Lane, Hackett Carry Air Mail for Valley

This is the place to be for Randall Lane and Leaford Hackett. Actually, the same goes for every member of the Valley College football team.

The Monarchs (2-0), featuring the state’s most-productive offense, play Bakersfield (3-0), ranked No. 1 in Southern California, in a Western State Conference interdivision game at 7 tonight at Valley.

Valley’s potent passing attack ranks second in the state, and Bakersfield has rushed for 934 yards, more than any team in the state.

The season’s most-anticipated matchup easily could develop into an offensive showcase.

All of which pleases Lane and Hackett, Valley’s top receivers, while placing them at the forefront.

Lane, 6 feet 2 and 203 pounds, leads the WSC with 22 receptions after catching only eight last season. Hackett (5-10, 175), who caught 33 passes last season, has 15 this year.

Both sophomores took different routes to earn their roles.

Lane, who caught 20 passes as a senior at Simeon High near Chicago, moved west in search of a job as a receiver where he wouldn’t be wasted.

“When I played wide receiver in high school, I wasn’t getting the ball that much,” Lane said. “They wanted to run it, run it, run it. One of my coaches knew one of the coaches here. I talked to my mom about moving out here.”

Lane looked more like a fullback than a pass catcher when he arrived at Valley. He weighed 235 pounds.

“We wanted him to play tight end and he kept telling us he was a wide-out,” Valley Coach Gary Barlow said. “And he was right. He really worked hard and took advantage of our program and used it to the fullest to better himself.”

As Lane lost weight, he gained confidence.

“I wasn’t used to the spotlight before,” Lane said. “But I’m used to it now.”

Hackett was accustomed to making headlines as a running back, quarterback, receiver and kick returner at Poly High.

He decided to concentrate on playing receiver at Valley because he considered the position his best.

“I couldn’t adapt if I was to go to [college] and be a running back,” Hackett said. “I’d be really frustrated. For me, going to school here is a perfect fit. It ain’t too far from home, and in this offense, everybody’s open.”

Quarterback Tom Racius, who has passed for 745 yards and four touchdowns, typically has four receivers to choose from and few plays are designed for an intended receiver.

But most throws find their way to Lane or Hackett.

“In this offense, you really can’t look to one receiver,” Racius said. “I’m not throwing the ball to Randall on every play or anything. It’s not that I look for one or the other.

“Leaford is a smaller, quicker receiver. Randall, he’s big but very fast. But they both have great hands.”

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