QB Competition Breakdown

For the past 7 years, the Quarterback position for the Miramar Patriots has been one of the most high profile positions in all of High School Football.

Geno Smith, 2005-08

Beginning with Parade magazine All-American Geno Smith, this group has been incredibly productive over the better part of the last decade. Smith led his team deep into the playoffs for 4 years, culminating in the first Regional Championship in school history, and a berth in the 2008 Class State Semi-Final, where the Patriots lost to Miami Northwestern.

Ryan Williams, 2009

After transferring from American Heritage, Ryan Williams built on that success and guided the team to the 2009 Class 6A championship. In the title game, Williams had a record breaking performance, where he shattered previous marks set by players you may have heard of: former Wake Forest QB Riley Skinner and Florida Gators 2 time National Champion and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow.

Camren Hudge, 2010-11

Following those prototypical QBs for the previous 5 seasons, Miramar went in another direction the last 2 years. Undersized at 5’9”, but possessing a big arm and huge heart, Camren Hudge took the reigns under center for the Patriots, and led the team to a 22-4 record. Hudge led the team to the 2011 Class 8A State Championship game, where his team was defeated by Tampa Plant.

Now, with those former Miramar QBs all having moved on to the FBS (Division 1A) college ranks at West Virginia, University of Miami, and Florida Atlantic, the Patriots are in search of the next player who can continue to guide this program into the upper esceleon of State and National powers.

This year, there are 3 players who are competing to be the next Miramar Quarterback. Let’s meet the candidates (in alphabetical order) and look at their strengths and weaknesses:

#18 Gernald Hawkins, Sophomore, 5’10” 175lbs

Hawkins is the only returning player at this position. He’s already played some good games in Branca Stadium, both as the JV starter and the Varsity backup.

Strengths

• Prior knowledge of the system with his 2 years in this version of the Spread Offense.
• Very athletic, and can use his running ability as a weapon in the Read Option game
• Has been around the program, and understands the Patriot Way
• A proven winner, having led the JV team to a 11-1 record over the last 2 seasons, including their first undefeated season this past year.

Weaknesses

• Like Cam Hudge, less than prototypical size for the position
• Not very consistent throwing the ball
• Struggles to read the defense
• Tends to panic and run if first option is covered on a pass play

#12 Nick Jeanty, Sophomore, 6’2” 180lbs

Jeanty has starting experience from his time at Archbishop McCarthy, earning a reputation as one of the next great South Florida quarterbacks. No Miramar player has worn #12 since Geno Smith wore the Red, White, and Blue. That could change with Jeanty on campus.

Strengths

• Great height for the position. Looks the part.
• Good feel for the rush in the pocket. 
• Has a good on-field relationship with 2 receivers who will see lots of snaps (Kwasim West and Tyler Williams)
• Previous starting Varsity experience, so he understands what it takes to compete at the highest level
• Throws a beautiful ball up the sidelines

Weaknesses

• A bit on the thin side. Needs to add size to his frame
• New to this system, so he can be confused by his reads at times
• Not as accurate on intermediate and crossing routes as he is on sideline throws
• Not fleet afoot. Needs good protection to be effective

#14 Lee “Bud” Martin, Sophomore,  6’1” 210lbs

Another player with experience playing for a top program after being at St. Thomas for the last 2 years. He's the biggest of the players at this position, and uses his size well on the field.

Strengths

• Tough, Physical approach to the game from his days at Linebacker as a youth
• Very strong arm, can make all the throws in any offense
• Surprising overall athleticism. A good dual threat player, who runs with power when outside the pocket.
• Very upbeat demeanor. Seems to have connected with all of his teammates

Weaknesses

• Accuracy needs to improve  to take advantage of his arm strength in this offense
• Can be overly emotional on the field at times
• Tends to fall in love with chasing the big play, sometimes missing other more effective options
• Only player in competition for QB job who has never taken a Varsity level snap.

Handicapping the competition

As Spring Practice ends, and summer workouts begin, I don’t anticipate hearing anything official on a decision on this position from the coaching staff until the week of the Norland game in August.

The motivation for this is simple: push each player to work their hardest to improve, which will add depth and quality at this position, no matter who ends up winning the job heading into the season.

In my opinion, Nick Jeanty has the inside track for this job after a strong showing this spring. He has shown good accuracy, and is advancing in his knowledge of the system. Bud Martin would be my #2 right now. His arm strength and fiery demeanor lend themselves well to this team, and this offense. Gernald Hawkins is a nice player, but I just don’t think that he has the arm strength or consistency throwing the ball to make up for his lacking ideal size for a Quarterback.

Obviously, it’s early, and each player has a long time to develop their skills and prove to the coaches that they should be the next player at the controls of the potent Miramar offensive attack. 

Those are my thoughts. What are yours?

Until Next Time,

Cameron J. Underwood
Miramar Sports

Spring Game Recap

Spring football is a time for every team to work on fundamentals, install new intricacies to their offensive and defensive systems, and start the process of finding the players who will hopefully lead them to glory in the Fall.

For Miramar, the hard work that was done this spring culminated in the annual Red-Blue intrasquad scrimmage. In the end, the Blue Team beat the Red Squad 36-24. Let’s take a look at what happened:

Red Squad Recap

For the Red Squad, this game was a little uneven. The offense was all or nothing in the first half: 4 3-and-outs, and 1 touchdown. The offense just seemed to be slightly out of rhythm, which can partially be attributed to the enthusiastic defense of the Blue team.

On offense, the Red Squad running backs were the stars of the game. The 5 backs who saw time in the game all ran hard, displaying a wide array of skills. Juniors Alex Lee and Malik Mapps started finding space on the last drive of the first half, and should continue to play key roles into the fall. Sophomores  Trevon Rolle and Cameron Rigby showed good speed, balance, and vision to find open spaces in the defense. Lastly, Darrel Swanson ran very hard in his limited touches as he tried to catch the eye of the offensive coaches. His grit, toughness, and speed stood out in the last few possessions of the game.

The receivers played a decent game. Junior Khalil Webster led the team with 5 catches, and was a huge mismatch, using his 6’4” frame on seam and crossing routes all game long. Junior Sean Avant didn’t get too much work, but definitely made an impact with his limited opportunities. His leaping 40 yard touchdown late in the first half gave his team life, and showed why he’s considered one of the top receivers in Florida. Sophomores Tanares Robinson and Delano Whitehead showed their speed and athleticism, and Freshman Shelby Vertus showed very nice technique and potential in the second half of the game.

The offensive line had their struggles to start, but starting playing very well after a 2^nd Red Squad timeout. While this unit is still working to find the right combination, they have the size and toughness to once again be known as one of the top units in the state.

As with any team, the battle at Quarterback is the headline story. For even more info on this battle, check back later for a full breakdown. As far as the Spring Game is concerned, the Red team can only be mildly pleased with the play from this crucial position. Sophomore Gernald Hawkins started the game, and failed to move the team across midfield in the first 3 drives. After fellow Sophomore Lee “Bud” Martin came into the game, the offense started to have some life. His 40 yard touchdown pass to Sean Avant late in the first half was one of the highlights of the game, and displayed impressive arm strength.

On Defense, 3 players stood out to my eyes in the bell tower: Michael Shivers, Sanka Harris, and Deonta Fair. Shivers and Harris, both linebackers, played with speed and skill, and made life for the Blue team offense difficult. Both players ended the game with 5 tackles by my unofficial count, and will provide quality depth at this position. Fair, a Sophomore Safety, provided solid coverage in the secondary, and had one of the 2 interceptions in this game. His combination of size and speed will be a welcome sight in the secondary this upcoming season.

Blue Team recap

Coming into this game as the “underdogs” to the offensively loaded Red Squad, the Blue Team played with a chip on their shoulder, and came out fast and ended even faster to prove that they were the better team on Thursday night.

Starting with the defense, the front 7 provided constant pressure to the Red Squad offense, stuffing running lanes, and forcing quick decisions from the Quarterbacks. Sophomore DE Anthony Barrow showed a good motor, and impressive strength in his first game action since a knee injury at the end of his Freshman year. Juniors Darius Young and Jaquan Smith also had solid performances on the defensive line.

Linebackers Damarious Graham and Kaywon Davis, both Sophomores, played very well in the spring game. Both were terrors from sideline to sideline, and showed good technique when forced with containing a Red Squad skill player in the open field. Graham finished with 7 tackles, and Davis with 5. If this is a true preview to the production they will be able to provide this fall, the Darkside defense will once again be one of the best units in the State. Adding solid play to this group were Anton Whatley, Shawn Stephens, Alex Trotman, and Wenly Geffrard, who recorded an interception on the last play of the game to seal the win for the Blue Team.

In the secondary, Juniors Terrence Gaskin and Darren Wilcox played well, and will face the unenviable task of replacing Tracy Howard at cornerback. Freshman Tyrek [Ty-reek] Cole has good size (5’11” 170), and played a nice game on the outside and has a chance to earn significant playing time in the fall.

Moving to the offense, the skill position players worked as a complete unit to sprint out to an early lead, and then put the game away after the Red Squad tied it up late in the second half. Many different receivers had good games, including Sophomores Malcolm Anderson, Kwasim West, and Tyler Williams all showed great hands and above average speed. West was the leading receiver with 5 catches and 105 yards in the game, highlighted by a 46 yard touchdown grab to give the Blue Team an early lead.  Freshmen Keygon Dunnings and Khalil Lewis also had a nice outings in this game, each ending with 3 receptions on the night.

All was not well with the receivers, however. Sophomore Geonte Smith dropped 3 passes in the game, and did not seem comfortable at all. Smith, the younger brother of Miramar Alumni and West Virginia Quarterback Geno Smith, will need to improve his performance, or risk losing playing time to the other members of a stacked receiving corps.

The running backs played very well for the Blue Team. Sophomore Khalil Lewis (not to be confused with the Freshman receiver of the same name) played well, and Freshmen Jason Narcisse and Alex Anderson showed they will push hard for playing time among a group of 8 talented backs.

The Blue Team Quarterbacks did a great job of moving the offense and making big plays when they were available. Sophomore Nick Jeanty showed why he is such a highly touted player. Save for an overthrown interception, he was very accurate and made smart decisions with the football. His touchdown throw to Kwasim West up the right sideline was a thing of beauty, and could be something we seen often in the fall.

Freshman Malik Atkins had a nice game in the second half. He showed decent athleticism and a live arm, and could be a nice player down the road.

Injuries

While there were no injuries to players during the spring game, physical maladies did keep a couple players out of the game completely.

The biggest name on the team, Junior Linebacker Jermaine “Country” Grace, was held out of spring practice entirely after injuring his left hamstring at the Orlando Nike training camp back in March. Obviously, his presence was missed and his impact in the game would have been palpable. In the end, the coaches and training staff agreed that it is more important to get him healthy for an entire season.

Junior Defensive Back D’Kambui Greaves was also held out of the game due to a concussion suffered earlier in the spring. This 6’1” 200lb athlete has the potential to be an impact player in the secondary. I anticipate him turning heads and opening eyes as soon as fall practice starts.

In the end, both teams performed well, with both impressive plays and room for improvement. Many wondered where the production would come from after losing 38 players in the 2012 graduating class. The Red-Blue game was the first glimpse of the talent that is still on this team, and should have given all Patriot fans optimism as this team prepares for a tough and grueling schedule this season.

Be sure to check back on Memorial day for the QB Competition breakdown. It will be your full guide to knowing the players who are competing to be the starter, their strengths and weaknesses, and my thoughts on where the competition stands right now.

Those are my thoughts. What are yours?

Until Next Time,

Cameron J. Underwood
Miramar Sports