No matter how big or small, there isn’t a moment Preston Shearer wants to miss on the football field.
Just a few days after Shearer and his Columbia River team ended the 2023 season with a loss to rival Hudson’s Bay, the junior was back on the Rapids’ John O’Rourke Field the following Monday putting in some extra work when he fell awkwardly and broke his leg.
The setback forced Shearer, a three-sport athlete, to miss the winter wrestling season. Yet he worked his way back to get healthy in time for track and field, plus all of River’s spring football practices.
Shearer’s swift return came as no surprise to River coaches and teammates. He’s already played in 27 games from the time he made varsity as a freshman to now. Entering Friday’s season opener against Seton Catholic, the two-way senior starter at defensive end and tight end could finish his career among the program’s all-time leaders in games played, a record held by former standout offensive lineman Eddie Vickers, who appeared in 43 games from 2001-04.
To even be in that conversation, Shearer has proven himself to be a consistent, reliable force on the field, and a shining example for others to follow.
“To this day people still see him, (they’re) like, ‘he’s still here?’ ” Columbia River head coach DeWayne Patterson said. “Yes, he’s still here.”
Patterson was the Rapids’ defensive coordinator when Shearer came into the program in 2021. Right away, he and fellow coaches noticed a player more polished and developed than many of his peers.
Shearer had the experience, first playing the sport in kindergarten while growing up in Maple Valley and Renton before he moved to Clark County in the fifth grade. He also had the football lineage — his grandfather, Bill Donckers, was an NFL quarterback over four seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots.
Eager to earn a full-time varsity role with the Rapids, Shearer initially played special teams until a string of injuries allowed him to make his first start of the season in Week 4 against Woodland. He ended up starting every game thereafter, ending with River’s Week 10 playoff game against Tumwater, the eventual Class 2A state champion.
“I just tried really hard to push for that spot,” Shearer said “… It was definitely a challenge.”
Although he took his lumps as a freshman, according to Patterson, the experience paved the way for Shearer to take massive strides forward in the years to come.
By his sophomore season, Shearer was performing like a veteran, serving as a defensive disrupter with a knack for breaking up passes and chasing opposing quarterbacks, while also being a reliable pass-catcher and blocker on offense.
He also took notes from older teammates. During his freshman year, he looked up to senior defensive end Adam Heurena, and how he carried himself on and off the field. Last year, senior captain Tommy Blau took Shearer under his wing.
In a full-circle moment, when Blau and fellow captain Joey Pena were tasked with picking River’s next captain at the end of the 2023 season, they informed Patterson that Shearer was the obvious choice.
“I was so happy,” Shearer said. “I was working so hard for that.”
“He showed the attributes of what a captain is supposed to be at Columbia River,” Patterson added. “I could tell he was excited. We only have seven seniors, but it’s a good senior group. He probably didn’t expect it, I know it was probably shocking for him.”
And while the soft-spoken Shearer is admittedly still working on his speeches in front of the team and other vocal aspects of being a captain, he also understands the importance of leading by example.
Playing varsity as a freshman is rare in most high school programs, but Shearer is proof that it can happen with hard work. It’s a story other players can relate to.
“(With) a bunch of the young guys, everything you do, they’re just watching,” Shearer said. “So, you gotta be on point.”
That mindset extends to the rest of the defensive line, where Shearer, DeVaughn Tumbaga, Jed Carson and Luke McWilliams are all returning starters, playing together for one final season of high school football.
Through 27 games and counting, Shearer intends to savor every moment.
“It’s crazy, actually. I don’t want it to end,” Shearer said. “I just want to play football.”
