So much for getting that definitive answer regarding next fall’s starting quarterback.
Of the five quarterbacks that head coach Kevin Donley sent onto the Bishop D’Arcy Stadium field Sunday, four of them directly contributed to scores during Saint Francis’ annual Blue and White intrasquad football game.
The Blue team, headed by last year’s starting quarterback Shane Tierney’s two touchdown passes, defeated the White team, 35-19.
The individual performances of Tierney, a senior, junior Justin Boser and sophomore Alex Beierwalter perhaps muddled the starting quarterback waters further for Donley.
“No one really separated themselves,” Donley said. “I thought everybody did some good things and some things not so good.”
Tierney was 9 of 15 for 120 yards passing, ran for 20 more yards, threw a 41-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter to starting wide receiver Jared Clodfelter, and had a 20-yard scoring pass to Bryce Thornton that bounced off the hands of B.J. Moore.
Boser, 10 of 15 for 159 yards and 17 rushing yards, connected with Austin Coleman for a 94-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage for the White team. Boser also began the third quarter by conducting an impressive 89-yard drive that reached the 1-yard line, but was thwarted by a goal-line stand by the Blue defense. On the drive, Boser was 7 of 9 and had completed six straight passes.
Beierwalter, 10 of 15 for 95 yards and 24 rushing yards, threw into a narrow window for a 6-yard touchdown pass to Taylor Fulk. But then it was also a Beierwalter toss that was returned 35 yards by the Blue’s Cody Williamson for a touchdown.
And on the game’s final play, sophomore Josh Miller had 10 of his 65 rushing yards on a touchdown sprint to the right corner.
Clearly, the day’s intent was for Donley to evaluate the quarterbacks and wide receivers, because running backs and slot backs weren’t featured.
Coleman, a 5-foot-7 sophomore from Harding, finished the day with six receptions for 145 yards.
With all that offense going on, much of the excitement centered on 6-1 sophomore cornerback Josh Bullock, who broke up five passes.
“I know we didn’t have a name for ourselves, and we lost a lot of seniors on defense, but we just had to step up,” Bullock said. “Maybe they picked on me, or they just found the open guy, but I just had to get there.”
Even Donley noticed Bullock’s effort.
“Bullock had a great spring,” Donley said. “Man, am I glad to see that. Good athlete, good family. And we really needed him to step up like he did.”
But how about that quarterback situation?
“We threw it a bunch,” Donley said. “I was impressed. They all did some nice things.”
