unleashed a big hit that would have made Harrison Smith proud.
That particular play might have changed the trajectory of Okada’s life.
After learning that Okada hadn’t garnered any scholarship offers, Woodbury football coach Andy Hill decided to send an email to somebody he knew at Montana State on behalf of his biggest rival.
“Your reputation is tied to those types of recommendations, so I’m not sure I would’ve done it for (just) anybody,” Hill said. “He just seemed like a good kid that deserved a shot.”
The brief sales pitch from Hill featured as many video highlights as he could find, including the big hit from Okada, which ultimately led to Montana State reaching out to East Ridge football coach Dan Fritze.
“I was like, ‘You’ve got to take this kid. You won’t regret it. You can’t go wrong,’ ” Fritze said. “They took a chance on him, and good for them.”
The rest is history for Okada. He steadily built himself into an invaluable defensive player for Montana State. And while he hit another road block after going unselected in the NFL draft, he managed to latch on with the Seattle Seahawks as a free agent.
After slowly working his way up from the practice squad, Okada, 26, has turned himself into as a key contributor for the Seahawks. He has grown into a 5-foot-11, 195-pound safety that recently recorded the first interception of his career with a highlight-reel catch.
Seattle Seahawks safety Ty Okada (39) makes an interception against Washington Commanders wide receiver Jaylin Lane (83) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
If he hadn’t recently suffered an oblique injury that could land him on injured reserve, Okada would be preparing for a game between the Seahawks and the Vikings on Sunday afternoon at Lumen Field.
Nonetheless, that Okada made it to the NFL against all odds is both surprising and, well, not surprising to those that know him best. He was a standout athlete for East Ridge who carried himself with an unmatched intensity whether he was competing in football, wrestling or baseball.
“We couldn’t have imagined he would get all the way to the NFL,” Fritze said. “You also can’t be too shocked based on who he has always been at his core.”
As he reflected on their time together, Fritze noted how Okada was roughly 130 pounds as a junior, serving as the backup quarterback while East Ridge advanced all the way to the state championship game before losing a heartbreaker to Osseo.
“He had no chance of seeing the field without an injury,” Fritze said. “He hadn’t fully grown into his body yet.”
After putting in a ton of work in the weight room, Okada reached roughly 150 pounds as a senior, earning the right to be the starting quarterback, largely because of his intangibles.
“He was the best leader on the team,” Fritze said. “He was also the hardest worker on the team.”
That translated to success for Okada, who proved to be a threat with his arm and his legs en route to being named the district’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2016. He ran with a noticeable nastiness about him, often delivering contact rather than absorbing it.
East Ridge Raptors quarterback Ty Okada calls his own number as he rushes against the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders in the fourth quarter at East Ridge High School in Woodbury on Friday, Sept. 30, 2016. East Ridge beat Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders, 21-7. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)
“He didn’t seem like he would be that impactful based on his size,” Fritz said. “He succeeded because his physical toughness and mental toughness was so off the charts.”
As much as he gravitated to football from an early age, Okada actually might have been most naturally gifted as a wrestler. He qualified for the state tournament twice under the tutelage of former East Ridge wrestling coach Matt Everson.
“He was special,” Everson said. “He had this attitude where he was never going to back down.”
The gravitational pull of football proved to be too much, however, and Okada hung up the singlet to focus on getting stronger. He knew he had to add more muscle if he wanted to make it to the next level.
“He outlined his goals in a way that made it pretty clear he wasn’t going to back down,” Everson said. “It made me take a step back and be like, ‘How can I help?’ He’s always been very strong willed, a hard worker who always believed in himself.”
As for his time on the diamond, Okada was originally a catcher by trade that made the move to second base because East Ridge baseball coach Brian Sprout needed some consistency in the infield.
“He stepped right in and did the job,” Sprout said. “Just like everything else he does in life.”
There are a couple of stories that stand out to Sprout when it comes to Okada.
There was the time he played a role in the benches clearing during a game between East Ridge and Eastview in the section tournament. There was also the time he was spotted getting in some extra work in the batting cages before school, despite it being around 35 degrees late in the fall.
There’s a reason Sprout brought up both of those specific anecdotes. They perfectly encapsulate the competitive fire that has fueled him throughout his rise up the ranks.
“He’s an example for everybody to watch and strive to be like,” Sprout said. “He wasn’t supposed to go play college football. And then he did. He wasn’t supposed to play much. And then he did. He wasn’t supposed to make it to the NFL. And then he did. The opportunities kept presenting themselves because he refused to quit.”
That explains why Okada still gets mentioned in casual conversation around East Ridge nearly a decade after he graduated.
“We’re all watching what he’s doing,” Sprout said. “He’s a kid we’ll never forget.”
Seattle Seahawks safety Ty Okada celebrates after sacking Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud in the second half of an NFL football game Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
After walking on at Montana State, Okada put his head down and went to work. He switched positions pretty much as soon as he arrived on campus, carving out a niche for himself in spot minutes before eventually being put on scholarship and earning All-Big Sky honors.
It’s almost fitting that Okada was passed over in the 2023 NFL draft. It put him in position to prove the doubters wrong once again. He signed with the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent, spent an extended period of time on the practice squad, emerged as a special teams ace and is now making an impact as a defensive player with a runway to improvement.
“You add that all up and it’s pretty incredible,” Fritze said. “He worked so hard and overcame so many obstacles to get to where he is right now. We’re beaming with pride for him and his family. It’s so cool to see what he has done.”
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