J-M’s Broadwater the man under center
Every kid growing up wants to be the high school quarterback.
Quarterback has a lot of attention and glory around it, but the position also has a lot of stiff mental and physical traits.
The general rule is a team can only be good as its starting quarterback.
Jefferson-Morgan believes it has the right guy under center in 2018 to lead the Rockets to bigger things on the football field in senior Jacob Broadwater.
Coming into training camp last season, the Rockets had a hole at the quarterback spot and fourth-year coach Aaron Giorgi selected Broadwater to fill the void.
鈥淲e really had nobody else to plug in there at quarterback,鈥� Giorgi said. 鈥淲e had a couple of athletic kids, but we wanted to use their speed on the outside. We thought Jake would be a good fit under center and he picked it up really good. He is an intelligent kid and a natural leader.鈥�
Of course with any new position, there will be some type of a learning process.
鈥淲e made some mistakes, but sometimes that蘑菇视频 what you have to do,鈥� Giorgi emphasized. 鈥淵ou can only learn from your mistakes and hopefully be better from it. Turnovers and penalties killed us last season. If we can cut down on those, we might have different outcomes.鈥�
There are definitely some characteristics that Giorgi looks for in a starting quarterback.
鈥淵ou have to have maturity first and foremost at that position,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou have to control the huddle and almost be like a coach on the field. The quarterback has to separate himself from everyone else. He has to be composed and be able to stay on task. Intelligence and being highly competitive are other qualities, too.鈥�
Besides the physical traits, Giorgi pointed out all of the mental responsibilities a signal caller has on the field.
鈥淵ou basically have to know multiple positions,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou have to know what everyone is doing on the field on every single play. You also have to be mentality strong out there. You are the leader that everyone looks up to in the huddle. You have to be consistent and keep things positive.鈥�
One key aspect for a quarterback is the relationship he has with his receivers.
鈥淎s a quarterback, you have to know the passing concepts and your route tree on a given play,鈥� Giorgi pointed out. 鈥淵ou have to spread the ball around, you just can鈥檛 throw it to the same guy. If you do that, defenses will scheme to take that guy out of the game. You have to adjust your eyes somewhere else.鈥�
For Broadwater, who comes in at 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, his growth at the position has really developed over the last year.
鈥淛ake is a hard-nosed kid and loves competing,鈥� Giorgi said. 鈥淚 mean over the last four years, he has played guard, defensive end, linebacker and fullback for us. He has really embrace the position and has really grown into a quality quarterback with a strong arm. He plays baseball (pitcher) too, so he knows how to handle all of the emotions in a given game, no matter the sport. He has really matured for us.鈥�
Broadwater and J-M will open up the season against Waynesburg Central tonight at 7.