HAWLEY — With starting quarterback Rodey Hooper having graduated in the spring, the Hawley Bearcats may have been left scrambling in search for his successor, if not for a stroke of good luck. 

As fate would have it, junior Keagan Ables, the son of head coach Mitch Ables, has completed two seasons as Hooper’s backup and at least four years of consistent film study dating back to his middle school years. 

Add the fact that Keagan has spent the entire offseason packing on 17 pounds of muscle in the weight room, and the Bearcats essentially have a 6-foot 207-pound assistant coach behind center.