High schools countdown: Quarterback Jason Stevens leads Walden Grove on, off the field

Editor’s 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 Grove’s starting QB.

Who he is: There was a time when Stevens played center.

“I was one of the tallest on the team,” Stevens remembered. “My coach just threw me in there in youth football and I played center that year.”

That all changed the following season, when his youth team got a new coach.

“The coach told me I’m playing quarterback and that was it,” he said. “And then I fell in love with playing quarterback.”

It’s the only position Stevens has played since then; he’s poised to have a memorable senior season.

“He burst onto the scene as a sophomore and surprised a lot of people,” Walden Grove coach Corey Noble said.

Stevens and the Walden Grove football team have massive expectations for 2021. After going 3-1 in last year’s pandemic-shortened season, the Red Wolves return most of their starters on offense — including the entire offensive line.

That alone has helped the Red Wolves’ QB sleep better at night. And when he does drop back and sling it in the pocket, he’ll have his favorite target in mind.

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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.

“He’s got such a big catch radius,” Stevens said. “Anything I put in his vicinity, he’s going to catch it.”

Noble describes his quarterback as an outgoing teen and someone who’s a joy to be around on a daily basis. Stevens’ charisma and maturity make it easy for Noble to coach him.

“He’s got a really good personality for a quarterback,” Noble said.

Proof he’s good: Last season was Stevens’ 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.

“He did a great job last season as a starter,” the Walden Grove coach said. “He’s definitely developing and growing as a leader and as a player. He really has a great command of our offense.”

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.

“It was a shootout, and those are the best games for quarterbacks, right?,” Stevens said.

He said it: “I like to control the offense; I think that’s something I do well, in great situations or terrible situations, whether we’re up or we’re down. I like to settle guys down and make them feel comfortable.” — Stevens