3 emerging Arizona high school quarterbacks
The Arizona high school football landscape is cluttered with quarterbacks who aspire to greatness.
White became an All-American at Arizona State and had a successful run with the Dallas Cowboys after graduating from Mesa Westwood. Pagel moved from Phoenix Washington to ASU to a 12-year NFL career. Peete, who spent his first three high school years at Tucson Sahuaro before moving to Kansas, became a star at Southern California and made a nice living in the NFL.
Kealy had a good but injury-riddled career at ASU after capturing a state title at Phoenix St. Mary's. And Mesa Mountain View-grad Hall has been putting up big numbers at Brigham Young.
Many others found success beyond the Friday night lights.
The offenses have evolved. Coaches are looking for measurables that are lost on the Drew Brees -sized kids searching for an offer.
"You've got to fit the mold of what that coach is recruiting," said Chandler Hamilton coach Steve Belles, the prototypical pocket passer at 6-foot-4 at Phoenix St. Mary's in the '80s, who had to adjust to Lou Holtz's option offense at Notre Dame. "I don't think there's any science.
"But if you're not 6-4 or taller anymore, it's hard to get a look."
Here is a look at three emerging leaders of the pack in their respective classes:
The senior
Colby Kirkegaard
Phoenix Arcadia
6-foot-3, 185 pounds
Grading out: A Jake Plummer-type who makes plays flushed out of the pocket. Great arm and accurate. Excellent at reading defenses and finding his third or fourth options.
Stat line: He has passed for 1,574 yards and a season school-record 19 touchdowns with four interceptions and has a 192 passer rating operating out of wing-T and spread. He has run for 261 yards on 38 carries and four TDs. He has 43 career TD passes and 13 rushing TDs in his varsity career.
Academics: On his own, he took two online courses in the summer to clear up some freshman classes. He also decided to take his college-entrance SAT a second time just to improve it and scored 1490. His overall GPA is 3.2.
College vibe: No offers yet. He sent out full game films playing against Phoenix Paradise Valley and Scottsdale Coronado to college coaches. Waiting to hear back.
Kirkegaard's self-assessment: "I was fortunate enough to play my sophomore year. My sophomore year the game was going in fast-forward mode. It's completely different now. I'm taking a deep breath and it's slowing down for me."
Coach Jim Ellison's evaluation: "His knowledge and maturity has allowed me to give him audibles and check down plays adjusted at the line of scrimmage, which have resulted in some big plays for our team this season."
The junior
Brett Hundley
Chandler
6-4, 208
Grading out: Perfect in the spread offense where he is as effective running the ball as he is throwing it. Great arm, instincts and strength. Probably had his worst game last week against Phoenix Desert Vista and still had nearly 150 yards passing and 150 rushing and made the game-winning touchdown pass with two seconds left.
Stat line: Since becoming the starting quarterback 5 1/2 games ago, Hundley has passed for 978 yards and nine TDs with two interceptions. He has run for 792 yards (9.2 yards a carry) and seven TDs.
Academics: Has a 3.93 grade-point average. Is taking Honors Spanish 3 this semester.
College vibe: Colorado made a scholarship offer during the summer when he was the backup quarterback and was mainly used as a wide receiver. Arizona, UCLA, Duke,Stanford and Oregon have shown strong interest.
Hundley's self-assessment: "For some reason I don't get nervous. It's never gotten to me. I like the spread offense where I have the option to run or pass."
Coach Jim Ewan's evaluation: "He doesn't get rattled by pressure. I've never seen him lose his composure. He has a certain coolness about him that is impressive. It doesn't look like he's running fast, but he runs so smooth."
The sophomore
Connor Brewer
Scottsdale Chaparral
6-1, 175
Grading out: He was quarterback on Chaparral's 9-0 freshman team, and entering Thursday night's game was 8-0 as a varsity starter. Comes from great athletic genetics. Has two older brothers who excelled as baseball pitchers. Oldest brother Charles (35-0 as a high school pitcher) signed this summer with the Diamondbacks. Sister Ashley recently committed to swim at Texas. Doesn't get flustered.
Stat line: Has passed for 1,160 yards and 12 TDs with two interceptions and a 136 passer rating through eight games.
Academics: Has a 4.0 grade-point average. Takes honors courses.
College vibe: Still early, but UCLA and Notre Dame have already jumped on him. He attended a UCLA home game as a guest of coach Rick Neuheisel. His two favorites are USC and Georgia (his mother's alma mater), but he has not received anything from them yet.
Brewer's self-assessment: "The offense is complex but everybody grasps it and does a good job. I need to work more on my footwork and timing, but overall I think I've played pretty well."
Coach Charlie Ragle's evaluation: "A couple of things make him special. He's wise beyond his years. A lot of kids talk about I want to do this and that. He goes out and does it. And his family keeps him grounded. I've seen this kind of kid before, and it's a rare breed."
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