Walker guides Gateway to unbeaten start

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, September 10, 2017 | 11:00 PM

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Entering the season, Gateway probably was not at the top of the list of football teams to watch in Class 5A.

Usually, West Allegheny holds that post.

After two games, the Gators jumped up to No. 3 in the state according to pennlive.com rankings with convincing wins at Woodland Hills and against Latrobe. On Friday, the Gators added a 50-8 win over Connellsville.

“We talk about winning each week, and we will take the (3-0) more so than the other options,” Gateway coach Don Holl said. “We are right where we want to be.”

One of the biggest reasons the Gators are exactly where they want to be is the leadership of senior quarterback Brady Walker.

Walker is in his third year as the starter for Gateway. Holl, who is in his second year as coach, has not taken for granted the importance of having an experienced leader.

“I think you are lucky to have a returning senior at that position,” Holl said. “Obviously, I didn't make him into a great athlete. He is very talented and can make a lot of plays and has done so in every game that I have been with him.”

Through two games, Walker was fifth in the WPIAL and first in Class 5A in passing. He has completed 41 of 65 passes (59 percent) for 751 yards. He also has thrown eight touchdown passes and has no turnovers.

“Being a starter for three years helped me out tremendously,” said Walker, who has thrown for 4,880 career yards. “It gave me the experience some quarterbacks in the WPIAL will never get. The system gets easier every day, and the game slows down. When I started to understand the system, it made me play better and see the field better.”

The lack of turnovers is another attribute Holl believes is a result of having an experienced quarterback.

“He has a better grasp of the big picture,” Holl said. “He executed our offense at a high level last year, but he has taken the next step. He understands what other positions are doing as well. He asked great questions and makes corrections on the field.

“When you have uncertainly at that position, you might guess wrong. He doesn't do that. He knows where the ball is going through his progressions.”

Walker has provided another option in the run game for the Gators. He has rushed for 170 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.

“He runs the ball as well as any quarterback I've coached,” Holl said. “I think he is a great thrower and he is accurate, but when he pulls it down and runs, he is a dangerous guy. We have some packages for him where he can make his own decisions. It gives us a lot of flexibility.”

Walker hopes to use that flexibility to guide the Gators to the WPIAL title game.

“My goal this year is to make it to Heinz since we lost with 5 seconds left last year. Myself and the team are determined to get to Heinz,” Walker said. “Some expectation for myself is to lead the offense and lead the entire team to a WPIAL title. Our success so far has been great, but we have some tough opponents coming up that we can't take lightly.”

Walker and the Gators (3-0, 2-0 Big East Conference) will host Armstrong at 7 p.m. Friday.

“Our job is to make sure we are prepared to play,” Holl said. “For us, this has to be our best game of 2017. Most of the time, if you do what you do as well as you can do it, the wins will take care of itself. It is the most important game because it is this week.”

Drew Karpen is a freelance writer.

Tags: Gateway