Daniel High School sophomore quarterback Grayson Clary warms up before a recent varsity game. Clary and the Lions are off to a 10-1 start this season and enter the second round of playoffs.
Photo Submitted
CENTRAL — The quarterback in football is kind of like the point guard in basketball. They lead the offense.
They make it go.
Daniel sophomore quarterback Grayson Clary played more like a battle-tested veteran last Friday night in a 45-14 victory over Dreher in the opening game of the Class 4A playoffs. The 15-year-old Clary completed 16-of-21 passes for 226 yards (and 3 passing touchdowns). Then, he ran the ball 4 times for 56 yards (and 2 rushing touchdowns).
“He (Clary) did what he was supposed to do,” said Blue Devils coach Corey Jenkins, right after his team’s season-ending loss. “He had a good command of his offense and it shows.”
Clary, meanwhile, has that team-first attitude when talking about the victory.
“We had a great game plan going into this week, and we executed it at a high level,” he said.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Clary has helped lead the Daniel Lions to a 10-1 record this season. Overall, he’s completed 155-of-210 passes (74 percent accuracy) for 2,441 yards and 34 touchdowns. Plus, he has only two interceptions this season.
“I try to be a leader,” said Clary. “I don’t try to do too much. I just try to control the game and let it come to me.”
On the ground, Clary has run for 7 touchdowns this season and has piled up 304 yards for the Daniel rushing attack.
Senior Jason Bish (6-foot-6 and 230 pounds) is one of his go-to targets to throw the ball to and a talented freshman in Trey Wimbley.
Yet when Clary talks about his receiving corps, he quickly says that he has “multiple targets” to throw the ball to.
It marks the seventh-straight season that the Lions have won 10-plus games. Next up, Clary and the Lions will host the Richland Northeast Cavaliers in the second round of the playoffs at Singleton Field.
“The best part about everybody here (at DHS) is that they are better people outside of football than they are inside of it,” said Clary.
Ending thought: A good point guard in basketball and a good quarterback in football lets the game come to him. Clary does that in football – takes what the defense gives him. He’ll extend the play on offense – if needed – and scramble around in the pocket until he finds an open receiver. If his receivers are smothered or double teamed, he’ll run the ball. It’s tough to defend. He just makes his teammates better, too, and that is a great quality of a true leader.
Reach Jeff Holt at 864-855-0355.