Editorโs note: Over the next three weeks, the Star is counting down the top high school football players in Southern Arizona. Up first: Walden Grove senior quarterback Jason Stevens.
Name: Jason Stevens
Rundown: The 6-foot-1-inch, 170-pound Stevens is Walden Groveโs starting QB.
Who he is: There was a time when Stevens played center.
โI was one of the tallest on the team,โ Stevens remembered. โMy coach just threw me in there in youth football and I played center that year.โ
That all changed the following season, when his youth team got a new coach.
โThe coach told me Iโm playing quarterback and that was it,โ he said. โAnd then I fell in love with playing quarterback.โ
Itโs the only position Stevens has played since then; heโs poised to have a memorable senior season.
โHe burst onto the scene as a sophomore and surprised a lot of people,โ Walden Grove coach Corey Noble said.
Stevens and the Walden Grove football team have massive expectations for 2021. After going 3-1 in last yearโs pandemic-shortened season, the Red Wolves return most of their starters on offense โ including the entire offensive line.
That alone has helped the Red Wolvesโ QB sleep better at night. And when he does drop back and sling it in the pocket, heโll have his favorite target in mind.
Stevens and 6-foot-4-inch wide receiver Duncan Hoover have developed quite the 1-2 punch. In 2020, Stevens found Hoover for just under 400 yards through the air and four touchdowns.
โHeโs got such a big catch radius,โ Stevens said. โAnything I put in his vicinity, heโs going to catch it.โ
Noble describes his quarterback as an outgoing teen and someone whoโs a joy to be around on a daily basis. Stevensโ charisma and maturity make it easy for Noble to coach him.
โHeโs got a really good personality for a quarterback,โ Noble said.
Jason Stevens says he likes โto control the offense.โ โI think thatโs something I do well, in great situations or terrible situations, whether weโre up or weโre down,โ he said. โI like to settle guys down and make them feel comfortable.โ
Proof heโs good: Last season was Stevensโ first as the unquestioned starter after he spent his sophomore year under senior Alex Lopez. Stevens soaked up as much as possible from Lopez, who threw for over 2,000 yards in 2019. The transition to Stevens was seamless, Noble said.
โHe did a great job last season as a starter,โ the Walden Grove coach said. โHeโs definitely developing and growing as a leader and as a player. He really has a great command of our offense.โ
In four games last fall, Stevens threw for nine touchdowns and only turned the ball over once. He had a two-week stretch in early November where he combined for over 700 passing yards and seven touchdowns.
Walden Grove beat Sahuaro and Marana in those games, averaging 40 points per game.
โIt was a shootout, and those are the best games for quarterbacks, right?,โ Stevens said.
He said it: โI like to control the offense; I think thatโs something I do well, in great situations or terrible situations, whether weโre up or weโre down. I like to settle guys down and make them feel comfortable.โ โ Stevens
