... - Sports - Preps - Northwestern

Wednesday, Oct. 01, 2008

Northwestern, South Pointe QBs as different as can be

The “Flash” and the “Mechanic.”

They’re two high school quarterbacks guiding 5-0 teams with contrasting offensive styles. One’s a senior, the other’s a sophomore. One’s an athlete, the other’s a pure dropback passer. Their schools are in the same town, maybe 6 miles apart, if that.

One team is ranked No. 2 in the state. The other is No. 3. They meet Thursday night at 7:30 at District Three Stadium in Rock Hill. What more could you ask for?

The “Flash” is South Pointe’s Stephon Gilmore, one of the most exciting players in the country. He’s being recruited by nearly every Division I school in the nation as a defensive back because of his athletic ability.

Gilmore can throw and has good backs taking his handoffs. He’s most dangerous at creating, taking off and running when a play breaks down and leaving defenders grabbing for air. “I love our offense,” said Gilmore, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior with dreadlocks that have gold tips. “I’m glad we don’t pass more. A lot of bad things can happen when you put the ball in the air. It’s a lot safer to run it.”

The “Mechanic” is Northwestern’s Justin Worley, a 6-foot-5 sophomore with a howitzer-like right arm that has turned heads all season.

The question in the preseason was if there was anyone who could step in and replace Will King, who shot holes in the Trojans’ passing records last season. It was a good question. Worley is the answer.

“I’ve always been a quarterback growing up because I was one of the tallest kids in my age group,’’ Worley said. “Being a quarterback, you want to get to high school and pass the ball. I’m happy playing in our offense, and I was ready to take over this year.”

And how.

In his first varsity start, Worley passed for 377 yards and six touchdowns in the Trojans’ 41-21, season-opening win against Goose Creek. Through five games, he’s passed for 1,403 yards and 20 touchdowns.

King, who signed a scholarship with Furman, set school records with 3,395 yards passing and 41 TDs last season. Worley is on pace to break those records.

South Pointe will be a challenge. The Stallions’ defense has allowed only 26 points all season and have given up just 254 passing yards. They have one of the top defensive secondaries in the nation.

But that won’t stop the Trojans from slinging it. They run the “Air Raid” offense, which is based on passing nearly every play. As good and South Pointe’s defensive backs are, Northwestern’s receivers are just at good.

“I’m confident the ball will be caught every time I pass it,” Worley said. “We have good receivers, so I can stay in the pocket and throw.

“I could run like Will did last year if I had to, but the coaches want me to pass. We’re in the shotgun except when we get near the goal. That’s when I’ll often get under center and hand it off to one of our backs.”

Gilmore’s role is totally opposite. He can pass when asked to do so, but he has two bulls running behind him in Devin Wherry and Quinton Darby. Last week against York, a 40-7 Stallions win, South Pointe ran the wishbone most of the first half.

The Stallions’ running attack operates behind a young, but big offensive line. Lanes are usually open because opposing teams can’t afford to get caught napping even for a second. If they do, Gilmore has a way of burning them.

Gilmore has run for 323 yards on 26 carries, an average of 12.4 per tote. He’s at his best in the open field, with touchdown runs of 6, 37, 49, 54, 54 and 58 yards.

“I like playing quarterback because you get to be a leader on the field,” Gilmore said. “The coaches give me the option to check off a play if I see something, and lots of times, they’ll see it before me and check in from the sideline.

“I’m really a quiet person, but when I put on my helmet, that changes. The long runs? That’s not all me. You have to get good blocking. But when I get into the open field, I use my speed and get to the end zone.”

Gilmore has run the 100 (10.9), 200 and on the 400 relay for South Pointe’s track team, but he won’t this spring. He plans to graduate early so he can attend spring practice at the college he chooses.

He said regardless of what people are saying, he still has the same schools in his top five — Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, South Carolina and Tennessee, in no particular order.

Because he’s a sophomore, Worley can’t be recruited yet. But it’s only a matter of time, and Jim Baxter on SCVarsity.com said Monday there’s talk that Worley could be one of the best ever from this state before he’s finished.

But first things first. Gilmore has a senior season to play, and Worley will be starting in just his sixth varsity game. They’ll be matched up in one of the state’s bigger games this week, and Gilmore said the intensity will be second to none he faced.

“I can really say that up to this point, it’s the biggest game I’ll have played in,” he said. “People on both sides with family on the other side. We’re both undefeated, it’s the real start of a good rivalry, and the stadium will be packed. It’s gonna be fun.”

Barry Byers • 329-4099