Playing the final football game of his career was special in more than one way Saturday night for Colton Wheeler.
The annual Freedom Bowl Classic is a annual charity event with proceeds benefiting Shriners Hospitals for Children. And the game’s name — freedom — strikes Wheeler, a recent Hockinson High School graduate, in another way, too.
Next month, he’ll head to Moscow, Idaho, enrolling at the University of Idaho’s ROTC program. When he graduates, he’ll be an officer in the U.S. Army.
With the annual Freedom Bowl Classic helping make a difference and impact for Shriners, Wheeler wants to equally do the same serving the country.
“Through the military,” he said, “I can make the biggest difference possible. … “Someone has sacrificed, and people have sacrificed for us in the past. We should always look to honor those who have sacrificed for us so we have an opportunity to play.”
Wheeler left his legacy as an all-league player on Hockinson’s state title-winning football team, and the lessons he learned over his career in a Hawks jersey he knows will carry with him the rest of his life.
He comes from a military family. His father served in the Marine Corp. In preparation for basic training, he’s voluntarily on his own creating a training regime.
Saturday, though, was back to football.
“And a opportunity to hang out with these guys, have some fun, and do something great,” Wheeler said.
Saturday, he put ROTC training aside for one day, as football was center stage for area McKenzie Stadium was center stage showcasing a select number of Southwest Washington’s graduating senior football players.
Wheeler played wide out, fullback and linebacker for the East team. But behind two first-half touchdowns from Kalama’s Tucker Wetmore and Skyview’s Dyvon Green throwing a halfback pass for a touchdown, the West won, 22-20 in a game close start to finish.
Wetmore’s first-half touchdowns of 12 and 26 yards — and also serving as punter — helped earn him game MVP honors.
Saturday was Wetmore’s first game since last December, leading Class 2B Kalama to its first state title since 1998. This fall, he set a school record with 28 touchdowns and had 1,005 receiving yards and six interceptions on defense.
“It’s a great way to end my high school career, obviously,” Wetmore said, “and I’m not done yet.”
Wetmore will play college football at NAIA Montana Tech this fall.
West offensive MVP went to Skyview’s Dyvon Green, who led the West in rushing yards and also threw a touchdown pass to Mark Morris’ Collin Whittaker that gave the West its largest lead of the game at 22-12 with 3 minutes, 5 seconds left in the third quarter. The halfback pass went for 27 yards that ultimately was the game-winning score with 3 minutes, 5 seconds left in the third quarter.
The Hockinson connection of Canon Racanelli and Bailey Jones worked all game. Jones, the East’s offensive MVP, six catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns. His 35-yard touchdown pass from Racanelli made it a 22-20 game with 7:42 to go in the game.
Jones was the seventh receiver with at least one catch for the East. Mountain View’s Glen Perry, the Thunder’s quarterback last fall and 3A Greater St. Helens League MVP, played receiver Saturday, had six catches for 95 yards.
Evergreen’s Alex Rodriguez (East) and King’s Way Christian’s Michael Garrison (West) were defensive MVPs.
