Oak Park-River Forest football coach John Hoerster doesn’t expect his new crop of quarterbacks to match the performance of Northwestern-commit Lloyd Yates.
The successor to Yates, a three-year starter, will have to find his own comfort zone instead of replicating what Yates did for the Huskies, according to Hoerster.
“We have two sharp kids that know what Lloyd did,” Hoerster said. “They just have to be their own best selves. We’ve pared down the offense and will stick with what they do well.”
In the West Suburban Conference 7-on-7 July 9 at Addison Trail, only one of Hoerster’s quarterback candidates was healthy enough to play. Senior Keegan Smith injured his left hamstring earlier in the week in practice and was held out of the annual 7 on 7, which featured 11 other conference teams.
Junior Jeremy Hunt, the starter from last season’s sophomore team, took most of the snaps during a series of half-hour scrimmages.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Hunt will likely share snaps with Smith when OPRF hosts Fenwick, St. Ignatius and Evergreen Park in a 7-on-7 at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 15. The Huskies will compete in two more 7-on-7s this month at St. Ignatius and at Mount Carmel.
“The varsity is a lot more intense. It’s quicker,” Hunt said. “There are more demands, predicting what passes the wide receivers like and more reads to make.”
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Before the summer, Hunt competed in 7-on-7 tournaments at Westmont Yard and Barrington Fieldhouse. He also started training with quarterback coaching specialist Greg Holcomb of Next Level Athletix, based in Downers Grove.
“I’ve been with him one month,” Hunt said. “There are a lot of techniques on throwing and rolling out. I have to make sure I’m on top [with throwing motion].”
Smith was considered Yates’ backup last season until suffering a season-ending injury after Week 4. The 6-1, 175-pound Smith had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. He returned to throwing the football in late winter.
“I’m very excited after missing last year,” Smith said. “It made me respect the game more. I really appreciate it now.”
Twitter @geomwilcox