West Valley ready to take on Clarkston

Hunter Wright says there are times when he will watch in awe as his West Valley teammates do something fantastic.

Wright is the Eagles quarterback, but even so it’s easy to get caught up in some of the things his teammates can do.

“I’ll hand the ball off or after I’ve thrown the ball, yeah, I will watch,” he said. “Sometimes you just watch and go, ‘Wow.’ ”

Running back Johnny Sage? “I like to give him the ball and then just watch,” Wright said.

Wide receiver Tevin Duke? “In our last game he just went up over two guys and came down with the football – amazing,” he said.

Running back Hunter Ferguson? “Just watch him go.”

Wright has had a few games where more than a few of his teammates do the same thing. Like last week, when the Eagles traveled to Yakima and watched their quarterback throw four touchdown passes in a 41-21 win over Eisenhower.

Wright threw touchdown passes of 80, 30, 46 and 69 yards against the Cadets, but the real celebration Friday night came on the team bus on the ride home.

That’s when the team learned that Clarkston had knocked off previously unbeaten Cheney, 52-25.

“That was huge,” teammate Hunter Ferguson said. “That means our game with Clarkston Friday night is going to be just like a playoff game. If we win, we move on and we’re in the playoffs. If we lose, we’re done.”

It’s that kind of a game, Wright agreed – the kind of contest a player took up the sport to play.

“I was a little surprised by that game,” Wright allowed. “Cheney was undefeated and it was their senior night. That was impressive.”

Both Wright and Ferguson like West Valley’s chances – especially at home.

“We have a good home crowd, especially the parents,” Ferguson said. “West Valley is a tough place to come play, but truth be told, it could be louder. I think we’re going to do everything we can to get as many people out for this game as we can.”

On the field, the Eagles will be ready.

“We get a lot of attention because of the big plays we get on offense, but I think the heart and soul of this team starts with our defense,” Wright said. “We have a lot of speed – our coaches keep telling us that we’ve got more speed this year than any West Valley team has ever had.

“In fact, what we’ve been working on in practice is to wait for an extra half-second to see how the play is going to develop and then make our break. We have more than enough speed to make up ground and make the play.”

Wright said he’s seen Clarkston take advantage of opponents who are too quick to pursue.

“I see that on film – they will burn you if you’re too aggressive,” he said. “Where I think we have an advantage is that we have Tevin Duke at cornerback, and he can shut down a receiver all night – take him completely out of the game. That’s a big advantage.”

The two Hunters are an added synchronicity.

Yes, they have gotten confused a time or two over the years.

“I have found myself running on the field and realize the coaches weren’t talking to me,” Ferguson said. “But by now, I’m just kind of used to it all.”

The pair have been a potent passing combination, with a handful of touchdown passes to their credit.

Ferguson downplays it.

“By the time he gets around to throwing the ball to me, I’m pretty much his last option,” he said.

Which is the whole point of having a potent offense. Even the last option can be a game breaker.