First in a series of articles featuring the best high school football players by position. Today, Palos Verdes quarterback Ryan Rakowski.
As you drive down Palos Verdes Drive toward Palos Verdes High, your brain tells you to stop. To the right is the ocean. As you look down from the cliffs, your senses immediately kick in: smell, hearing, sight. It’s the most picturesque view ever. You hear the birds. You feel the breeze. You see miles of calm blue water. You experience a real breath of fresh air.
Football coach Guy Gardner says he tries not to take for granted his daily routine of commuting along the scenic route.
“We think this is a fun place to play,” he said. “The other South Bay teams are closer to the water than we are. We don’t have a lot of water visibility. We’re pretty spoiled.”
It’s the day of April’s total solar eclipse, and the team’s star quarterback, Ryan Rakowski, has shown up to practice wearing shorts with a pattern so colorful he could be hanging out at the beach. During a seven-on-seven contest, the ball flies out of his right hand with great speed and precision.
Rakowski then runs an option play and slides as if he’s about to be tackled. His old days playing baseball are perfectly evident.
“The grass is nice here,” he said. “I’m pretty familiar with the slides.”
What Rakowski does is no surprise, because last season as a freshman he was surprisingly calm, composed and effective, completing 70 percent of his passes for 1,866 yards and 23 touchdowns with three interceptions.
“He puts the ball in the right place,” Gardner said. “One of the many things he does well is he can extend the play, but his focus is on the field.”
Rakowski is a workaholic. He has private trainers to coach passing and speed. He lives in the weight room and has gone from 158 pounds to 170. He is 6-foot-10 and spent the spring and summer playing in numerous seven-on-seven competitions. He studies college and professional quarterbacks. He has a 3.8 grade point average and used to be a multi-sport athlete until he focused on football. During his school’s March Madness days, he joined a group of football players playing basketball and helped them reach the Final Four.
“He works hard at everything he does,” Garner said. “He loves playing this sport and he loves competing.”
In an era where height is no longer considered an obstacle at the highest level, Rakowski continues to work on the details and skills necessary to succeed.
“I’m not the tallest quarterback, so I have to make up for it in other ways,” he said. “I feel like I can make up for it by winging it. There are a lot of shorter quarterbacks these days, Noah Fifita, Bryce Young. They just go out there and play.”
And that’s what Rakowski does: He gets the ball to his receivers even when opponents think they have him trapped or about to ruin a play. He uses his instincts to be a disruptor and frustrate those who think he’s about to miss.
“I feel like I have it in me. I can feel someone coming at me if I’m running and I know I have to get the ball out. I try to direct traffic with the receivers,” he said.
Palos Verdes won its first 10 games last season before having to face Orange County power Mission Viejo in the Division 2 playoff opener. The Sea Kings lost 59-35. Several key players have graduated, allowing the team to build around 16-year-old Rakowski, who will make his sophomore debut Saturday in Hawaii against Iolani.
There are plenty of good quarterbacks this fall, from Corona Centennial’s Husan Longstreet to Mission Viejo’s Luke Fahey to Newbury Park’s Brady Smigiel. Rakowski is capable of earning respect along with them. And his development will give college recruiters another reason to ask them to visit Palos Verdes, where the back-and-forth view is a must.
“I try to drive home on Paseo del Mar every day so I can see him,” Gardner said. “I do it on purpose to remind myself that we have it pretty good.”
Tuesday: Oak Hills running back Karson Cox.
Quarterbacks to watch
Bear Bachmeier, Murrieta Valley, 6-2, 220, Sr.: Stanford commit is sharp and a dual threat
Dash Beierly, Mater Dei, 6-1, 215, Sr.: Washington commit takes over at school with three Heisman Trophy winners
Wyatt Becker, Sierra Canyon, 6-3, 180, Sr.: The Utah commit threw 30 touchdowns as a junior
Luke Fahey, Mission Viejo, 6-0, 185, Jr.: Accurate, decisive and improving weekly
TJ Lateef, Orange Lutheran, 6-3, 190, Sr.: Nebraska commit is versatile and durable
Husan Longstreet, Corona Centennial, 6-2, 190, Sr.: Texas A&M is poised for its best season yet
Madden Iamaleava, Warren, 6-2, 190, Sr.: The UCLA commit threw for 3,626 yards, 43 touchdowns
Steele Pizzella, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 6-0, 173, Sr.: Washington State commit runs 100 in 10.64 seconds
Ryan Rakowski, Palos Verdes, 6-0, 170, So.: Completed 70% of his passes as a freshman for a 10-1 team
Brady Smigiel, Newbury Park, 6-5, 205, Jr.: Will he ever break the record for most TD passes?
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.