The Sequim Wolves are one win away from the postseason.
The Wolves are a senior-laden team, but whether they make the postseason or not, and how well they do if they make it there, will have a lot to do with underclassmen Riley Cowan and Gavin Velarde.
Those two also will be key figures in how well Sequim does in the next two or three years, because Cowan, the starting quarterback, is only a freshman, and Velarde, a dynamic receiver, runner and returner and, is only a sophomore.
“Two of our better players are a freshman and a sophomore. That’s a good thing. We can make a lot of good things happen that way,” Sequim coach Erik Wiker said after last week’s 48-6 loss to Olympic.
Cowan has completed 64 of 118 passes this season for 971 yards and 10 touchdowns with seven interceptions. He has split time with Nick Faunce and quarterback this season, but took all of the snaps — well, all those not taken by Velarde out of the wildcat formation — against Olympic last week.
“He’s awesome,” Sequim coach Erik Wiker said of Cowan after Friday’s game.
“He’s put a lot of work into it. He’s a product of a lot of hard work already. So him playing like a good junior or a senior is because he’s put in years of that type of work already.”
Wiker said Cowan has trained to be Sequim’s quarterback before reaching high school, and continued that work as soon as he could hit the field for the Wolves.
“He’s been coached in this offense somewhat before, but him learning it and doing it, and then all summer and going to every 7-on-7 and doing all that stuff is why we’re as good as we are offensively, because he can function and make it run,” Wiker said.
“And he’s earned that all through hard work. And, super-smart kid, super-nice kid.
“I think the world of him, and he’s a really good player and he’s a really great teammate.
“He’s all the things right, and practices hard, tries to get better every day.”
Velarde has 30 receptions for 546 yards and five TDs, and has 280 yards rushing and five more TDs on 22 carries. He also has returned two kicks for scores.
“He’s an animal,” Wiker said.
“He plays super hard. When you play super-hard, good things happen. No matter who it is. If you are running tentatively or running to score a touchdown every time you run, there’s going to be a difference with the same kid.
“His mindset is one that he’s a competitor and he’s going 100 percent all the time, and that’s why good things happen.”
Here are two other things learned last week in North Olympic Peninsula high school football:
■ 8-man one-on-one showdown on horizon?
Neah Bay and Liberty Christian seemed destined to meet in the Class 1B state championship game for the third time in four seasons in early December.
Like the second-ranked Red Devils, the No. 1 Patriots have ripped through their schedule on the east side of the state this season.
Keying Liberty Christian’s dominance is a familiar nemesis for Neah Bay, senior quarterback John Lesser.
Yes, Lesser is finally a senior. As a freshman, he scored the winning touchdown on the final play to give the Patriots the 2012 state championship over Neah Bay.
The Red Devils faced him again last year, but this time they defeated Liberty Christian 56-38.
In the Patriots’ 84-30 win over Colton last week, Lesser broke the state 1B record for career rushing yard, surpassing the mark set by Joe Campbell of Tri-Cities Prep from 2003-06. Lesser now has 7,809 yards rushing.
In Neah Bay has a dynamic player of its own in its corner: Cole Svec, who was named Class 1B Player of the Year in 2014 by The Associated Press.
In limited action this season due to weekly blowouts, Svec, only a junior, has gained 984 yards on only 64 carries and scored 18 touchdowns.
■ Willis has wheels.
Clallam Bay’s freshman running back Clayton Willis has quite the motor.
He possesses the speed to outrun opponents to the outside, and the strength to power through tackles, keeping his legs pumping all the way to the whistle.
Willis has scored 11 touchdowns in his past two games, four in a blowout win against Crescent and seven in the Bruins’ 66-52 loss to Tulalip Heritage last Friday.
He put up 400 yards rushing combined in the two contests and added 97 yards receiving.
Willis’ offensive output has earned him a nickname: Wheels.
“As long as we can keep having football teams, he’s just going to get better and better,” Clallam Bay coach Cal Ritter said.
Ritter is referring to a lack of male students in the lower grades in the Clallam Bay school that could prevent the Bruins from fielding teams.
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“Three things learned in high school football” appears each week during the football season in the PDN.
Sports Editor Lee Horton can be reached at 360-417-3525 or at lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com.
Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-452-2345, ext. 5250, or at mcarman@peninsualdailynews.com.
