There were plenty of new faces on the field in Tualatin’s season opener, but it didn’t take long for the Timberwolves to show off a familiar high-powered offense.
On Tualatin’s first play from scrimmage, quarterback Owen Hagerman connected with Cole Hachmeister on a running back screen, and the junior took the ball 83 yards for a touchdown.
“It was definitely an awesome way to start the year,” Hachmeister said. “I had some great blocks, and all I had to do was run straight and score.”
While just a junior, Hachmeister is maybe the most experienced skill position player returning for Tualatin this year.
He showed it off early in Tualatin’s 49-14 win against Clackamas to open the season. On the team’s second drive, Tualatin was facing a fourth-and-three deep in Clackamas territory. Hagerman again connected with Hachmeister out of the backfield for his second receiving touchdown of the day.
In less than a quarter of play, Hachmeister had more than 160 yards receiving, although his day ended early because he was starting to tighten up, according to Head Coach Dom Ferraro. He said they didn’t want to push him in the first game, especially since Tualatin was in control pretty much as soon as the game started.
Ferraro said he expects the team to lean on Hachmeister plenty this season.
“He brings speed and intelligence,” he said. “He’s an excellent football player. He has put on about 20 pounds this offseason, and he hasn’t lost his speed. That is a big, big deal for us. We’re going to rely on him.”
One key position with some new faces was quarterback. For the last two years, Tualatin was guided under center by Nolan Keeney, widely regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in the state, who committed to play for BYU.
Heading into the season, the quarterback position was up for grabs between Hagerman, a senior, and junior Carter Powers. Ferraro thought he’d pick a starter after preseason, but said both performed so well he wasn’t ready to make a choice.
He switched off between the two quarterbacks in the win against Clackamas, giving each quarterback two drives at a time.
After the win, he’s still not ready to make a decision, as both quarterbacks continued to play well.
“They’ve competed so well in the summer that it was hard to say you’re the starter and you’re not,” Ferraro said. “We’re going to keep rotating for a little while and see who rises to the occasion, and if both of them do, then it’ll be a hard decision to make.”
After Hagerman led two straight touchdown drives, Powers matched him with two touchdown drives of his own. In fact, Tualatin had seven drives in the first half and scored touchdowns on the first six of them.
On the seventh drive, the Timberwolves got the ball back in their own territory with 1:13 to go in the half. Powers led an impressive drive to get Tualatin in a position for a long field goal attempt, which was not converted.
“Owen was really surgical and Carter was creative,” Ferraro said. “There was a couple times when he was in there, and the pocket broke down, and he just he extended the play and made some amazing throws.”
Ferraro said he saw a lot of positives all over the field in the win to kick off the season, especially for a bit of a younger team than he’s had the last few years at Tualatin. In recent years, Tualatin has come into the season with some big-time collegiate prospects, guys who could carry the team.
This year, Ferraro thinks things aren’t as top-heavy, noting the team’s depth at receiver, in the secondary and in the backfield.
“We’re going to be young this year and we’re going to be inexperienced,” he said. “The only way to get experience is to do it. A lot of a lot of young guys played (in the first game), which was good. You really have to get somebody to separate and show that they’re the guys.”
One guy who stepped up in the win, Ferraro said, was junior receiver Carter Lemon, who caught a slant pass over the middle and outran practically the entire defense for a long touchdown in the second quarter.
Ferraro also praised the run game, which accounted for three touchdowns of their own. Senior Ty Flowers rushed for two scores, and sophomore Iden Rule ran for another. While Hachmeister caught two touchdown passes, he is primarily a runner, meaning the running backs scored five combined touchdowns in the win.
“All three are great kids,” Ferraro said. “We play in a league of Division 1 running backs, and all three of them could start for 90 percent of the teams in the state. They’re great team guys, who are all team first. They know sometimes you get touches, sometimes you don’t, but the most important number is the one under the Wolves.”
