By Mark Smith
Enchantment Sports
Editor in Chief
The Volcano Vista opened District 6-6A play with a 48-22 win against West Mesa in early October.
But despite the win, there were a few things the Hawks knew they could have done better.
And there was one thing, in particular, senior quarterback Jake Deatherage knew he couldn’t do worse.
“Catch the ball,” he said this week with a chuckle, reminiscing about a halfback-option play. “The pass was perfect. I just flat-out dropped it.”
Last week, however, in the Class 6A state playoff quarterfinals against Cibola, Deatherage more than made up for that October miscue.
Take 2 of the halfback option went perfectly, with running back Jimmy Gallegos again hitting Deatherage in the hands with pin-point strike. Deatherage used his height to make the catch and score a 4-yard TD to midway through the opening quarter of the Hawks’ 42-14 rout of Cibola.
“I had better hands this time,” Deatherage said with a smile.
Deatherage had some pretty sweet feet and a heckuva arm. He threw two touchdown passes and ran for another – the latter a 27-yarder in the fourth quarter.
For his big performance, the 6-foot-2 senior football is the Galles Chevrolet Metro Player of the Week.
“He really deserves the honor,” Volcano Vista coach Chad Wallin said. “Jake’s a great kid.
“… It was interesting trying to get that play to work. Against West Mesa, he just dropped the freakin’ ball. We practiced it all last week to try it again, but (Gallegos) didn’t get one good throw to him all week. But then in the game, Jimmy just threw a great pass. They did a great job on the play.”
Deatherage has done a great job on the field, on the court and in the classroom at Volcano.
After the season, he joins Greg Brown’s varsity basketball team.
“It’s 100-percent beneficial playing both sports,” the QB says. “Being able to cut in basketball, that really helps me to be agile out there on the football field.”
Wallin said he also appreciates Deatherage playing both sports.
“I love that he’s a multi-sport guy – that’s huge nowadays,” Wallin said. “Our basketball coach loves his grit on the basketball court.
“Jake is a smart kid, he has better than a 3.0 grade point average, and is a great leader. And he is so composed. He doesn’t seem to get too rattled. He has confidence in everybody, he trusts all his teammates and he tries to spread the ball around. He never worries about trying to feed anybody’s ego, it’s just about who’s open.
“I can’t speak highly enough about Jake.”
Enchantment Sports will let the award speak for itself, and we’ll just say, “Congratulations, Jake!”
The Metro Player of the Week feature is chosen by Enchantment Sports with the assistance of ProView Networks, and sponsored by Galles Chevrolet and Totally Dazzling. Each week, we will feature a top-notch athlete from the area.
To learn more about the Galles Metro Player of the Week, click here.
To make a nomination, email EnchantmentSportsNM@gmail.com.
Mark Smith has worked in New Mexico sports media for four decades, and is one of the New Mexico’s most decorated sports journalists in history. Smith has won more than 30 combined awards in print, television and radio. He is the editor in chief of Enchantment Sports. Contact him at mark.enchantmentsportsNM@gmail.com.
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