MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Flashback to the preseason: Morgantown’s projected starting quarterback Cam Rice was injured in the Mohigans’ (2-7) final scrimmage of the year.
He wasn’t the same since then.
After a few more games of Rice playing through injury and prodding by the coaching staff to go full-time linebacker, junior Gunner Lattimore was given the starting job. Since then, he’s impressed.
“We made the switch and thought it would bring a little more accuracy to the quarterback position, and Gunner has done that,” MHS coach Matt Lacy said. “At times, I’ve told him that he’s been a little too cautious and he needs to let go (and) not be afraid to throw an interception, or be so fast to tuck it and run and let the play develop a little bit. The offense has opened up for us because we have that threat of throwing the ball.
“We’ve lost a bit of the designed quarterback runs with him in the game that we had with Cam, but you get one and lose one.”
Through nine games, Lattimore has completed 55 of 87 passes for 982 yards — an average of 17.9 yards — and five touchdowns. On the flip side, he’s thrown four interceptions but is still rated at 101.8. The junior also has wheels, rushing 61 times for 272 yards and four scores.
“There was a lot of pressure because I knew I had to fill a big spot because Cam is a big-time playmaker, but the coaches gave me the confidence I needed,” Lattimore said. “Last year, I was at Eastridge (Senior High School) in Rochester, N.Y., and coming back home, I wanted to do my best to show people this is my house and Morgantown is where I need to be.”
“He had a very good football IQ (coming into the season),” Lacy said. “He asked questions about scheme, and little things and nuances like footwork, and things of that nature. Sometimes kids come and they don’t understand the basics of having seven guys on the line of scrimmage or covering a receiver up, so his general football IQ made him stand out.”
And since being back in his hometown, his favorite connection by far is senior Preston Fox.
“Definitely Preston, and it shows on the stats,” Lattimore said. “He’s a big-time playmaker and sometimes when you put it out there he can make the play.
“We get along great, that’s my dawg. He’s made my job easier, and with Quin (Thompson) and Cam out, I know that I can trust him.”
Through the nine games, Fox has accumulated 735 yards and four touchdowns on 44 receptions — an average of 16.7 yards per catch.
To help him connect with Fox and his receivers, Lattimore notes that there are two things he brought back from East Ridge: Patience and trust. The latter being the most important of the two, especially heading forward.
“I hope to be a leader and lead by example (next year),” Lattimore said. “The response has been great this year, we have a lot of trust on the team.”
“Obviously, we want to continue to see him develop in the offseason, get with his receivers and work with them on his own,” Lacy said of his quarterback. “He’s got to continue to progress: Make better reads, stay in the pocket, those kinds of things in the passing game.”
TWEET @andrewspellman_
