If you looked closely on the Hockinson sideline Friday, one of its assistant coaches was a good deal younger than the rest.
And he isn’t even officially on staff.
Clad in a white short-sleeved Hockinson windbreaker, a baby blue Hawks hat and a clean pair of pleated khaki pants, recent graduate Canon Racanelli took to the sidelines to bark out opposing coverage and play the part of de facto assistant during Hockinson’s 42-6 win over Columbia River.
The only thing he was missing was a headset.
“He had a call for every formation (Columbia River) was giving to us, he was feeding them left and right,” Hockinson quarterback Levi Crum said. ” ‘Run that, run that!’ He’s crazy. He helped me out a lot though.”
For Canon Racanelli, the ex-Hawks quarterback who helped Hockinson to an undefeated 2017 season, the Hawks’ sideline is a family affair. Crum, who backed up the now-Central Washington freshman quarterback, is Racanelli’s first cousin. Standout receiver Sawyer Racanelli is Canon’s younger brother. And offensive coordinator Josh Racanelli is his dad.
Who knows? Perhaps one day he will be back in an official capacity.
QB skills are evergreen
Rayn Preston hadn’t thrown a pass in a football game since he was a sophomore.
Friday, the Evergreen senior showed those skills aren’t rusty.
With starting quarterback Ryan Blaize out with a concussion, Preston learned Tuesday he might be the starting QB for Evergreen’s non-league game against Rochester.
Preston, who normally plays receiver and defensive back, was more than adequate. He completed 11 of 13 passes for 156 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in Evergreen’s 41-12 win.
Coach Terry Hyde simplified the offense, but Preston still showed plenty of versatility. He completed screen passes, mid-range throws and even a long throw over the middle on a 25-yard TD pass to Tae Marks.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect to throw the ball that much,” Preston said. “I thought we were going to be mostly running, but I’m glad it turned out the way it did. I love throwing the ball. I forgot how good it felt.”
Run, Bellevue, Run
Think Bellevue is a different team with a different offensive scheme that led 11 state titles since 2001?
Think again.
Bellevue might be under a new coaching regime, but its wing-T system remains the same. Bellevue failed to attempt a pass Friday in what turned out to be a 38-35 victory over Camas behind all run plays. Jed Michael’s game-expiring 41-yard field goal capped 17 fourth-quarter points after Camas led 28-14 entering the final 12 minutes.
In the second half alone, Bellevue amassed 266 rushing yards. Drew Fowler accounted for much of it, rushing for 139 of his game-high 171 yards in the second half.
Its shortest drive Friday? One play — Fowler’s 53-yard touchdown and successful PAT that tied the game at 28-all.
Its longest scoring drive Friday? Nineteen plays in what was a Javon Griggs second touchdown of the first half that cut Camas’ lead to 21-14 at halftime.
