Editor鈥檚 note: Over the next three weeks, the Star is counting down the top high school football players in Southern 蜜柚直播. Up first: Walden Grove senior quarterback Jason Stevens.
Name: Jason Stevens
Rundown: The 6-foot-1-inch, 170-pound Stevens is Walden Grove鈥檚 starting QB.
Who he is: There was a time when Stevens played center.
鈥淚 was one of the tallest on the team,鈥 Stevens remembered. 鈥淢y coach just threw me in there in youth football and I played center that year.鈥
That all changed the following season, when his youth team got a new coach.
鈥淭he coach told me I鈥檓 playing quarterback and that was it,鈥 he said. 鈥淎nd then I fell in love with playing quarterback.鈥
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It鈥檚 the only position Stevens has played since then; he鈥檚 poised to have a memorable senior season.
鈥淗e burst onto the scene as a sophomore and surprised a lot of people,鈥 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鈥檚 pandemic-shortened season, the Red Wolves return most of their starters on offense 鈥 including the entire offensive line.
That alone has helped the Red Wolves鈥 QB sleep better at night. And when he does drop back and sling it in the pocket, he鈥檒l 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.
鈥淗e鈥檚 got such a big catch radius,鈥 Stevens said. 鈥淎nything I put in his vicinity, he鈥檚 going to catch it.鈥
Noble describes his quarterback as an outgoing teen and someone who鈥檚 a joy to be around on a daily basis. Stevens鈥 charisma and maturity make it easy for Noble to coach him.
鈥淗e鈥檚 got a really good personality for a quarterback,鈥 Noble said.
Jason Stevens says he likes 鈥渢o control the offense.鈥 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 something I do well, in great situations or terrible situations, whether we鈥檙e up or we鈥檙e down,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 like to settle guys down and make them feel comfortable.鈥
Proof he鈥檚 good: Last season was Stevens鈥 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.
鈥淗e did a great job last season as a starter,鈥 the Walden Grove coach said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 definitely developing and growing as a leader and as a player. He really has a great command of our offense.鈥
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.
鈥淚t was a shootout, and those are the best games for quarterbacks, right?,鈥 Stevens said.
He said it: 鈥淚 like to control the offense; I think that鈥檚 something I do well, in great situations or terrible situations, whether we鈥檙e up or we鈥檙e down. I like to settle guys down and make them feel comfortable.鈥 鈥 Stevens
Contact sports producer Alec White at 573-4161 or awhite1@tucson.com.
On Twitter: @alecwhite_UA
Alec White
Digital Sports Producer & Reporter
