Quarterback Cory stepping up for Crocus Plains

Football season is around the corner, and Crocus Plains new starting quarterback Jake Cory is stepping up in a big way despite being one of the younger players on the team.

Football is without a doubt a team game, but people tend to place a lot of importance and expectations on the performance of the starting quarterback. This season, Cory — who is going into Grade 10 — will start at quarterback for the Plainsmen.

“I’m feeling good,” said Cory about playing with the varsity team. “Glad coach gave me the opportunity and I’m really excited for the season to start.”

Last year, Cory quarterbacked the junior varsity team to a 1-3-1 record. This year, he hopes to improve on that in his first year with the varsity squad.

It’s been just over a week since Crocus opened camp, but Cory is already proving the coaches were right to put their faith in him.

“He’s a leader, he’s big, he’s athletic, he’s fast and he’s strong,” said head coach Mason Kaluzniak.

Long gone are the days of pure pocket passers. In modern football, dual-threat quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes and Jayden Daniels dominate the gridiron through the air and on the ground.

Cory’s athleticism gives him the ability to play a similar style. When the pocket collapses, he often uses his legs to scramble before making a pass or heading up field himself.

“That is such a weapon for him, the way that he can get out of a mess and get down field with his leg and move the chains,” said Kaluzniak. “That’s no surprise, it’s part of the reason he’s here.”

Last Friday, the Plainsmen saddled up and hit the road for their only pre-season game against the Elmwood Giants. The team showed well given that they’d only had four days to come together as a team.

“Early in the season, it’s so good to play another team because it brings up the intensity,” said Kaluzniak. “Some of the execution wasn’t quite there, but I mean, with four days of practice that’s to be expected.

“I thought some guys showed they are capable of playing at this level, and we had a ton of fun.”

Cory was one of the guys who showed his ability. Something that was very nice to see for the coaching staff.

“Even from when we played in spring to this first game it just seems like his confidence has risen at the position,” said Kaluzniak. “He’s willing to stand in there, he’s willing to throw the ball and he was really putting it on a tight rope for our guys to get it.”

There’s certainly no shyness in the young quarterback who was nothing but excited about his first start, even if it was an exhibition game.

“It went pretty good,” said Cory. “Our team felt great. Playing against bigger and better guys felt awesome.”

Seeing him perform is especially nice considering he has a very long runway at the varsity level with his Grade 11 and 12 years ahead of him. When you have a young guy that you can develop, you can plan to build a very strong team around him down the road. He’s soaking everything in and learning with every rep.

“I’m developing the IQ side of the game,” said Cory. “Making the right reads and making the right throws.

Alongside his skills, Cory is also developing as a leader. Something that may come as a surprise given that he’s two years younger than some of the veterans on this team.

“You need your quarterback to be a leader, you need your quarterback to carry himself in that way and he does,” said Kaluzniak. “He’s a quiet leader, but so far he’s really stepped up.”

There’s just a week left in the pre-season for Crocus Plains. On Sept. 10, the team travels to Winnipeg for a game against the Grant Park Pirates. The following week the Plainsmen play their home opener against the Miles Mac Buckeyes on Sept. 17.

Both Grant Park and Miles Mac are good teams, but Kaluzniak sees a road to a 2-0 start if the team comes out of the gate running. For that to happen, they will need to maximize their remaining practice time and give their young quarterback as many reps as possible.

“We’re getting it. With more practice we’re getting better every day,” said Cory.

» rmccarthy@brandonsun.com