Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

U-Hi’s Clint Moquist steps up to challenges of tight end


At far left, No. 89 Clint Moquist moves in on the action during U-Hi's season opener against Lake City High Sept. 1. 
 (Holly Pickett / The Spokesman-Review)
Steve Christilaw Correspondent

Clint Moquist is a 6-foot-3, 240-pound security blanket.

A tackle on last year’s University High School football team, helping block the Titans into the postseason, Moquist shifted outside one slot this year to start at tight end.

“We’ve got a young sophomore starting at quarterback,” said Moquist, referring to first-year starter Danny Jordan. “It’s nice for our quarterback to have a reliable target out there. It’s a comfort thing for him. When he throws it to me, I generally catch it.”

Moquist said he has drawn from other sports as he’s made his transition.

A three-sport athlete at U-High, Moquist plays varsity basketball and is the Titans’ goalkeeper in spring soccer.

“Those sports really help,” he explained. “Basketball helps a lot. Catching the ball is a lot like playing basketball, especially when it comes to getting up in the air to catch a ball. Plus, it helps to have a height advantage. You learn how to take advantage of that playing basketball.

“Soccer helps. With soccer, you get used to catching the ball in traffic and having the game come to you.”

Through the first four games, Moquist pulled down nine passes for 89 yards and caught a pass for a two-point conversion last week in the Titans’ victory over Rogers.

“I like playing tight end,” Moquist said. “When I played tackle last year, I learned to block a lot better. Now, at tight end I get to catch the ball, so I get a lot more involved in the offense.”

Tight end is one of the game’s hybrid positions. To be effective at the position, especially in a passing offense, a player must be equally adept at blocking and receiving. “We run a lot to the strong side,” Moquist said. “I can find myself lined up against anyone, depending on the play. It’s a little different as a tight end. I’m on a linebacker or a safety most of the time, and those guys are generally a lot quicker than defensive linemen. Instead of just lining up on a guy, you have to find him and then go to where he’s going to be.”

The University running game caught fire the past two weeks. Junior running back Billy Sweetser rushed for three touchdowns against both Rogers and Clarkston.

Meanwhile, Jordan entered the team’s sixth game ranked No. 4 in the Greater Spokane League in passing, completing 38 of 65 passes (58.5 percent) for 427 yards and four touchdowns.

“He’s definitely settling in well,” Moquist said. “He’s had a couple games where he’s thrown for some big yards. He’s getting his confidence. He’s going to accomplish some big things.”

The Titans learned from last year’s squad, a group that put together a magic drive in the second half of the GSL season to reach the playoffs.

The key to that run, Moquist said, was that every player did his job.

“That’s what it was, too – everyone stepping up and doing their job,” he said. “Our seniors this year learned a lot from last year’s senior class. We’re definitely stepping up, and our underclassmen are following our lead.

“I think we’re starting to recapture some of that magic.”

Part of that magic lies in helping teammate, especially ones new to the University varsity.

It’s one thing to pat a teammate on the back when they make a good play, he said. It’s another to help them learn from their mistakes.

“The coaches can tell you what to do, and that’s good,” he said. “But we (as players) can get the message across in a way that they understand and in a way that they feel positive about.”

The senior feels positive about his future as a football player.

Moquist already earned notice as an offensive lineman, earning looks from area colleges as a potential recruit. “I’ve talked to a number of schools already,” Moquist said. “All of them had been looking at me as a lineman. No one’s seen me play tight end until this season. I think this will actually help me.

“I want to play college football. I’m hoping to get a scholarship to play somewhere, but I would be willing to walk on somewhere if I had to.”