3 new QBs eager for high school football seasons at Bellefonte, BEA, Penns Valley
Penns Valley coach Martin Tobias chuckled Tuesday afternoon as he recalled finding his future quarterback three years ago — back when the young teen peppered him with questions: What do I have to do to get better? How’s my footwork? How can I learn the reads faster?
That young teen, Justin Sands, is just as inquisitive now — in his first season as the Rams’ starting signal-caller — as he was back then as a freshman. The only difference now is Sands has evolved into a polished senior leader as opposed to the raw rookie projecting potential.
“All that motivation and desire has come together,” Tobias said during Tuesday’s Mountain League media day inside a Bald Eagle Area classroom. “He was always a kid who had a passion for the game.”
Sands won’t be the only new face under center this season. Of the four local teams in the Mountain League, three — Bald Eagle Area, Bellefonte and Penns Valley — will be fielding new quarterbacks.
And all three found themselves on the path to being QB1 years ago.
Sands never stopped asking questions. Bellefonte’s Nick Paloskey stepped up early last season and asked his coach, “How do I put myself in the driver’s seat?” And Bald Eagle Area’s Jordan Jones bided his time the past two years behind graduate Tanner Kresovich and threw 48 passes as a junior.
“With Tanner leaving, I was ready to take the next step,” Jones said matter-of-factly.
All three are seniors, and all three are expecting their respective offenses to take a leap forward instead of a step back.
The Rams’ Sands has attempted to gain that competitive edge however he can. Instead of lounging home on Saturdays or playing Madden on Sundays, he’s taken road trips most weekends to college football camps within a day’s drive. There’s been Purdue and Davidson, Bucknell and Case Western Reserve, Washington and Jefferson and the Team USA Development Academy.
“Now that it’s happening,” Sands said, referring to finally earning the starting nod at QB, “you can’t sit back.”
His fellow quarterbacks in the league tend to agree. The Eagles’ Jones performed in more 7-on-7s this offseason and spent several days a week in the weight room — enough that even his teammates can tell he’s throwing with a bit more juice these days. “A lot of times on the go routes,” athlete Derek Henry said, “he just puts it right where it needs to be.”
Likewise, the Red Raiders’ Paloskey welcomes the added responsibility. He knows the underclassmen have been looking more to him, and he’s fine with that. His coach remembered lauding his ability as a seventh-grader, and Paloskey has finally come full-circle.
“Nick’s put a lot of work in,” Bellefonte coach Shanon Manning said. “He can throw the ball, and he’s an intelligent kid. But he’s also a really good athlete who can run the ball.”
None of the three teams last season reached .500 — Bellefonte came the closest with a 5-6 record — and all three quarterbacks boast high expectations. They’ve been waiting for this season, this opportunity, since junior high. And they plan on making the most of it.
“It’s definitely kind of a payoff for all the hard work I’ve done,” Sands said.
Added Paloskey, with a laugh: “This year, it’s my turn.”
This story was originally published July 25, 2017 at 11:26 PM with the headline "3 new QBs eager for high school football seasons at Bellefonte, BEA, Penns Valley."