The new quarterback for the Holy Trinity Academy Knights will be taking his first snaps on a warm San Francisco night.
The Knights will play the Vacaville Christian Falcons this Friday in the Golden Gate City as the Okotoks high school makes a trip stateside.
Ryan Hassler, a receiver for the 2010 Rangeland Conference Holy Trinity Academy (HTA) Knights, will be the starting quarterback in Frisco.
“I just hope to get my nerves settled when I am under centre,” Hassler said. “I want to be a lot more confident than I am going in and just more about playing quarterback.”
Hassler is a Grade 12 honour student so getting to know the playbook won’t be a major issue.
“I know all the old plays, but I still have to learn the new plays,” said Hassler, who has played with the Knights since being in Grade 10. “I was a receiver last year, so that helps. But there is a lot more responsibility — I have to know a lot more that’s for sure.”
HTA head coach Matthew Hassett had initially penciled in James LaGrange as the starting quarterback as LaGrange took some snaps behind Knights’ All-conference quarterback Mark Oness in 2010.
LaGrange has opted to focus on basketball for his senior year, a sport in which he has been the Knights’ MVP the past two years.
Hassler is now taking a crash course on being a QB, complete with leadership skills.
“The toughest adjustment is coming from being a receiver and catching the ball to suddenly being the commander of the offence and taking charge out there,” Hassler said. “Fortunately, I know the receivers very well.”
Hassler has played with receivers James Read, Steven Ference, Peter Hillman and others for several years.
Hassler took a few snaps for the Knights at spring camp in June and he has played one game at quarterback when he was a last second replacement for Oness against Highwood High School.
“I used my feet a lot against Highwood to get out of the pocket,” Hassler said. “But I am trying to learn not to run so much. I want to stay in the pocket more.”
Hassler broke his ankle against the Highwood Mustangs and missed the remainder of the season. He is back at 100 per cent health for the upcoming campaign.
That’s good news for coach Hassett, who said Hassler was a natural choice to play quarterback.
“We needed more depth at quarterback and we asked Ryan to give it a try last spring,” Hassett said. “He’s a good athlete and we like to have good athletes at quarterback. He seemed to love it.”
Hassett said Hassler throws the ball well and Hassler and running back Ryder Stone are the two fastest players on the team.
“We like it in our offence that our quarterback is both a throwing and running threat,” Hassett said. “Ryan might not look fast, but his top-end speed is definitely there.”
HTA is coming off a successful 2010 year – not quite the provincial title year the Knights wanted, but more than respectable just the same.
The Knights won the Rangeland Football Conference last year, before being knocked out of the provincial playoffs by the eventual Tier II provincial champion, the Catholic Central Cougars from Lethbridge.
They are returning 33 players from the 2010 season.
The Knights’ first game in Alberta is against the Peace River Pioneers in Peace River on Sept. 3. Their first home game is Sept. 9 when they take on the Centennial Coyotes.
HTA is playing in the newly formed Big Rock Football Conference along with the Highwood Mustangs in High River, the defending Tier IV champion Rundle College Cobras and the Foothills Composite Falcons from Okotoks.
