STEVENSON, Ala. – For the better part of three years, Zac Barnard waited. Patiently. Although he had a terrific view as North Jackson averaged 10 football wins per year, Barnard wasn’t accustomed to standing on the sideline.
He had proven capable of playing well as the Chiefs quarterback during a couple of spot starts. But the previous two seasons he could only stand and watch while Will Richard rewrote every school passing record.
With Richard’s graduation, Barnard finally had his opportunity this season, and the 5-foot-11, 185-pound senior has allowed the Chiefs to expand their playbook.
“Will was a football genius,” North Jackson offensive coordinator Doug Haynes said. “He knew what to do in any situation, but he was small and limited physically, so our passing game was pretty much relegated to 35 yards and in.
“Will just didn’t have the arm strength to make certain throws, but Zac has a big-time arm and now we know we can throw it down the field, from sideline to sideline, plus keep the underneath stuff that’s worked so well for us. We kept the handcuffs on him early, but after a few games we really started trusting him to make plays, and he’s just taken off.”
Barnard did not throw for more than 170 yards in any of his first four games, but at the midway point of the season, against R.A. Hubbard, he threw for 354 yards and four touchdowns. He has continued to grow in the offense, and for the season he has completed 71 percent of his passes for 2,082 yards and 26 touchdowns, with just three interceptions.
“We had a guy in front of me who was really good, so I couldn’t argue with it,” Barnard said. “I knew I could play when I got on the field, but I never thought about transferring or not being in this program. I just had to be ready when it was my turn. It was just a matter of me getting comfortable, but there reached a point this year where everything just slowed down for me and the game got easy.
“Now we feel like we’re going to score every time we have the ball. Pretty much every play can go the distance because of the speed we’ve got. I just get it to whoever is open and let them make the plays.”
Going into tonight’s Class 4A second-round game against Central-Florence (10-1), the second-ranked Chiefs (11-0) are the most balanced offense in the Chattanooga area, averaging 209 passing yards and 199 rushing. They average 49.9 points per game.
Transfer Deuntae Johnson, the program’s first 1,000-yard rusher in two years, has become such a threat that defenses can’t key solely on stopping the pass.
The Chiefs have set a school record for points in a season, needing two fewer games to break the old record. During one span, they scored six touchdowns in nine snaps.
“It’s a credit to Zac to wait his turn,” Chiefs coach Shawn Peek said. “He had never stood on a sideline in his life, but he did for a couple of years and waited. That shows what kind of character he has. We knew he was a good player, and we all had confidence that he would do a great job for us.
“The big thing is he doesn’t get rattled. He knows he’s got playmakers all around him, and he does a great job of recognizing where to get the ball. He’s made us a pretty tough team for folks to stop.”