Canon-McMillan football fans might not find out until the first offensive snap of the 2018 season who their quarterback is. And even then, they might not know for sure.
Near the top of the to-do list for fourth-year coach Mike Evans this offseason has been keeping a close eye on his competition under center, the one between two juniors who both got their feet wet for the first time at the varsity level last season. The 6-foot-2, strong-armed Tre’Jahn Lewis started the first six games a year ago, but then Evans turned his offense over to 5-10 left-hander Jon Quinque. About the only thing they have in common is they’re both pocket-passers, according to Evans.
“JQ’s numbers were more efficient, that’s why we made the move,” Evans said. “Tre’s super talented. The thing is, they both kind of have some things the other one doesn’t have, and they’re both trying to develop. Tre has really nice arm talent; JQ really reads the defense very well, and it reflects in their numbers last year.”
Lewis completed just 55 of 133 passes for 711 yards, 6 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Quinque was 76 of 123 for 967 yards, 10 touchdowns and just a single pick. But despite that disparity, Evans plans to take his good old time deciding on a starter. He’ll grade out both of his team’s preseason scrimmages, see how they’re progressing in practice and then make his choice.
Or not.
“If I have to play them both, I’ll play them both,” Evans said. “They’re both talented kids. Tre has a lot of arm talent. JQ is a battler, does a lot of things right.
“I’m not against playing them both. I’ve heard if you have two, you have none, but I think they’ll be able to handle it. We’re excited that we have them.”
There’s another potential wrinkle to the Big Macs offense, and it involves someone other than Lewis or Quinque handling snaps. Evans admits the Wildcat formation is far from cutting edge anymore at any level of football, but it’s easy to see senior receiver Drew Engel needs chances to make plays.
Engel, who last season caught 34 passes for 582 yards and six touchdowns, “can do anything” in the eyes of his coach.
“The biggest concern I have is that at wide receiver, a great one gets the ball eight to 10 times a game, and I don’t think that’s enough,” Evans said. “We’ve got to put the ball in his hands in other ways. We’re looking at a Wildcat package with him in it, as cliche as that is nowadays, but he can still throw the ball a little bit. We have to increase his touches. I’d feel better if he was touching the ball 15 times a game.”
There will be plenty more touches in 2018 for senior running back Davey Cooper, who has played mostly fullback the past two years but rushed for 129 yards on 20 carries last season in his only game at tailback. He also impressed Evans with 9.5 sacks from his defensive end spot.
Alec Hendal is the front-runner to replace Cooper at fullback, while Engel should have a deep supporting cast of pass-catchers. Sophomore tight end Connor McMahon saw the field a bit as a freshman, but he’ll compete with junior Colton Irwin both at that position and defensive end. Senior Cuyler Rancher and junior Blake Joseph are in the mix at slot receiver, while senior Dillon O’Donoghue is full of promise on the outside opposite Engel.
“His speed is up, he’s a big, strong kid, hard-working kid,” Evans said of O’Donoghue, whose sister Aideen plays soccer for Pitt. “He’s really come along as a receiver. There’s times I look at him and say, ‘Wow, he looks like Drew.’ So I’m really excited about where he’s going as a safety and as a receiver.”
Jake Colosimo and Jake Minnis are returning starters at right and left tackle, while fellow senior Riley Noble is also back to anchor both lines. Shane Klein and Austin Smith are in the mix at left guard, while Giomar Ramos and Caleb Johnson are in the mix on both sides of the ball.
Three-year starter Anthony Zanolla leads the way at linebacker, and another wild card in the secondary is senior Josh O’Hare, who’s expected back after not playing the past two seasons.
“As a freshman, he was a very dominant safety,” Evans said. “We’re really looking for big things out of him. If we’ve lifted 75 times since January, he’s been there for 74 of them.”
That, more than anything, is what Evans believes can be the difference for his team, the first group of seniors he coached as freshmen: Chemistry.
“I think we’re going to be, on paper, as good as we’ve been since I’ve been here. This group of kids, they’re special,” Evans said. “They’ve worked together, they care about one another, they hang out together. I’m sure a lot of other teams have that, but it’s a little bit different than it’s been around here, and I think that means something. And the intangibles are going to matter, because we aren’t 6-4, 280 across the board, and we don’t have a 4.5 [runner] on the team.”
Brian Batko: bbatko@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BrianBatko.
First Published: August 16, 2018, 12:00 p.m.