SO MUCH FOR any charges of nepotism.
As Sequim junior Jack Wiker proved in Friday night’s win over North Mason, there’s a reason why he’s a featured player in the Wolves’ spread offense.
And it has nothing to do with who’s the head coach . . . other than genetics.
“That’s probably one of the better quarters I’ve seen from a Sequim kid in a long time,” said Wolves coach and father Erik Wiker. “It was quite amazing what he did.”
For the first 13 minutes against the Bulldogs, he put on a show.
Leading Sequim on five straight touchdown drives, the 5-foot-11, 195-pound junior displayed exactly the sort of talents one would expect out of the starting quarterback on a fifth-ranked team.
Except, of course, he’s usually the Wolves’ starting running back.
“I think that [North Mason] thought running back at quarterback, he probably can’t pass that great,” Erik Wiker said. “We knew he could pass.”
Indeed, North Mason rolled its safeties up near the line of scrimmage, betting that the converted QB wouldn’t be able to complete any deep throws on its secondary.
After a shaky start that saw him complete just two of his first six passes, Jack Wiker made the Bulldogs pay for that gamble.
He connected on six straight throws at that point — four going for 20 yards or more — that included touchdown passes of 5, 21, and 36 yards to wideouts Nick Ramirez and Tyler Forshaw.
Ramirez came up with the first two to put the Wolves on top 12-0.
Forshaw then caught the 36-yarder in stride at the goal line on a perfectly lofted spiral that was just the kind of throw first-string quarterback Frank Catelli would make were he not suspended.
“I don’t think they expected us to pass as much as we did, and it worked out really well,” said Jack Wiker.
“I expected them to have two safeties. That’s what we were planning on. When they didn’t, I knew I could throw deep, so I went for that.”
Of course, Jack Wiker flashed a great deal of his power run style as well.
Perhaps the most impressive was his 41-yard touchdown run near the end of the first quarter.
Coming immediately after Michael Ballard recovered a fumble on defense, it was actually a broken play originally designed as a “choice’’ pass.
Once things broke down following the snap, he decided to take off through a hole in the middle of the line.
He shook off a tackler, then out-ran the rest of the defense into the end zone.
After adding another 9-yard run moments into the second quarter, the Wolves were well on their way to a win with a 32-0 lead.
“I don’t think anybody had any doubts [about Jack replacing Frank],” Forshaw said. “We all know what he’s capable of.
“His passing game is elite and so is his running game, so we didn’t have any worries coming in. We just had to believe in him, and he came in and did his job.”
Doubts are something Jack Wiker is used to.
In recent years, he’s had to deal with the assumption made by some, including peers, that his major role in Sequim’s football program comes by virtue of his last name.
Erik Wiker said it’s something he prepared his son for at a young age.
“I think that happens a lot in the youth sports, that the dad who coaches puts his son in and he’s the star,” Erik Wiker said. “So I think people kind of grow up with the thought of [favoritism].
“That’s a natural thing that people think. He hears it from students at school and things like that.
“It’s definitely not the case. People might think so, but people can think whatever they want.”
It would certainly be hard for such skeptics to hold that opinion after Friday night.
After all, Jack Wiker accounted for 282 total yards and six touchdowns on the game.
He threw for 149 yards and three TDs on 9-of-22 passing with one interception while also running for 133 yards and three scores on just 14 carries. He also had a fumble recovery and nine tackles on defense.
“I always have to deal with that, but I just try my best to prove them wrong by doing good,” Jack Wiker said.
“I can only do so much. It’s always going to happen.”
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Matt Schubert is the outdoors and sports columnist for the Peninsula Daily News. His column regularly appears on Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at matt.schubert@peninsuladailynews.com.
