Sleasman, Hockinson linemen hope goodbyes are better with a ring

HOCKINSON — Almost in unison, as Hockinson’s players and coaches rushed the field at Spokane’s Gonzaga Prep High School to celebrate their football state championship game-bound victory last Saturday, so, too, did the emotions flood the turf.

You couldn’t help but notice senior Ryan Sleasman, the Hawks’ senior left tackle and four-year starting offensive lineman who’s been part the most successful football teams in Hockinson’s school history.

The senior was there on Hockinson’ back-to-back 11-1 state quarterfinal teams in 2014 and ’15, and its current 13-0 run to this weekend’s Class 2A state title game. The Hawks face Tumwater (11-2) at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Tacoma Dome in their first-ever state final.

The deeper the Hawks have gone this postseason in what’s been the program’s best season, the more emotions pour out of Sleasman every postgame. That’s because in season’s past, saying goodbyes to guys he calls family after playoff losses were never easy.

That bond with the Hawks begins on the offensive line, where Sleasman’s been a mainstay since earning spot-starts as a freshman. And as the line goes, so does Hockinson. Sleasman and sophomore Nathan Balderas anchor the left side, and center Zac Ristau’s recent return has the line now 100 percent healthy. He missed 10 games when his dislocated finger in mid-August required surgery, causing an already-thin line to shuffle spots. Kordell Johnson learned to play center, and has rotated between center and right guard, and Garrett Kondel and Takumi Veley occupy right guard and tackle spots. Kondel started 11 games at right guard when Ristau was out.

While there have been multiple combinations, what hasn’t changed is the sacrifice the linemen give to play as one unit. Balderas calls themselves a “well-working machine.”

“We all communicate, and we know our place,” said Johnson, who had a fumble recovery for a touchdown and an interception in last week’s win. “… We get that everyone is equal on the line.”

Together, they’ve helped quarterback Canon Racanelli total 71 touchdowns (54 passing, 17 rushing), receivers Sawyer Racanelli, Peyton Brammer, Matt Henry and Jake Beslanowitch catch a combined 48 touchdowns and create holes for the backfield, led by Colton Wheeler and Bailey Jones, to run through.