Jim Cardwell knew for Boyd-Buchanan to be successful, he had to make people see him as something other than a freshman quarterback.
Since taking over as the full-time starter at the important position, Cardwell has avoided the glaring mistakes of a first-year varsity competitor. Of the 28 teams still alive in the TSSAA playoffs, Boyd-Buchanan is the only one with a freshman quarterback starting.
The 5-foot-9, 165-pound Cardwell – son of Buccaneers offensive coordinator and former college assistant Carter Cardwell – alternated at quarterback earlier in the season, then became the full-time starter for the ninth game against Marion County. The Bucs have won five straight since, making an unexpected return to the semifinals, where tonight they travel to Signal Mountain, the only remaining unbeaten team in Class 2A.
“He’s running the offense, not making mistakes and getting the ball to our playmakers,” Bucs coach Grant Reynolds said. “He’s a heady player and a good leader already. He’s a tough kid. His first game he was nervous and dropped the ball a couple of times. but he got over that pretty quick.
“Jim has taken on the role of a leader despite the fact that he’s just a freshman.”
Several other surviving area playoff teams have reached this point with first-year starters at quarterback.
Signal Mountain’s Hogan Whitmire and Baylor’s Jacob Huesman are two-year varsity starters, and both are Mr. Football finalists in their respective classifications. But South Pittsburg (Travis Millard), Calhoun (Landon Curtis) and North Jackson (Zac Barnard) all entered the season with seniors as first-year QB starters.
All of those have performed well this year, particularly Curtis, who has thrown for 2,250 yards with 28 touchdowns and just one interception, and Barnard, who has completed 70 percent of his passes for 2,494 yards, 27 TDs and just three interceptions.
One adjustment for both Cardwells was how to differentiate their roles of father/son and coach/player.
“It was a little odd at first,” Carter Cardwell said. “But during the games it’s real easy because things are moving at a fast pace. I’ve learned more from the experience about how to handle the situation. On the field, he’s the quarterback and I’m trying to coach him and not treat him any different than I would any other player.
“There reached a point this season when Grant talked to the whole staff and just said it was time to address the situation, and he felt like Jim was ready to take on the starting role. Jim is intense and serious about practice, and he always hustles and competes hard. Our playbook has gotten bigger now because we feel comfident that he’s demonstrated he can handle it.”
Last week Jim completed seven of eight passes for 80 yards and guided an offense that rolled up 405 total yards without a turnover. He has 816 total yards so far and has been very efficient in the playoffs, helping the offense average 30 points without a turnover. He admits his continued experience has helped speed his growth at making correct decisions on where to go with the ball.
“When I first started, everything seemed to move a lot faster on the field,” Cardwell said. “Now it has all slowed down and I know I can compete at this level. What has helped me more than anything is having tremendous athletes around me.
“I know the seniors depend on me to make the right call, so to be honest once we’re on the field I don’t even feel like a freshman anymore. I’m just somebody who is playing really hard and trying to lead my team.”