By JOSH AUBREY
jaubrey@statesboroherald.com
It’s rare to have a four-year starter in high school football, especially at the quarterback position. This fall Beckham Jarrard will start under center for the third-straight year for Statesboro High, and the good news for coach Matt Dobson is he still has one more season to play.
Jarrard was thrown into the starting position as a freshman and responded by passing for 1,628 yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for over 200 yards and two more scores. Last year as a sophomore he helped lead the Blue Devils to eight wins and the second round of the state playoffs throwing for over 1,200 yards in just eight games with eight touchdowns and just one interception. He also ran for 480 yards and a pair of scores.
“He actually been around the program for three years and has really gotten to know everyone as well as continuing to develop within the system,” said SHS coach Matt Dobson. “I feel like all of our players trust Beckham which is huge, especially at the quarterback position. As a player on the field, he has just continued to grow in the knowledge of our offense. Now we are able to get into the intricacies of the offense. He has also really hit the weight room and gained 10-20 pounds of muscle which shows his dedication and you can see how much harder he can throw the ball, he’s also faster running the ball.”
Jarrard feels his knowledge of the offense has been a key to his progress this year as well as the work he has put in getting bigger, stronger and faster.
“I really know better where I am going with the ball as well as reading defenses and making pre-snap reads,” Jarrard said. “Knowing what I am doing and having coach Dobson trust me is also making things a lot more fun. I have been gaining weight and I feel like my velocity in throwing the ball has really increased.”
Entering his third year as a starter should help him progress, but what may help him to have a truly breakout season is the number of weapons he has around him, with a seasoned offensive line and some playmakers at the skill positions.
“We return some experience up front which should help him throwing and running the ball,” Dobson said. “Our skill positions are deep and talented with speed and size. Todd Easter, Matthew White and Gideon Fulcher are all over six feet tall and can all catch and run the ball with Kevin Cello at slot and Davis Harrison at tight end. In the backfield we have size with D.J. Brooks and depth too with Jamon Chavers, M.J. Kimble and Jhaden Perkins.”
“There are a lot of talented players out there to help us this year,” Jarrard said. “There are a lot of new guys and new starters but we have worked hard building chemistry over the summer and I think it will really pay off this year. I think we have the chance to be very balanced in running the ball and throwing the ball which will keep defenses guessing.”
