|
|
|
Charlie Fohey is not the biggest guy on the Hannibal Pirates’ side lines, nor is he the loudest.
But then again, it isn’t his job to be either. And these days, that’s all the senior quarterback is focused on — his job.
“The day of the game, I just try to stay focused, try to envision myself making plays,” Fohey said.
Come Monday, Fohey will have the singular focus of helping his teammates avenge the Oct. 30, 42-17 loss to the Helias Crusaders in a sectional rematch.
If Fohey can find the rhythm he had Wednesday night against the Fort Zumwalt East Lions in the first round of the Playoffs, that task will become a little easier for the Pirates. Fohey was 6-for-8 and threw for 114 yards, the most yards he has thrown for since Week 7 against the Mexico Bulldogs when he went 5-for-5 for 117 yards. In total, Fohey has been successful when he and the Pirates go to the air, completing 50-of-81 of his passes for 716 yards.
But that success didn’t just happen overnight. While Fohey has been playing at quarterback since he was in seventh grade, he said that last summer made a big difference in making him the player he is today.
“This summer, I got in the weight room quite a bit,” Fohey said. “In the mornings, after weight lifting, we’d throw around and run routes. I felt like I put my time in there, throwing around with the receivers and getting comfortable with them.”
Part of Fohey’s success comes from an attribute he has had all of his life — handedness. Fohey, a left-hander, has spent the majority of his high school career working with an offense that traditionally has been used with a right-handed quarterback. But, as Hannibal head coach Mark St Clair said, having a lefty under center has presented his team with a unique opportunity to make expand its horizons.
“The challenging thing for us is that all the rest of our quarterbacks are right handed,” St Clair said. “So when we teach something, and we have a pass that we’d prefer to go to one side or the other, it has actually helped us because it has force both the staff and the kids to learn how to go both directions.”
But for all that Fohey does on the field, what he doesn’t do is just as important. Unlike many teams, including Pirate teams of the past, Fohey has been able to turn his focus completely to the offense instead of splitting his time between each side of the ball. That, in particular, makes a big difference to the way St Clair is able to direct the offense.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time and I’ve only had about three or four years where the quarterback didn’t play defense,” St Clair said. “It’s been a big advantage that he doesn’t play defense. He’s able to come to the side line, talk to me about what he’s seeing, what’s going on and what we need to do in the next series.”
Fohey’s strength doesn’t come just from his ability to throw the ball. He also serves as a leader in the offensive huddle, which fellow senior Mat Sims says helps everyone raise their level of play.
“He can be serious when he needs to be, but other times, he can joke around with you,” Sims said. “... Honestly, from my point of view, I don’t like taking things too seriously, because then it’s not fun. It’s a game and he understands that. It’s good that he is loose and jokes around with us because, if we get too uptight, then we make mistakes.”
Sims has been Fohey’s favorite target this season, as highlighted by Wednesday night when all six of the quarterback’s completions, including four touchdown passes, were caught by Sims. In total, Sims has caught 36 passes, 26 more than the next closest receiver, Mark Nemes. Sims said that the flow between he and Fohey, along with the rest of the Pirate receivers, is essential to making the entire offense work.
“Mark is a great running back and Charlie gets the ball to Mark to make plays,” Sims said. “And then, when Charlie goes to throw it, he makes plays. That definitely feeds off of one another.”
Fohey’s teammates and coaches are not the only ones who recognize that Fohey is not the average quarterback. After helping lead his team to an undefeated North Central Missouri Conference, Fohey earned a second team spot at quarterback. But to hear Fohey talk about it, that is definitely not where his focus is.
“It was exciting to get second team All-Conference because I’ve never gotten it before in any of the sports that I play,” Fohey said. “But, I’d rather win as team than have any individual award.”
Charlie Fohey is not the biggest guy on the Hannibal Pirates’ side lines, nor is he the loudest.
But then again, it isn’t his job to be either. And these days, that’s all the senior quarterback is focused on — his job.
“The day of the game, I just try to stay focused, try to envision myself making plays,” Fohey said.
Come Monday, Fohey will have the singular focus of helping his teammates avenge the Oct. 30, 42-17 loss to the Helias Crusaders in a sectional rematch.
If Fohey can find the rhythm he had Wednesday night against the Fort Zumwalt East Lions in the first round of the Playoffs, that task will become a little easier for the Pirates. Fohey was 6-for-8 and threw for 114 yards, the most yards he has thrown for since Week 7 against the Mexico Bulldogs when he went 5-for-5 for 117 yards. In total, Fohey has been successful when he and the Pirates go to the air, completing 50-of-81 of his passes for 716 yards.
But that success didn’t just happen overnight. While Fohey has been playing at quarterback since he was in seventh grade, he said that last summer made a big difference in making him the player he is today.
“This summer, I got in the weight room quite a bit,” Fohey said. “In the mornings, after weight lifting, we’d throw around and run routes. I felt like I put my time in there, throwing around with the receivers and getting comfortable with them.”
Part of Fohey’s success comes from an attribute he has had all of his life — handedness. Fohey, a left-hander, has spent the majority of his high school career working with an offense that traditionally has been used with a right-handed quarterback. But, as Hannibal head coach Mark St Clair said, having a lefty under center has presented his team with a unique opportunity to make expand its horizons.
“The challenging thing for us is that all the rest of our quarterbacks are right handed,” St Clair said. “So when we teach something, and we have a pass that we’d prefer to go to one side or the other, it has actually helped us because it has force both the staff and the kids to learn how to go both directions.”
But for all that Fohey does on the field, what he doesn’t do is just as important. Unlike many teams, including Pirate teams of the past, Fohey has been able to turn his focus completely to the offense instead of splitting his time between each side of the ball. That, in particular, makes a big difference to the way St Clair is able to direct the offense.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time and I’ve only had about three or four years where the quarterback didn’t play defense,” St Clair said. “It’s been a big advantage that he doesn’t play defense. He’s able to come to the side line, talk to me about what he’s seeing, what’s going on and what we need to do in the next series.”
Fohey’s strength doesn’t come just from his ability to throw the ball. He also serves as a leader in the offensive huddle, which fellow senior Mat Sims says helps everyone raise their level of play.
“He can be serious when he needs to be, but other times, he can joke around with you,” Sims said. “... Honestly, from my point of view, I don’t like taking things too seriously, because then it’s not fun. It’s a game and he understands that. It’s good that he is loose and jokes around with us because, if we get too uptight, then we make mistakes.”
Sims has been Fohey’s favorite target this season, as highlighted by Wednesday night when all six of the quarterback’s completions, including four touchdown passes, were caught by Sims. In total, Sims has caught 36 passes, 26 more than the next closest receiver, Mark Nemes. Sims said that the flow between he and Fohey, along with the rest of the Pirate receivers, is essential to making the entire offense work.
“Mark is a great running back and Charlie gets the ball to Mark to make plays,” Sims said. “And then, when Charlie goes to throw it, he makes plays. That definitely feeds off of one another.”
Fohey’s teammates and coaches are not the only ones who recognize that Fohey is not the average quarterback. After helping lead his team to an undefeated North Central Missouri Conference, Fohey earned a second team spot at quarterback. But to hear Fohey talk about it, that is definitely not where his focus is.
“It was exciting to get second team All-Conference because I’ve never gotten it before in any of the sports that I play,” Fohey said. “But, I’d rather win as team than have any individual award.”
