Camp countdown: Belle Vernon seeks next man up at quarterback
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Tuesday, August 8, 2017 | 6:45 PM
From linebacker to quarterback.
That has been the system that has worked for Matt Humbert in his four years as the football coach at Belle Vernon.
In the last two years, Mike Fine led the Leopards to a 17-4 record and a conference championship. He also served as one of the team's top linebackers.
In his senior season, Fine completed 62 of 106 passes for 817 yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also was the second-leading rusher on the team with 424 yards and 10 touchdowns.
“I don't want to make it all about the quarterback position, but that is the big puzzle piece we have missing,” Humbert said of replacing Fine.
“We have a young kid, a sophomore, who possesses everything we like to do with a quarterback. He is a running threat and a throwing threat. We also have a kid, a senior, who is a big linebacker/tight end kind of athlete. You have a sophomore competing against a senior. They both do different things better. That will be one of the key things that gets ironed out during the camps and scrimmages.”
The sophomore is Jared Hartman, and the senior is Derek Thomas. Both started as linebackers and are looking to be the next man up.
Hartman stands at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds and has the experience of all the first-team reps on the junior varsity team last year. He also received a lot of first-team reps during the team's seven-on-seven camps this summer, with Thomas being one of his top receiving options.
“I think Jared might have an advantage because he got all the JV reps last year,” Humbert said. “He took all the ‘B' team reps and that was his main position last year, where Derek was more of a split time, Plan C-type kid. He really didn't benefit from all those backup reps. A lot of time we gave it to the young kid because we knew he would be playing on Saturdays.”
At 6-2 and 235 pounds, Thomas is a bigger option at quarterback for the Leopards. He served as the varsity backup last year but also spent time at linebacker and tight end.
“Derek was a starter at outside linebacker for us every game last year,” Humbert said. “He played sporadically at tight end. If he is not the quarterback, he has the ability to play at linebacker or tight end. He is a very versatile kid.”
Whether it is Thomas or Hartman, Humbert believes his team is in the position where the program's success won't rely solely on the quarterback's play. The Leopards will be returning a bevy of skill players and a majority of their offensive line from a year ago.
In all, they will be returning seven starters on offense and six on defense.
“I think the key will be the supporting cast,” Humbert said. “I think we have solid receivers, some good kids in the backfield, and a solid line. There is not a lot of pressure for the quarterback to solely lead his team. He is only as good as the guys to the left and right of him.”
Belle Vernon commences its season at home Sept. 1 against Albert Gallatin, and at that point, fans will see if Thomas or Hartman is the next man up.
Drew Karpen is a freelance writer.
Tags: Belle Vernon
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