Where Are They Now?: Bonney Lake's Travis Mayer - From Panther to Coach to Territory Manager

Travis Mayer graduated from Bonney Lake High School in 2014 with a dream of playing college football, a sport he hadn't fully discovered yet, and a senior season he'll never forget. A decade later, he's built a life that spans two careers, four years on the sidelines, and a men's league lacrosse team that keeps the competitor in him alive.

His path didn't follow a straight line. But looking back, every detour makes sense.

0-5 and Then Something Special

Mayer's time as a Panther wasn't without its bumps. A coaching change heading into his junior year disrupted the team's rhythm, and his senior season started about as poorly as a season can.

"We started the season 0-5, but then went on a six-game win streak, made it to the playoffs, and I was just super happy and proud to hit that milestone with the 17 seniors we had that year," Mayer said.

He earned All-South Puget Sound League honors that season as a defensive back, recognition that reflected years of work rooted in one simple thing.

"It was always the love of the game," he said. "I started playing tackle football when I was 8 years old, and from that point on, my dream was to play college football."

Two Sports, One Campus

At the College of Idaho, Mayer did something most athletes don't attempt: he played two college sports. Football and lacrosse, back to back, year after year.

It wasn't as chaotic as it sounds. He'd been juggling multiple sports and Running Start classes at Bonney Lake, so balancing two college rosters wasn't foreign territory. But college threw new challenges at him fast.

"College football was actually very humbling because it taught me that I didn't know the game as well as I thought I did," he said. "Everything moves a lot faster, and the schemes are much more sophisticated."

He grinded through it. By his second year, he was earning playing time after making plays on special teams. The work paid off.

Lacrosse hit differently.

"College lacrosse made me realize how much I truly loved the sport," Mayer said. "It's called the Creator's Game, and it's a lot less structured than football. I got to go out there, trust my instincts, and do my thing instead of constantly thinking about every assignment."

The Game Doesn't Have to End

When college wrapped up, Mayer came back home. And sports came with him.

He watched his younger brother play out his final two seasons of high school football at Sumner, not missing a game. He stayed locked in on the Seahawks. And he kept a perspective that most athletes lose the moment they hand in their gear.

"I watched my mom continue playing soccer until she was 48 years old, so I knew athletics didn't have to end after college," he said.

That mindset opened the next chapter.

Coaching the Other Side of the Rivalry

Here's where it gets interesting. Mayer spent four years coaching lacrosse at Sumner. Purple and gold. The Spartans.

"Yes, I was a Panther, and there was definitely a time when I wasn't a fan of the purple and gold," he said. "But after watching my brother play at Sumner, getting to be part of that community... it was hard not to want to be around the school more."

The opportunity came through Javan Chow, a former high school lacrosse teammate who had become the Sumner head coach. Mayer reached out looking to volunteer, and ended up in charge of the defense for all four years.

"I loved every second of it," he said.

The Coach He Wanted to Be

Ask Mayer why he got into coaching, and he'll tell you it comes down to the coaches who made him believe in himself, and the ones who didn't.

"Every player remembers the coaches who made them believe in themselves, and I wanted to be one of those coaches," he said. "My goal was to build confidence in my guys, earn their trust, and make sure they knew one mistake wasn't going to define them."

His philosophy was simple but grounded in real experience. He wasn't going to yank a player off the field the moment something went wrong.

"What I learned as a player is that you already know when you screwed up," Mayer said. "And if the game really means something to you, you're usually going to be harder on yourself than anyone else."

He also rewarded the stuff that doesn't always show up in a box score: the guys who showed up to everything, had a great attitude, and put in extra work. Those were the players who got opportunities.

"Those are the habits that will make them successful long after sports are over," he said.

Life After the Whistle

Today, Mayer is a Territory Manager for Victaulic, a global pipe fitting manufacturer, covering Western Washington alongside a four-person team. He's also a licensed real estate agent with the Bobbie Jo Sells Homes team out of Lake Tapps.

He bought his first house in Graham in 2020. He has a Bernese Mountain Dog and Lab mix named Summit. He has a wonderful girlfriend. And every spring, he's back on the lacrosse field with the Tacoma Lacrosse Club.

The competitor never left. It just found new fields.

His advice to kids coming up through Bonney Lake athletics is the same lesson his own journey taught him.

"Play several sports," Mayer said. "Chances are they'll complement each other in one way or another. And don't be afraid to try something new. I didn't start playing lacrosse until I was a sophomore in high school, and I wish I would have started much sooner."

It All Started in Bonney Lake

Travis Mayer went from a kid who fell in love with football at age 8, to a two-sport college athlete, to a defensive coordinator on a rival sideline, to a homeowner with two careers and a lacrosse stick still in the garage.

Every chapter traces back to the same place, the same work ethic, the same willingness to show up and earn it.

It all started in Bonney Lake.