When LaRoi Johnson took the job as Sto-Rox’s football coach in February, it didn’t take him long to figure out who he’d be riding with at quarterback.
“I kind of saw [Eric Wilson] throw one time and I knew he was going to be my starting quarterback,” said Johnson, former Imani Christian offensive coordinator. “I told him from the beginning he was my starter and there wasn’t any getting around that, so let’s just focus on you becoming the best player that you can.”
Wilson, the second-leading passer and one of the top scorers in the WPIAL, has taken that in stride. The junior has completed 124 of 209 passes for 2,228 yards and 31 touchdowns, with nine interceptions, leading an offense that scores 40 points per game, on average.
He has helped revitalize a team that went 3-8 last season and lost to Imani Christian, 52-0, in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs. Sto-Rox is 5-3 this year (4-2 WPIAL Class 1A Big Seven Conference).
What’s interesting is Wilson isn’t all that experienced at the varsity level — he actually split time at quarterback last year with senior Deion Liddell. Liddell threw for 907 yards, 9 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, while Wilson threw for 970 yards, 9 touchdowns and 14 interceptions before stepping up as the sole starter this season.
“[Wilson has] shown an unbelievable knowledge of the game,” Johnson said. “He sees the game really well, he has great ability to keep the play alive and he’s really accurate on his deep ball throws, good at getting the ball out of his hands and can process a lot of information while on the move. His brain, you can tell he’s been a quarterback for a long time. He has a very good head on his shoulders. He’s just been a great guy to coach and he’s accepted the challenge of learning a new playbook.”
Wilson’s had to adjust to more of a no-huddle, up-tempo offense this year. That’s actually resulted in fewer interceptions and him settling into more of a rhythm, Johnson said.
He spent the summer studying the playbook and being a “film junkie” who studies quarterback play.
“I think it’s just him kind of taking the bull by the horns and really grinding this summer and putting in the work and meeting with me. Things of that nature to grasp the concept of what we’re trying to do and just get used to the up-tempo style,” Johnson said. “I think that’s what he’s gotten accustomed to quicker than anybody I ever coached.”
Sto-Rox plays host to Laurel 7 p.m. Friday.
Shady Side Academy
Shady Side quarterback Skyy Moore is the first WPIAL player to both pass and rush for 1,000-plus yards in the regular season twice. The senior, who rushed for 1,321 yards and passed for 1,184 yards last season, accounting for 24 touchdowns, has 1,124 passing yards and 1,048 rushing yards so far this year.
Shady Side has two more regular season games, beginning with East Allegheny 7 p.m. Friday.
Sarah K. Spencer: sspencer@post-gazette.com and Twitter @sarah_k_spence.
STANDINGS: WPIAL | City League
Team Pages | Sortable Statistics
First Published: October 18, 2018, 11:00 a.m.
