FORT WAYNE – Look on the other side of the field, and you will see a pretty decent quarterback as well.
While all eyes will be fixated on the record-setting Zach Terrell from Homestead when the Spartans meet Carroll tonight, mention should also be made of Chargers signal-caller Grant Wilson.
A first-year, full-time starter at QB, the senior has helped Carroll to a 5-1 record, 4-0 in the NHC. After getting spot duty at quarterback as a sophomore and junior, the position is now all his.
“This year has been a lot different,” Wilson said. “I came in for a little bit (as a sophomore), I just felt like I wasn’t prepared then and wasn’t ready for it. Last year, I didn’t have the right mindset. This year, I feel a lot more confident, and I know what my job is as a senior and how to get it done.”
The starting leftfielder for the two-time Class 4A state baseball champions, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Wilson has not only proved his worth with a strong arm but also with some lively legs and good intuition in getting the yards through the air and on the ground. After also playing at receiver last season, Wilson has become the team’s leading passer (709 yards) and leading rusher (724 yards) in 2011.
“When we run our outside zone run, he sees things very well and has great instincts in terms of where to cut back,” Chargers coach Doug Dinan said. “If things break down in front of him, he doesn’t hesitate to get out of the pocket but at the same time keep his eyes downfield. He is very instinctual, without question.”
On the baseball team, Wilson hit .386 with 40 hits, 27 RBI and 25 runs as the Chargers beat Indianapolis Cathedral in the 4A state title game for the second straight year, 5-3, in June and 1-0 in 2010.
“He has been through the fire, and he understands what hard work is all about,” Dinan said, pointing out Wilson’s success on the baseball diamond. “I know he is a baseball guy, and he spends a lot of time in the summer playing baseball as he should. We are always going to be proponents of multisport athletes. After this season, he is going to be able to make some choices. Ultimately, he will get an education for free, and the sport really is insignificant.”
Wilson feels his future is in baseball but is open to any options football could bring him. A three-year starter, Terrell has gotten the spotlight in the NHC and northeast Indiana with his 1,500 passing yards and 24 touchdowns (with no interceptions) for Homestead (6-0, 4-0).
“Zach runs it well, but his understanding of the passing game has really developed, and he has taken off his senior year,” Dinan said. “Zach is a great quarterback, and he has guys surrounding him that obviously are good receivers. Offensively, they have the entire package.”
Wilson’s influence, though, on the Chargers can’t be overlooked either.
“There’s a lot more intangibles than his ability to run the ball and throw the ball,” Dinan said. “He is one of those guys who have become vocal in terms of his leadership, as well as him being a hard worker.”
Wilson compared squaring off against Terrell, a Western Michigan recruit, with facing (and getting wins against) Cathedral pitcher Dillon Peters two years in a row.
“You see a big-time player like Dillon Peters in the state championship, and you see Zach Terrell and you just say ‘Well, if (Peters) is beatable then why not Terrell?’ ” Wilson said.
