Thanksgiving playoff menu: Quarterbacks of all shapes, sizes and skill sets
They come in all shapes, sizes and skill sets.
It doesn’t matter what division these quarterbacks reside in, or in what part of town. Some have never met, but they have all heard of each other, and they share a common goal of capping the weekend by clutching onto a blue banner and hoisting it high to appreciate and admire.
The Sac-Joaquin Section championship games in Divisions I, II, III and V feature signal callers who are as versatile as they have been resilient and big-game calm.
“You have to have a good quarterback to have a chance and to win,” Elk Grove coach John Heffernan said. “Otherwise, there’s no chance.”
Each of the remaining area survivors — Monterey Trail, Oak Ridge, Elk Grove, Whitney, Placer and Center — have a chance because of the guys leading the offenses.
Division I: The veer vs. the spread
In the Division I showdown Saturday night at Hughes Stadium, Justin Lamson of Oak Ridge leads the charge against Monterey Trail.
The offenses could not be any different. Viktor Timonin is the X-factor in Monterey Trail’s run-heavy veer offense and Lamson the trigger man for Oak Ridge’s prolific spread scheme.
Timonin has to keep the ball on runs or hand off while faking — all in a flash — as the Mustangs (12-1) average nearly 300 yards rushing a game and have gone for 3,855 this season and 51 touchdowns on the ground.
And Timonin is capable of throwing a key touchdown pass, as he did to salt away top-seeded Folsom with a late strike to Antonio Williams in a stunning 35-23 semifinal victory Friday. Monterey Trail aims to grind opponents on the ground, and it worked brilliantly against Folsom to the tune of having the ball for 40 of the game’s 48 minutes, allowing Monterey Trail to run 84 plays to Folsom’s 31.
Timonin is proof that statistics don’t offer the full measure of a winner. The senior has passed for 653 yards and 10 touchdowns without any interceptions, and he has rushed for 157 and three.
“Viktor’s been good for all all season, a great leader, and that’s what you have to have,” Monterey Trail coach T.J. Ewing said.
Lamson looks the part of the area’s next elite quarterback recruit. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound junior is poised in the pocket and a jet in the open field. He has passed for 2,829 yards and 21 touchdowns, and he’s rushed for 268 yards, including a season-high 73 on eight carries in a 56-21 victory over Inderkum in a semifinal to move the second-seeded Trojans to 10-2.
And he speaks for all quarterbacks when he said, “I just want to win.”
Like other passers, Lamson is sure to credit and feed his linemen. It’s common fare for Lamson to host a grub fest for his blockers. This week it was ribs.
Oak Ridge has had its share of star quarterbacks, including Shane Steichen from the 2000s and now the offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers, and Ian Book in recent seasons. He’s now the star passer at Notre Dame.
“Oak Ridge has had a great history of quarterbacks,” Oak Ridge coach Eric Cavaliere said. “Justin’s really setting himself apart. He’s the best athlete we’ve had at that position in my 20 years coaching here. We joke that when we need to fill a spot, he’s our guy — at guard, on defense. Just put Justin in there!”
Division II: Burst vs. drop back
In Friday night’s Division II final at Hughes Stadium, Carter Harris leads No. 6 Elk Grove (9-4) against fellow upstart No. 9 Whitney (7-6), led by Eli Brickhandler.
Brickhandler appreciates every ounce of every victory after his team endured an 0-10 season in 2018. Whitney (7-6) has a balanced offense led by a 6-1, 185-pound junior who doesn’t shoot bricks or throw ducks. He has passed for 2,001 yards and 18 touchdowns and rushed for 642 and six.
“He’s been so good for us,” Whitney coach Zac McNally said. “I’m glad we have him for another year.”
Carter is all of 5-6 and 155 pounds of muscle and burst. If he isn’t the quickest guy in the section, he certainly is on the shortest list.
“He’s amazing, phenomenal, just a great player,” Heffernan, the Elk Grove coach said. “He’s done such a great job of running our offense, and it’s not an easy one to run.”
Elk Grove runs the triple-option, which requires Harris to make quick reads before handing off to backs such as Hunter Hall, or to keep and go. Hall has rushed fro 1,170 yards and 17 scores. Harris has rushed for 1,659 yards and 22 touchdowns and he’s passed for 314 and three scores.
“I like that we have weapons such as Hall,” Harris said. “I have a lot of options. You can’t stop us all. I love to run. This offense fits me.”
Said Hall of Harris, “He’s special.”
Division III: Haswell and the Hillmen
Placer’s intent throughout its march through the D-III playoffs has been to run foes ragged through the power, speed and deception of the wing-T.
Hans Grassman is the leading horse for the Hillmen, chugging for 1,587 yards and 26 touchdowns with the speed element coming from Jesse Whigam. So where does that leave Placer quarterback Martin Haswell? Capable of burning teams bent on loading the box to stop the run, that’s what.
Haswell has passed for 931 yards and six touchdowns, including a scoring strike to help previously unbeaten Buhach Colony of Atwater 21-20 in a semifinal to put second-seeded Placer (10-2) into its fourth successive section final, this time against No. 4 Manteca, a power running team. The Hughes Stadium game starts at 4 p.m. Saturday.
“Very proud of Haswell and his development,” Placer coach Joey Montoya said. “He’s a future college baseball player who has gotten better every week. He went from a game manager to a guy we can lean on.”
Division V: Worthy Michael
Michael Wortham does it all for D-V top-seeded Center except drive the team bus, and he almost did that Monday.
The diminutive and upbeat senior hopped out of the spiffy school-district issued ride driven by coach Digol JBeily and joked that he’d be glad to man the wheel on the way back from a section breakfast in Lodi to the Antelope campus.
JBeily just wants his leader to focus on football and 11-1 Ripon for Saturday’s noon finale at Hughes Stadium. Wortham is 5-9 and 160 pounds who is often the fastest guy on the field and the most difficult man to stop.
And he has moves off the field. Wortham enjoys dancing to any beat and says, “I just like to have fun. Life is good!”
He also said of winning a championship, “That would be amazing. My heart’s beating fast for it already. We’re ready.”
Wortham has accumulated more than 3,300 yards of total offense, including 28 passing touchdowns and 18 rushing scores for a 12-0 team that is off to the best start in program history. The school opened in 1982.
Wortham was on full display in a 47-12 semifinal rout of Bradshaw Christian. He passed for 175 yards and four touchdowns in competing all seven of his passes, and he ran for 203 yards and three scores on 12 carries.
Sometimes it takes a good quarterback from yesteryear to recognize a great one.
“First of all, Michael’s a great athlete,” said JBeily, who quarterbacked Center to the 1988 D-III section finals. “He has great leadership skills, and he keeps us loose by having fun. And he leads us through action. That’s what you need to win.”