INLAND FIELDHOUSE

Taking a closer look at Riverside Poly senior QB Steven Hamm and there’s just that something about the way he carries himself. Not quite cocky but certainly self-assured.

And at this moment, he has every reason to be.

His last seven plays in a 21-17 come-from-behind victory over Riverside Ramona in Week 1 were as good a stretch as any to be played this season. In order: 1. 72-yard TD pass; 2. 4-yard run; 3. handoff; 4. 11-yard completion for 1st down; 5. 9-yard run; 6. 3-yard run for 1st down; 7. 39-yard game-winning TD pass.

Poly coach Jeff Huerta was restrained in his praise of Hamm following the game, but did say, “Having a guy like Steven that ran the spread last year and is able to throw the ball like that which, if we have to, we can open it up and make some things happen so it’s pretty good for us.”

Going 1-0 is definitely pretty good for you, coach. But what about the player?

Shoulders slightly askew, Hamm first gave credit to his teammates (a classy move).

“I just think we were running the ball effectively at the beginning but they kind of caught on. So when we switched to the passing game, it just opened up for us. My receivers made great catches, and got off tackles,” Hamm said.

He paused for a moment before saying: “I felt that in the fourth quarter, everything just clicked.”

Added Poly coach Jeff Huerta: “Ramona was giving us some different looks and making things tough and Steven and the offense just stayed the course. Made plays when we needed them. He’s resilient. He was resilient.”

Resilience is a characteristic of confidence. Losing to Ramona was not an option, in Hamm’s mind.

“We shouldn’t be down to this team, and everybody was hungry to win, but that shouldn’t kind of slip our minds,” he said.

So why was he just 3 for 10 with one interception until catching fire in the 4th quarter?

“It (first-game jitters) did have an effect a few times, a little bit, but we have to learn on the run and just go from there,” Hamm said.

Isn’t Ramona just a blip on a schedule that includes Norco and Corona Centennial?

“I’m expecting a lot more building up,” Hamm said. “So we have to get better as the season progresses.”

No one ever said being confident means you lose your grasp of reality.