The fact senior Drew Dalby hadn’t started at quarterback for Hampshire since his freshman year mattered little when he set up to throw in the season opener.
Dalby had simply put too much into his close competition with Ben Corcelles to fail once he’d been declared a starter.
After battling Corcelles since they were freshmen, Dalby cemented his starting spot by completing 21 of 25 passes for 271 yards and four touchdowns in a 28-14 victory over Dundee-Crown.
“We finally had to make the decision and Drew showed a lot of poise and a lot of confidence and really commanded the offense well,” Hampshire coach Mike Brasile said. “Drew was just a little bit ahead.
“He really improved over the past year.”
Dalby did something else over the past two years that made a difference: He grew.
Now 6-foot-5 and six inches taller than his sophomore year, Dalby could wind up being a center during basketball season. It also provides a good football vantage point.
“I’m seeing downfield over the line, my release is different,” Dalby said. “It’s changed everything.”
Dalby replaces graduated starter Jake Vincent, who threw for 4,983 yards over two seasons in Hampshire’s spread offense. Last year Corcelles was Vincent’s backup.
“I didn’t start at quarterback for the sophomores, either,” Dalby said. “Ben and I shared quarterback as freshmen.”
Dalby trained in the offseason with the same quarterback coach Vincent used, Greg Holcomb of Next Level Athletics.
“It was awesome in terms of what he did for my footwork, which wasn’t real good before,” Dalby said.
Brasile said it easily could have been Corcelles taking snaps at 7 p.m. Friday when the Whip-Purs (1-0) play at rival Burlington Central (0-1) — the quarterback battle was that close.
“The two of them showed maturity and were friends through the whole process,” Brasile said. “A couple weeks ago we still had Ben in front of Drew and Ben went home and said he felt bad for Drew because he’s been working so hard. Then we had Drew in front of Ben and Drew was like, ‘I feel bad for Ben.’
“It’s really nice to have two kids like that at the leadership of your program.”
Multitasking: Senior DJ Ball replaced sophomore Marc Narvaez at quarterback during the go-ahead TD drive for Larkin (1-0) in Friday’s 14-3 win at Mundelein. But Royals coach Dragan Teonic doesn’t necessarily think it means Ball will be taking the snaps at Elgin Friday against Maine West (1-0).
“DJ has a lot going already so we’ll see,” Teonic said. “The kid is a linebacker, a slot receiver, running back, can play quarterback, he’s a holder on kicks. He does it all, and the great thing about it is he’s a great kid.”
The challenge for Larkin’s defense this week is a bigger Maine West offensive line, emphasizing a two-tight end approach. It’s a power style matched up with Larkin’s smaller, fast defenders.
“Maine West is so disciplined,” Teonic said. “We have to be. We had way too many penalties last week and can’t again.”
Keen observer: Quarterback Josh Raby of Dundee-Crown (0-1) used a sophomore season when he had a broken collarbone to his advantage, and perched next to coach Mike Steinhaus during varsity games.
To coaches, it’s called taking mental reps. And Raby feels he made the most of it.
“I would watch both games, varsity and sophomore, from next to the coaches and try to take it all in,” Raby said. “Varsity was far more complex with all the motions they run, but I learned.”
Raby, a junior, threw for 130 yards against Hampshire in his varsity debut and faces Jacobs (0-1) at 7 p.m. Friday at home.
Twitter@genechamberlai2
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