There are few things more fun to watch than a well executed trick play. If that was ever in question, it was answered on Friday during Studio City (Calif.) Harvard-Westlake High's 43-14 victory against Sylmar (Calif.) High.
The play you see above isn't quite a hook a ladder formation, and it's quite a mad scramble reminiscent of "The Play", but it's awfully inventive nonetheless. In what appeared to be a traditional pass play, Harvard-Westlake quarterback Chad Kanoff dropped back and fired a drive over the middle, which was caught by a downfield receiver.
That reception should have been good for a nice, solid gain on its own, but H-W concocted a way to make it much more. Instead of sliding down for a simple tackle, the initial Wolverine receiver pitched the ball backward as if the team had drawn up a hook and ladder.
The first lateral worked, springing the second ball carrier down the right toward the end zone. Then, as he was wrapped up, he found another Wolverine ready and waiting for his toss.
The lateral sailed smoothly into the final H-W players hands, and he was off to the races for six more points.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, H-W head football coach Scot Ruggles said that the touchdown marked the first time his team had successfully pulled off the trick play. Even if the game wasn't a nailbiter, that had to be a satisfying footnote for a coach who prides himself on in-game execution.
"A win's a win," Ruggles told the school's newspaper, the Harvard-Westlake Chronicle matter of factly. "Obviously, I'm happy for the kids. Always good to get a victory and enjoy the weekend."
And, in this case, enjoy the replays of one heck of a trick play.
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