Columbia River players on the receiving end

Columbia River senior quarterback Gabe Evenson can drop back to pass, survey the field, and pass to that guy.

Or how about that other guy?

No, wait. There’s another Chieftain open downfield.

And another one in a crossing route.

Too many receivers? Too many choices? No such thing at Columbia River.

Columbia River receivers share the totals, share the joy, share the ball.

Carson Bassett leads the team with 497 yards receiving. Jacob Bystry and Nathan Hawthorne are tied with Bassett for the team lead with eight touchdown receptions.

Holden Fielding has four TD receptions and is quick to point out he has had a few called back by penalties.

All four have at least 300 yards receiving, something no other squad in Clark County can claim. As a team, the Chieftains tied pass-happy Battle Ground with 28 touchdown passes this season.

Bassett broke out with a two-touchdown performance in Week 2. He has had at least one TD the past four weeks. Don’t look for him to brag, though. He is the quiet one in the group.

“They’re pretty fast,” he said of his fellow receivers. “I have pretty good hands, and I run my routes right.”

Hawthorne said he is too humble. Bassett has great hands.

Bystry is another new name this season.

“I didn’t get in on offense much last year,” Bystry said. “Once I got the opportunity (this year), it was amazing to see my name in the paper, actually producing numbers.”

Bystry scored a touchdown in Week 1 to break the ice. Then he added three more last week when Columbia River held off Kelso 49-35 to win the Class 3A Greater St. Helens League title.

Hawthorne and Fielding were already known names coming into this season.

Fielding is River’s top deep threat.

“I have to rely on my shiftiness,” he said. “Making moves on people is how I’ve been successful.”

Hawthorne looks like he could run through a wall.

“I feel like I have good field vision, and I have the ability to shed the first tackler,” he said.

Or run him over.

The word is out. The Chieftains are hard to cover because there are so many reliable Chieftain receivers.

They stood together at Kiggins Bowl at practice earlier this week and said all the things teammates are supposed to say. None of this would be possible without the offensive line protecting Evenson. And they credit the QB, as well.

“It’s so much fun with how smart Gabe is and the decisions he makes,” Fielding said. “We just trust him so much to do what we know he’s capable of doing.”

That might mean Fielder only gets one or two catches in a game. Same with Hawthorne. But that’s OK. Of course they all would want the ball more. That’s only natural.

“There’s a friendly competition, but in the end, they’re really complete team players,” Columbia River coach John O’Rourke said. “At different times during the year, each one of them has had an outstanding game.”

It really does not matter which one catches the ball. In a way, when one makes a play, they all make a play.