Duo takes playing catch to another level

HOUSTON — Goofing off in gym is paying off for receiver Bryan Mason and quarterback Jordan Webb.

The two Hawks juniors share a gym period at Houston High, during which time they spend much of class tossing a football back and forth.

“During P.E. we always do the same thing,” Webb said Saturday, after the pair’s aerial exploits led the Hawks to a blowout win over Barrow.

Along with playing catch during class, Mason and Webb said they also spend time before and after football practice each day working on routes and fine-tuning their timing.

It’s gotten to the point that Webb, a first-year starter for the Hawks, has developed a sixth sense for knowing where Mason is at all times on the field.

“I know his speed, and where he’s going to be at,” Webb said.

It’s likely nobody around Houston High will complain that Webb and Mason spend too much time playing catch. During the Barrow game, the tandem hooked up 11 times for 203 yards and five — that’s right, five — first half touchdowns.

Houston offensive coordinator Rob Hammonds said he tries to spread the ball around to other receivers, but most of the time it winds up in Mason’s sticky fingers. During Mason’s torching of the Whalers, there were several passing plays where he wasn’t the first option, but wound up as the eventual receiver anyway.

Having a passing combination like his, Hammonds said, can often overcome a busted play or covered receiver.

“It makes my job a lot easier,” Hammonds said.

Hammonds said the connection works because of the fact that Webb and Mason have spent so much time on and off the field together.

“They’ve got chemistry, to say the least,” he said.

Mason and Webb — both lanky 6-footers — have been friends since the 7th grade, and also share back court duties on the Houston basketball team. Spending so much time together over the past five years, Mason said, is a big part of their success this season on the football field.

“Chemistry is pretty much the most important thing you can have on a football team,” Mason said.

Despite the fact that Houston has played just three games this season — a depleted Delta team forfeited during Week 3 — Mason is the state’s second-leading receiver with 420 yards, while Webb is second in passing with 864 yards. The duo has connected for more than 100 yards in all three games this season.

Mason’s show was only one off the state record for touchdown catches in a game, though he directed most of the credit to Webb for lofting several perfect spirals over the Whaler secondary.

“All I’ve got to do is catch the ball,” he said.

The most-recent performance was key in that it helped the Hawks improve to 2-1 in the Greatland Conference and keep Houston in the running for a playoff spot.

However, after lighting up the small-schools division this season, coordinator Hammonds said it’s a good bet Mason and Webb won’t be able to fly under the radar any longer.

“I think they’ll be ready for us this weekend,” he said of Houston’s upcoming clash with Northern Lights Conference power Kodiak Saturday at Houston.

Still, Hammonds said there’s no getting around the fact that Houston will need Webb to continue tossing the ball to Mason in order to have success.

“We’re going to have to rely on it,” he said.

As long as the pair continues showing up for gym, that shouldn’t be a problem.

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com