The Mac Attack - By Luke Westerfield
With the Bomber graduating two all-conference wideouts last year, many questioned who would step up to fill their shoes, but two games into the season, it’s clear that those questions have been answered by junior wideout Colson Mackey. The breakout junior was on the squad last year but ended up seeing a smaller role due to the plethora of experience ahead of him. Nonetheless, Mackey managed to show a bit of flash, making it hard to miss when this explosive, lanky receiver was on the field last year.
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| Photo: RHS Yearbook |
When interviewing Mackey, I asked about how long he has been playing, and he stated that he has been playing for ten years. Playing for the Jr Bombers program in elementary and middle school helped him learn the ropes early on. Mackey’s family also has quite a solid connection to Richland athletics, with his sister Marin Mackey, who was a volleyball standout and graduated in 2021. She would later attend Bellevue College, where she would become an American Volleyball Coaches Association 1st team all America. She is currently attending Western Oregon University.
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| Photo: RHS Yearbook |
Despite his athletic background, this momentous jump in production didn’t happen overnight. Heading into his Junior year, Mackey was exceedingly devoted to developing both physically and technically. When asked what the key to his off-season jump he stated, “I would say the key detail for me in the off-season jump was the work I put in this summer in the gym and on the field. I would lift three times a week, work on my agility three times a week, and run routes at least twice a week with my quarterback. Overall, it was a different mindset heading into this season.” This offseason, Mackey was training at Elite Athletics Training in Richland, where trainer Steven Whitehead was able to help him achieve his off-season goals. Whitehead has also trained many of the Tri-Cities' top athletes, such as Myles Mayovski, Ashton Tripp, Kobe Young, and countless other college athletes. This off-season, Mackey brought his 40 from a 4.91 to a 4.62, his standing vertical from 31 to 36 inches, his broad jump from nine feet three inches to ten feet two inches, and his squat from 290 pounds to 315, all of which has translated quite well to the gridiron this season.
Through the first five games, Mackey is leading the Mid Columbia Conference, leading the league 27-526-8 (receptions, yards, touchdowns). The only stat Mackey doesn’t lead in is yards per reception, which is led by Hermiston’s Dale Krebs, who only has a third of the receptions Mackey has, which is drastically inflating that number. Mackey wasn’t shy in sharing his feelings on his statistical dominance, saying, “It’s truly an amazing feeling, but as we all know, our season is nowhere near over, so I just need to keep grinding with my guys so that those results stay the same come the end of the season.” Mackey knows that there is a large amount of football still to be played and isn’t oblivious to his teammates' involvement. It's impressive to see that he is staying focused, hungry, and humble through all the praise and success.
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| Photo: Lit Media |
One final thought I wanted to learn about Mackey was his inspiration for hitting the gridiron in the first place. He responded by saying, “I’ve always enjoyed watching football on TV, and I knew I would love playing it.” With the plays and stats Mackey is posting, he might end up playing on TV, inspiring future Bombers to start their playing careers across the road from Fran-Rish.
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| Photo: Lit Media |
