- December 8th, 2006, 6:39 pm
#46493
From today's Washington fishwrap:
Three QBs of Ordinary Stature, but Extraordinary Abilityhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 01898.html
By Josh Barr, Alan Goldenbach and Stephen A. Norris
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, December 8, 2006; Page E01
They have run into each other at offseason training combines and on the field during seven-on-seven passing tournaments. They don't know each other well, but Friendly High's Joe Haden, Osbourn's Brandon Hogan and Sherwood's Deontay Twyman have plenty in common.
Together, they have played a direct role in 139 touchdowns this season -- nearly 60 percent of their team's scores. Their teams are a combined 37-2.
Sherwood's Deontay Twyman, Friendly's Joe Haden and Osbourn's Brandon Hogan have each carried their teams to state title games. (The Washington Post)
And this weekend, the three quarterbacks -- all excellent rushers and passers -- will try to lead their teams to high school state championships.
Haden, who has accepted a scholarship offer to play wide receiver for the University of Florida, has led second-ranked Friendly to a 13-0 record entering tomorrow's Maryland 3A final against fifth-ranked River Hill. Third-ranked Osbourn (13-0), with Hogan accounting for 53 of the team's 64 touchdowns, plays No. 8 Chantilly in tomorrow's Virginia AAA Division 6 title game. And 11th-ranked Sherwood (11-2), with Twyman at the helm, plays sixth-ranked Suitland in tonight's Maryland 4A final.
In addition to winning, the three are bound by one other trait, or lack of it: None are taller than six feet. It is the reason why Haden plans to play wide receiver at Florida and Hogan is expected to be a defensive back at West Virginia. They're the lucky ones. Twyman, despite his gaudy statistics and impressive talent -- he and Haden will finish as the two leading passers in Maryland public school history -- holds just one scholarship offer, from Liberty University.
"All three are very similar in that they all can throw it from the pocket, throw it on the run, they're very smart and they read defenses well," said Friendly offensive coordinator Marcus Berry, who said he has seen Twyman in person and Hogan on videotape. "And all three have the problem that they're not big enough. If all three were 6-2 and above, they'd all be quarterbacks on the [Division] I-A level."
Running to Score
It was the middle of the 2003 season and Friendly was going nowhere fast, when Berry made a call to the bullpen. Just 5 feet 4 and 130 pounds, Haden was a string-bean thin freshman. But he had a strong arm and was football-savvy -- even if he felt his age when he got in the huddle after moving up from the junior varsity.
"In practice, Coach Berry would say the play and I'd have to repeat it, but I was scared to talk," Haden said. "How were they going to listen to me? They're all older than me. But he kept telling me, 'This is your huddle.' "
The diminutive Haden quickly impressed his coaches at the Oxon Hill school, Berry said, because he didn't like to slide or run out of bounds to avoid tackles, and got up after some heavy hits.
Now, three years later, Haden has grown to 5-11, 187 pounds. He's refined his throwing motion to eliminate a hitch. He is fast enough to run away from most defenders and strong enough to break tackles when opponents do get their arms on him.
"When I was a freshman, if I ever ran the ball, I was running because I was scared," Haden said. "Now, every time I run, I try to score. Every single time I run the ball. It's a mind-set."
Another measure of Haden's development can be seen before the snap on many plays. The once-timid signal caller who struggled to relay the play call to his teammates now calls some of Friendly's plays on his own.
When the Patriots get to the line of scrimmage, Haden will look over to offensive line coach Vaughn Smith. If Smith taps the top of his head, it is up to Haden to call a different play.
"We trust he's going to put us in the right play," Berry said. "And most of the time, he does."
'That Special Athlete'
When Brandon Hogan took the field with one minute left in Osbourn's Virginia AAA Division 6 semifinal game against Salem of Virginia Beach last weekend, the teams tied at 21 and nearly 8,000 fans completely entranced, only one thing went through his mind: score.
Sure, Hogan has impressive stats (2,235 passing yards, 1,582 rushing yards) and so much athletic ability that Coach Steve Schultze has redesigned the entire offense at the Manassas school to complement the quarterback.
But Hogan's best attribute is his cool under pressure.
"Brandon is the difference maker," Schultze said. "He is that special athlete that makes kids better on our team."
Against Salem last weekend, Hogan and Osbourn started at their 45-yard line. On first down he was sacked for a five-yard loss, but on second down he found Julian Beale for a 14-yard pass.
Then, with 31 seconds left in the game, Hogan rolled left, took one look at a well-covered Cornell Jones streaking toward the end zone and threw the ball to Jones's right shoulder -- just beyond the reach of the Salem cornerback. The 39-yard pass put Osbourn on the Salem 2. Eagles players and fans were still celebrating the previous play as Hogan calmly wiggled into the end zone for the winning score.
"I talked to him about [Jones's] catch and he said, 'I knew I was going to make a play, and if Cornell didn't catch it, I would have made another play,' " Schultze said. "He is an elite athlete and he knows it's on his shoulders."
Hogan said it simply, "I already knew I would make something happen."
Mr. Do-It-All
Deontay Twyman is a high school senior trapped in junior's body.
Sherwood's standout quarterback has passed for more than 7,000 yards in three years as a starter, led the Warriors to consecutive state finals, and shown an uncanny ability to carry his team through lulls.
He did all this in spite of standing just 5-11, 170 pounds. That's probably because he just turned 17 on Nov. 4.
In an era when many athletes purposely stay behind a year to let their bodies mature, Twyman did the opposite, starting school a year early. Now, despite all of his accomplishments, Twyman has received only one Division I college scholarship offer.
"His arm is a cannon. He can dunk a basketball. He's an unbelievable runner," said Al Thomas, Twyman's coach at the Sandy Spring school. "It frustrates me a little. I guess they think he's too small. But I've sent out 60 tapes on him, and I don't know what they're looking for."
Twyman said some recruiters told him they would offer a scholarship if he would become a wide receiver, but he says, "I'm not going to give up my position."
Twyman said he and his coaches have agreed that his best option might be to attend prep school next year, when, hopefully, Twyman's body will catch up with his experience. Twyman said he's looking at Hargrave Military Academy, whose current quarterback, Emanuel Francis, plans to play for Louisville next year.
"It could kind of be the best situation for me. I get a chance to mature and grow, and still play football," Twyman said. "Hopefully, a win [in the state final] will solidify everything for me."
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