LOWER LAKE >> He is the 14-year-old freshman junior varsity quarterback at Lower Lake High School whose unusual name — Hokulani Wickard — turns a lot of heads.
It”s reasonably safe to predict that the name will capture even more attention in ever-widening circles as Wickard plays through his high school years at Lower Lake. And not just because it is Hawaiian.
Indeed, Wickard has the potential to be a two-sport impact player. He has a devilish Huck Finn-type boy”s face, but a mature approach to football and basketball that keeps getting better.
He also has a firm grip on his destiny.
It wouldn”t be too much of a stretch to say he is already the best pure pocket passer in Lake County. Ten of his completed passes have been for touchdowns, which is three fewer TDs than all five of the county”s varsity quarterbacks have combined. He has thrown for more than 800 yards in four games.
Wickard is a prodigy with a physical development (6-foot-3, 190 pounds) well above his 14 years. His throwing accuracy is as good as any quarterback in the county. Indeed, he could be a varsity starter if not for the fact that the position at Lower Lake is held down by Isazah King, arguably the best player in the county.
He has already been tabbed as a varsity starter by Lower Lake varsity boys” basketball coach Tim Biasotti.
Scholastically Wickard is a steady fixture at the top of his class. Ed Fuchs, head coach of the Trojans” JV football team, said he posted six A grades out of seven classes on his last report card from Lower Lake Elementary from where, incidentally, he brought Student of the Year honors with him when he checked into high school.
Certainly Wickard has the presence of a quarterback. And no one outworks him.
“I remember the first day I came in and saw (Wickard) was instructing players,” said Lower Lake varsity football head coach Justin Gaddy. “I said, ”What are you doing? I”m the head coach.” But, like a Tom Brady, he”s the coach on the field. He knows what the assignment is. The kids trust that he knows what he”s talking about and he proves it by the way he plays.”
With King ensconced as varsity quarterback at Lower Lake, Gaddy has the luxury of bringing Hokulani along with players he has teamed up with in prior seasons as well as this one. As Gaddy says, they trust him.
“He”s one of those guys who makes good reads,” said wide receiver Marlon Jones. “With his leadership at quarterback, I feel a lot more confident.”
Jones had just scored on a pass from Wickard into the left side of the Gordon Sadler Field end zone where the nearest juked Upper Lake defender was 10 yards away.
“We”ve been working on that play since June,” said Jones. “We got our timing down; it”s easy now.”
Said Fuchs: “That play made me smile.”
Hokulani may be the youngest quarterback this side of the Mississippi — or maybe both sides — who is allowed to check off plays at the line of scrimmage. He has an instinct for the open receiver.
“We have some plays that are reads for him,” said Fuchs. “We have a couple of plays where he”s either handing the ball off or keeping it.
“I”ve coached some good players, but I”ve never coached anybody like Hokulani as a freshman that I can think of,” Fuchs added.
What Lower Lake has in Wickard is a quarterback who will bring a whole new vertical dimension to the Trojans” offense for the next three years.
“A lot of people run the ball, run the ball, run the ball,” said Fuchs, “But I remember watching Hokulani three years ago when we were out here practicing. Youth league practice doesn”t start until 5:30, 6 o”clock, but you”d see him on the sidelines throwing the ball around, and then he would stay after practice and put in the extra time more than anybody else.”
Having seen Wickard”s maturity during summer league play, Lower Lake basketball coach Tim Biasotti can hardly wait to get him on the basketball court. Hokulani is tabbed for a starting job as either a shooting guard or small forward.
“He”ll be starting,” says Biasotti. “He shoots well and he rebounds well. He can guard people that are bigger than him or smaller and quicker than him because he”s smart enough to know how to adapt.
“He had a very good summer,” Biasotti added. “He averaged over 10 (points per game) and was always around 10 rebounds, too.”
Said Fuchs: “Because he”s a better basketball player than he is a quarterback, I asked him the other day, ”If you went to college what would you play? Basketball or football?” Football, he said. Either way, he”s got a bright future in front of him.”
The question is, how did Wickard get this good that young?
“He”s been working hard and finding his game,” said his father, Damien Wickard, an assistant coach on the Lower Lake football staff, of his only offspring. “No tire hanging from a tree (for throwing accuracy).; we traveled around and went to the summer camps. He worked with Isazah and put some time into the game. Even to the extent of placekicking. Hokulani says he is accurate from 30 yards in competitive situations.
“He”s got a long way to go and a lot of work to do,” his dad added.
The main part of that work will be academic.
“All As required,” Damien said firmly.
Hokulani says he started throwing the football in fifth grade and started playing quarterback in sixth grade.
“I played mostly on the line when I was in sixth grade and younger,” he said.
His passing accuracy is a product of incessant training.
“Every day in practice my teammates make me better,” he added. “I love my team. They encourage me and that makes me better. I get on them and sometimes they get on me.”
His role model is NFL quarterback is Philip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers.
It”s an interesting choice. Rivers is a 10-year NFL veteran. At this stage of his development Wickard most resembles a young John Elway.
With more than three years remaining in his high school career, Wickard would seem to have unlimited potential. He”s an outstanding student quarterback and two-sport athlete with a strong work ethic, an ability to throw like John Elway and command respect like Tom Brady.
Think about that.
