Quarterbacks to watch for Top Ranked NCS teams

The top 5 ranked teams from the North Coast Section a season ago are now looking to build off their momentum as they all finished with 10 wins and remain in the top 5 again for the 2020-2021 season. De La Salle, Pittsburg, Cardinal Newman, Liberty and Clayton Valley Charter all had good quarterback play that helped carry them to succeed over their opponents. With some players leaving, some teams have a situation where they have to look towards a new arm this season (if the COVID-19 situation allows them to play), and some having hopes that their returner can replicate their success from last year. Taking a look at the projected starters for these 5 teams, will give an insight on how the offense will perform given the fact that the ball will always be in the quarterback’s hands every play.   Dorian Hale - 6’1, 175 lbs - De La Salle - Senior The Sacramento State commit has led the De La Salle Spartans to back to back state championship game appearances in the CIF Open Division. The left handed qb threw for just over 2,000 yards, with 17 TDs on a 59.8 completion percentage in his junior campaign. Hale brings a mobile dynamic aspect to his game as he ran for 588 yards and 6 scores also. He is able to throw on the run well off play action, has good touch and location on his passes, especially down field and has enough speed and quickness to evade defenders as he ran the read and speed option well for the spartans. I do see good arm strength to push the ball on deep throws with a good release and his ability to extend plays while escaping the pocket was very impressive. He will look to have Sacramento State feel better about their decision if he gets a shot to play his senior year.   Jake Kern - 6’2, 180 lbs - Clayton Valley Charter - Senior The Clayton Valley Charter offense is not known for its passing attack but Jake Kern has helped the offense expand as he threw for 1,685 yards and 12 TDs last year. Kern’s tape showed his great ball placement on his throws outside the hashes, and delivers a quality deep ball to hit his receiver in stride. Kern does not have the quickest release but he also did impress when rolling out the pocket and finding his target. He is a bit of a project but has talent and some deep throwing ability. I would like to see him step into his throws a bit more but to his credit, he does not put the ball in harms way only turning the ball over twice last season.   Jordan Cooke - 6’3, 180 lbs - Cardinal Newman - Senior The unknown of Cooke, will be on the minds of the Cardinal Newman coaching staff, as they will look to replace former quarterback Jackson Pavitt, who is now at Cal Poly. At 6’3, Cooke does have good height to have some promise but his experience will be tested. Last season he completed 14 passes in games where the outcome was already decided. Most of his throws were short and behind the line of scrimmage. He does put the ball on the outside shoulder well at times on quick flat and hitch routes but regardless he is a work in progress and hopefully he was able to learn from Pavitt and take his mental reps and coaching to have a quality senior year.   Hunter Steacker - 6’1, 170lbs - Liberty - Junior The junior from Brentwood is coming off an impressive freshman season and a sophomore year where he also played receiver at De La Salle. Returning to Liberty since his Freshman season, Steacker offers good ball velocity and a big arm for his age. He has not seen the varsity level yet but with more reps he can prove to turn some heads. Similar to Jordan Cooke, Steacker is going to replace their team’s star QB Oregon commit Jay Butterfield who excelled a season ago. A young, talented prospect could be in the making. As an underclassman, Steacker was accurate on down the field passes and made throws on the run towards his left and right side. Good ball location and velocity are what made his tape impressive. He sets his feet well and has a good base for him to deliver the football. Also, he brings decent speed to the offense and can make plays with his legs as he scampered into the endzone off zone read and scramble efforts. Steacker, surprisingly has very good pocket awareness for his age and his experience, being in spots where he was to side step or escape the incoming rush. On film, he can make any throw and has all the tools to be a varsity star quarterback however he does have a wide and a bit long release but his proven talent will be on display at the varsity level.   [player_tooltip player_id="25431" first="Jaden" last="Rashada"] - 6’4, 180 lbs - Pittsburg - Sophomore The young quarterback who already has 7 offers all from D1 schools, is one of the top prospects for the class of 2023. Being at Liberty High school as a freshman on varsity then moving to IMG Academy in Florida for a chance to play but shortly after, moving back to the bay area, Rashada has finally found a place at Pittsburg High School, where he can finally commit. Rashada is a “wow” talent, his limited reps his freshman season were more than enough for me to say he is going to be the real deal. His measurables and speed already make him a good athlete that fits perfectly into today’s football offensive approach. Steps into the throws with conviction, has a huge arm with zip on the ball, and is not afraid to make any throw. He throws a pretty spiral ball with accuracy and squares up his shoulders and hips well to the receiver. He can run but does not look to run, as he also possesses a comfortable feel to move in the pocket. Look for Jaden to make headlines the rest of the next 3 seasons at Pittsburg.