Hickman geared up for next season

Gabe Hickman can hardly wait til next year.

With Trojan victories in the final two games of the football season, the junior quarterback has high hopes for the future.

And, why not?

Consider Hickman’s accomplishments Friday:

• With his team trailing Thompson Falls 7-6 at the half, Hickman engineered four second-half scores to lead his team to victory.

• Along the way, he intercepted a pass at the five-yard line as Thompson Falls was knocking on the door for a score that could have buried the Trojans. Instead, Hickman pulled down the ball from his defensive secondary position and ran it back to give his team good field position.

• Hickman and company then parlayed that field position for a TD drive that put the Trojans ahead to stay.

• In all, he was 7-for-17 in passing for 154 yards that included a TD strike to Luke Haggerty and then ran for another — 73 yards no less — just after stripping the ball from a Thompson Falls player during a big gain.

“Yeah, I’d probably say so. I guess this is my best game, yet,” said Hickman, a 190-pound, 5-foot 11-inch junior.

“A big reason we won tonight was because of our defense. I feel like we’re getting better every week,” Hickman said.

While Hickman was reluctant to heap praise upon himself, coach Jim Dasios was more than willing.

“Hickman? He’s key to this team,” Dasios said. “We’re optimistic for next year. We’ve got some good kids coming back.”

That nucleus includes Haggerty and freshman standout Sean Opland.

“We feel pretty good right now,” Hickman said. “I’m ready to play.”