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HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK

Lawrence will use pair of QBs

Leathers, Carey will both gets snaps for Bulldogs

By Travis Lazarczyk tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com
Staff Writer

There's an old adage in football, if you have two quarterbacks you don't have one. Lawrence High School head coach John Hersom scoffs at that cliché.

Lawrence played both junior Alex Leathers and sophomore Spencer Carey at quarterback in the season opener, and Hersom said both will continue to get snaps.

Carey started Friday's 27-0 win at Brewer, and gave way to Leathers, who led three scoring drives in the third quarter.

"We're kind of assessing it each week. Before making the decision, we'll look at them throughout the week," Hersom said. "We don't put a lot of emphasis on who actually starts ... We fully intend to use them both."

Each quarterback brings a different skill set to the job. Carey, who missed all of last season with an injury, is a physical runner, but Friday, his inexperience in game situations was apparent, as Hersom thought the young quarterback felt rushed at times.

"We're trying to expand a little bit on our option game, and Spencer has that running game that can help," Hersom said. "At times, the game was a little fast for him. He hasn't been in a lot of live situations."

Leathers has more of a pocket presence, and threw for 81 yards against the Witches.

"Alex is a little more composed. He's not feeling rushed throwing the football," Hersom said.

Hersom proved last season he's not afraid to go with two quarterbacks. Entering the 2009 season, the plan was for seniors Devin Sherman and Bobby Belanger to share the position. But Sherman broke his collarbone in the season-opener against Brewer, and Belanger ran the Bulldogs' offense the rest of the season.

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When forced to punt in Friday's 49-0 loss to Bangor, Skowhegan elected to try a quick kick each time. Punter Chase McKenney took the snap and ran a few yards toward the line of scrimmage before punting the ball away.

"We've done things very similar to that in the past," Skowhegan coach Mike Marston said.

Each time, Bangor defenders rushed toward the line in anticipation of the run. Both times, the maneuver worked in Skowhegan's favor, in terms of field position. McKenney's first punt, from his own 19-yard line, resulted in a Bangor possession beginning at the its own 37, a gain of 44 yards. The second time, punting from his own 25, McKenney sent the Rams back to their own 23, a gain of 52 yards.

"I'm happy with the results," Marston said.

The Indians are young, 29 of their 36 carries went to sophomores or juniors with little varsity experience. If Skowhegan can cut down on turnovers -- three led to Bangor touchdowns -- the Indians will see improvement.

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A couple injuries suffered by key players in Mt. View's 37-26 loss to John Bapst on Saturday don't appear to be as serious as thought.

Quarterback Aaron Santana has a bruised elbow and should be able to start Saturday against Dexter. Santana left Saturday's game in the second quarter.

"He's a little sore, but nothing really serious," Mt. View coach Jack Brady said.

The Mustangs are also relieved that wide receiver Erick Nealley's knee injury isn't serious. Nealley hyperextended his knee in the preseason, then aggravated the injury after catching a 22-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Nealley was in a brace and on crutches following the game.

"Erick Nealley is still a little wobbly, but he's OK," Brady said.

This week, the Mustangs are trying to clean up mistakes made by a young line, on both sides of the ball. A lot of the problems on Saturday stemmed from a young Mt. View line facing a strong John Bapst group, one of the top lines in the Little Ten Conference.

"John Bapst is an excellent football team," Brady said.

Travis Lazarczyk -- 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com