HOCKINSON — Canon Racanelli understands.
He gets that as an unknown sophomore last season, his quarterback play for Hockinson surprised opponents. He knows, too, that last season’s 11-1 record and run to the Class 2A state quarterfinals was a team accomplishment, that his 33 touchdown passes and nearly 2,700 yards were a product of a group of talented players working together.
So while his summer included camps at Montana and Eastern Washington to focus on personal development, a big part of his offseason involved growing into a leadership role for the Hawks.
“Letting everyone know who we’re playing for, including the people who graduated last year and who graduated before that,” he explained. “And we’re playing for our seniors this year. Lord knows they don’t want to have nine games and be done. We’re playing for everyone.”
Last season, Racanelli might have looked out of place at 5-foot-9 and 155 pounds leading a team that included seven seniors who earned all-league recognition, but he was a more experienced football player than many of those teammates.
Now 16 and entering his junior season, Racanelli has been running the no-huddle offense since he was only 6.
His father, former Mountain View High School, Boise State and Portland State quarterback Josh Racanelli, started teaching the fundamentals of the offense to Canon and his teammates on the Battle Ground Tiny Mite Pop Warner football team. He figured if the kids could master the button-pushing needed for their video games, they could remember football plays.
Josh Racanelli is still calling plays for his son, now as the Hawks offensive coordinator.
“He’s always been very cerebral from 5 years old. Being able to come off one receiver that looks covered,” Josh Racanelli said. “There were many times last year where he got to his second and third read. And he kind of made it look easy last year.”
Helping ease Racanelli’s transition to varsity football were a couple of first-rate senior targets. Kedrick Johnson had 57 catches for 1,100 yards and 15 touchdowns. Tight end Cameron Loos had 33 catches for 812 yards and 11 TDs.
“Last year no one expected a whole lot because no one knew who I was,” Racanelli said. “But last year we had Ked (Johnson) at wideout and Loos at tight end and so 90 percent of the time they got past the defense. The reads were simple.”
That’s a lot of production to replace. But Josh Racanelli said the plan is to run plays even faster this season. Among the targets this season are fellow junior Matt Henry and freshman Sawyer Racanelli, who along with lineman Seth Mattix have been teammates with Canon dating to those Mitey Mite days when they would gather at Henry’s home after games to review the video.
Yes, Canon — who now stands 5-foot-11 1/2 and weighs 170 pounds — was named to be a quarterback. And, yes, Josh started Canon young working on hip rotation and throwing mechanics. But his childhood was a lot more than football.
In fact, Canon’s first sport was wrestling — before he was 3 years old. Before Canon was 3, Sundee Racanelli had Canon participating in Merle Crockett’s Southwest Washington Wrestling Club.
“I think doing wrestling has helped me more than any other sport ever had. Because it’s you. You can’t blame anyone else,” Canon said. “It’s 100-percent you. It’s mental and it’s physical. You’ve got to be in the best shape of your life. Its crazy.”
Canon was a good wrestler, winning a couple of childhood state titles and even wrestling for the Hockinson varsity as a freshman — and getting beat up by older opponents.
“That was a long wrestling season” his father said.
Last season Canon chose basketball instead of wrestling for his winter sport. Josh said that Hockinson wrestling coach Ralph Bever agreed that Canon shouldn’t risk a shoulder injury given his football future.
That immediate future begins Friday with a game at Hockinson’s expanded stadium against La Center. Canon Racanelli won’t be a surprise to the Wildcats. And he isn’t concerned about matching last season’s passing statistics.
“My goals are: we have 14 games to win,” he said.
