Cannon ready to fire

A year ago, he was a sophomore quarterback learning the ropes by going against the big boys.

Now, with a year of varsity experience under his belt, River Valley High's Greg Cannon is ready to take charge in the huddle and lead the team.

"I rushed myself last year," said Cannon, who took nearly every snap for the Falcons during his sophomore campaign. "I was a little skittish in some games, so the biggest thing is to keep calm and keep my composure."

Last season, some of the seniors may not have been totally behind the underclassman, but much has changed since then. And for Falcons' coach Brandon Asher, the change has been apparent.

"The difference this year is the kids believe in him," Asher said. "The seniors see what he does in practice and they support him."

Cannon went to great lengths to improve his game and received some lessons from former River Valley and current College of the Siskiyous quarterback Josh Hudson in the offseason. And while the two worked on the nuances of playing quarterback, it was Cannon's feet that they spent the most time working on.

"I wanted to cut back on my interceptions, and I want to run the ball a lot more, so we spent a lot of the time working on my footwork," Cannon said. "I feel like I'm faster this year and I'm more comfortable taking the hits."

And to get more comfortable with his new-found footwork, the junior also took part in a creative theater class to hone his skills.

"I did dance for six months this summer and it helped a lot with my balance," said Cannon, who was quick to point out exactly what kind of dancing he did. "It wasn't ballet or anything like that. It was hip-hop music. We danced to (Thriller) and stuff."

Dancing or no dancing, the coach likes what he sees.

"The team rallies around him," Asher said. "Even when I get on him at practice, the team surrounds him and gives him support."