7×7 Report/Video: St. Mike’s QB defies dual threat stereotypes

The first thing you notice about Santa Fe (NM) St. Michael’s quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134997" first="Lucas" last="Coriz"]</strong> is his height. Listed at 6-foot-3 (he could be an inch taller) and 215 pounds, Coriz towers over most of his teammates, and the opposition too. When he grabs the shotgun snap in 7-on-7, steps back and rifles the ball downfield with a perfect spiral, you nod your head in admiration. When you analyze his film and watch him run with the football, you shake your head in disbelief. A standout four-sport athlete for the Horsemen, Coriz is defying stereotypes about how a dual threat quarterback should look and play (see Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson) on and off the gridiron. Weight room? Coriz is arguably the strongest player on the team. “Lucas brings great leadership and gets the rest of our kids going,” St. Michael’s head coach Joey Fernandez told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “He has a great arm, good size, good strength and pretty good speed. He’s been the starter at quarterback since he was a freshman. Every year he’s gotten better, especially making his reads and going through his progressions.” Obviously, 7-on-7 doesn’t feature any running plays, so just imagine what it must be like trying tackle Coriz when he tucks the football, finds a seam and gets out into the open field. “He can run,” Fernandez said. “When he gets moving, he’s hard to bring down. He’s our strongest kid on the team by far. That’s something we can use. We couldn’t use it during the spring because he had a pulled hamstring the entire shortened season. But that’s something we’re going to use this year.” Coriz was named 2020-21 Male Athlete of the Year by the local newspaper, the Santa Fe New Mexican. Coriz’s array of skills, together with a solid ground game, nice set of receivers and an experienced defense, make St. Michael’s serious Class 3A title contenders. The Horsemen open the 2021 schedule at Taos on Aug. 20. Barring injuries, St. Michael’s final regular season contest on Oct. 30 should feature the top two quarterbacks in Class 3A: Coriz and Raton’s 6-foot-2 QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26234" first="Dylan" last="Quartieri"]</strong>, who threw for nearly 500 yards and seven touchdowns in four spring games for the Tigers. Both Coriz and Quartieri possess the size and skills to play quarterback at the next level. What they need more than anything is game film for coaches to evaluate. https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11768694/609499adbd6a42181c74eed3 <strong>VIDEO OF 7x7 ACTION FRIDAY AT SANTA FE HIGH SCHOOL</strong> https://youtu.be/ELkMh9AIyqU https://youtu.be/4aQhek5PLkU https://youtu.be/GGIREtUPZaY https://youtu.be/dXZufRmBPc4 https://youtu.be/_JutLNOo9sk