For the past two years, Kamiak center Jordan Mochmar snapped the football to quarterback Tyler Becker. Their careers as Knights came to an end last November, but Mochmar isn’t done snapping the ball to Becker just yet.
Both Mochmar and Becker will represent the West squad in Friday’s annual All-Star Football Summer Classic at Central Valley High School near Spokane.
“We’ve established a great relationship from the beginning,” Becker said. “We’ve never had any issues. He’s someone that I can go to if I ever need anything and vice-versa. This will be a good time to kind of hang out with him before we both leave for college. I think he’s really well-deserving of this too.”
In order to participate in the game — which brings together recently graduated seniors from around the state — players needed a recommendation from their high school coach. Kamiak head coach Dan Mack was more than happy to nominate his center-quarterback combo.
“I’m extremely proud of both those young men,” Mack said. “They’ll represent Kamiak and the Wesco with pride. They’re both outstanding young men and I couldn’t be prouder.”
While both Mochmar and Becker are coming off stellar senior seasons, each was surprised when his invite to this year’s game arrived.
“I was kind of taken aback by it,” Mochmar said. “I remember when it happened. We were in weight-training class and Coach (Mack) came into the room all excited to tell me something. He told me … and I was just blown away by it. I didn’t expect it at all and I was really excited.”
Becker had seen other players from around the state posting on Twitter about being invited to the game more than a month before his own invite came, so he too was shocked.
Becker took over at quarterback for the Knights as a junior. There was a bit of a learning curve, but he made the necessary adjustments.
“I told people, even his junior year, that this kid is going to be special,” Mack said of Becker. “He’s a student of the game. He spends a lot of time with his film study. He prepared in the offseason like a guy that wanted to be an all-state quarterback.”
Becker’s hard work paid off in his senior season. He completed 112 of his 176 passes (64 percent), throwing for 1,883 yards and 19 touchdowns. He was intercepted just four times.
“I think the main thing that really contributed to his success was his preparation,” Mochmar said. “He’s one of the best athletes and best in-shape guys on our team. He works the hardest. You always see him in the gym. You always see him studying plays. It was honestly all in the preparation and being able to see everything on film and break it down.”
Becker’s preparation led to his efficiency on game nights, not unlike Super Bowl-champion quarterback Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks.
“Tyler never really got the credit for that,” Mochmar said of Becker’s preparation. “No one ever really talked about it, it was just expected out of all of us, but he just went that extra step and went extra far. It was the same thing (as Wilson), just without the hype.”
And Becker was fine with that.
“I knew that it would all show when it came to game time,” Becker said. “It wasn’t like I was going to succeed if I was sitting on my butt all day. I think to be successful, any player has to put in extra work like that.”
With Becker at the helm, the Knights completed the regular season with a 7-2 record and finished second in the Wesco 4A. They dropped a 17-13 heartbreaker to Todd Beamer in the quad-district playoffs.
Becker will attend Saddleback College, a junior college in Mission Viejo, California, where he will compete for the starting quarterback job.
The game against Todd Beamer was the only time Mochmar didn’t snap to Becker last season. In Kamiak’s final practice, Mochmar got his thumb caught in another player’s jersey, dislocating it and ripping his nail off. He played in the game, but was unable to snap the ball because of the tape on his hand and was forced to move to left guard.
Mochmar played offense, defense and special teams, rarely missing a play — and he certainly wasn’t going to miss what proved to be his final game at a Knight.
“Nothing was going to stop me (from playing),” he said.
Mochmar started for three years on the offensive and defensive line despite being just 5-foot-9 and 210 pounds.
“He doesn’t care who he’s going up against, he’s going to give 100 percent every single time,” Becker said.
Mochmar will attend Washington State University in the fall, but Friday’s all-state contest will be his final football game.
Mack said Mochmar’s commitment to the game reminded him of another era.
“Jordan Mochmar could have played in the ’50s with a leather helmet,” Mack said. “He’s the type of guy that if you drop the ball, he’s ready to play wherever. He loves the game of football. He’ll play a game of football in a parking lot or he’ll play it on the field. He has a tremendous passion for the game. I call him a throwback football player, just a tough hard-nosed kid with incredible heart and drive.”
Aaron Lommers covers prep sports for The Herald. Follow him on Twitter at @aaronlommers and contact him at alommers@heraldnet.com.
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