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Little receivers making big impacts this season

Sturtevant, Metz, Juarez shining despite their size

By Joshua Hart, Columbian sports reporter
Published: October 24, 2019, 10:28pm
3 Photos
Columbia River's Max Sturtevant (Joshua Hart/The Columbian)
Columbia River's Max Sturtevant (Joshua Hart/The Columbian) Photo Gallery

The towering wide receivers with the giant verticals usually garner the attention on a football field.

But equally as often, it’s the small speedy slot receivers that make the biggest impact for an offense.

King’s Way Christian’s Bryson Metz, Hockinson’s Makaio Juarez and Columbia River’s Max Sturtevant stand on average 5 feet, 7 inches and 140 pounds. They’re also some of Clark County football’s top receivers, the trio combining for 80 catches, 1,250 yards and 18 touchdowns on the year.

“It’s the same as everyone else, you have to work with what you got,” said Sturtevant, a junior.

What Metz, Juarez and Sturtevant have is speed and the ability to make guys miss in open space. Their teams’ offenses work in large part because they’re good at what they do: catching balls and scoring touchdowns. Whether it’s on a short slant or screen or a vertical route, the trio have shown that slot receivers shouldn’t be overlooked.

“Especially kids from bigger schools that are like ‘Oh, that kid can’t do what he’s doing. He’s small,'” said Metz, a sophomore. “I take that really personal and it makes me want to keep working hard every day.”

Proving doubters wrong is something all three have done throughout their football careers. Often as the smallest kids on the field, thier opportunities have grown out of work ethic and sacrifice.

Bryson Metz, King’s Way Christian

King’s Way coach Brian Rodriguez knew Metz was a focal point of the offense entering the season. His stellar freshman year (57 catches, 761 yards, 8 touchdowns) set the bar.

The Knights had a feeling the hyper-athletic Metz would raise it.

The Knights’ schemes evolved around getting Metz in space. Teams countered by bracketing and double-teaming the 5-foot-9 sophomore; they follow him wherever he runs.

“I take it personal when they want to put two guys on me,” Metz said. “But I know if there’s two guys on me, then there’s someone else open.”

Even when Metz isn’t catching passes — he has caught 37 for 496 yards and nine touchdowns this year — he’s an asset. The Knights motion him pre-snap, use him as a decoy and run him on every route in the playbook. Metz touches every blade of grass most nights.

His straight-line speed means Metz isn’t going to dance around when he gets the ball in open space. He’s focused on the end zone every touch. It’s why a vertical route is his favorite.

“I just love the feeling of going and getting the ball.”

Max Sturtevant, Columbia River

The junior is listed at 5-foot-5. That might be a generous estimate.

“Give or take an inch or two,” Sturtevant quipped.

With 28 catches, 435 yards and three touchdowns on the year, Sturtevant isn’t worried about what the roster reads.

Being small isn’t a new phenomenon for Sturtevant. “I’ve been this way my whole life,” he says.

Sturtevant, instead, uses it to his advantage. People overlook him. When they do, he makes them pay.

“You’re either going to play me right, or you’re going to play me wrong and you’ll see what happens,” Sturtevant said. “Next game, maybe the next people will learn.”

The Chieftains junior is a student of the game. He watches YouTube videos of Chicago Bears running back Tarik Cohen (listed at 5-6) and New York Giants receiver Golden Tate (5-10) to model his game after. He knows, to distinguish himself, his work ethic has to be unparalleled.

“You’re blessed with some things and not blessed with others,” he said. “You have to use it to your advantage.”

That also means Sturtevant prides himself on his “dependability.” Drops are the slot receiver’s worst nightmare.

Makaio Juarez, Hockinson

When Sawyer Racanelli was ruled out for the season with a torn ACL, the Hawks knew the rest of their receiving corps had step up. The coaching staff knew Juarez, a junior, was the perfect candidate to make the biggest leap.

In his sophomore season, he scored more than 50 percent of the times he touched the ball. The 5-foot-7, 138-pound slot receiver’s performance boiled down to a confidence issue.

“We always knew he had the ability,” coach Rick Steele said. “But sometimes he didn’t.”

The coaches sat down with the soft-spoken receiver. The message was clear: This is your time to shine.

Juarez answered the call, catching 15 passes for 312 yards and five touchdowns this season.

“He’s just a playmaker,” quarterback Levi Crum said. “If we get him the ball, we know he’s going to make plays.”

Juarez insists he’s just doing his job, but the speed — Crum called him the fastest on the team — and ability to make guys miss mean opponents have to keep an eye on him. It’s allowed NCAA Division I prospect Peyton Brammer to avoid double-coverage most nights, Steele said. Juarez is a big reason the Hawks’ offense, coming off two state titles, hasn’t missed a beat.

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Columbian sports reporter