There’s been at least one bright spot in an otherwise disappointing debut season for St. Joseph in the Pac-7: Knights starting quarterback Paul Avila.
Just a junior, the Lakeview Junior High product has consistently proved his poise at the helm, most recently evidenced by the team’s first-ever league win on Oct. 30, a 41-13 whipping of Pioneer Valley. Avila connected on 12 of 14 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns—in the first half alone. The scoring included a 70-yard bomb to wide receiver Zack Karsh just 18 seconds into the game to get the Knights on top early. He finished 14-17 for 253 yards and two TDs.
“I’d give it about a 9 or 10,” Avila said of his performance. “Our receivers did well. They ran really solid routes. Our line gave me time.”While Avila acknowledged the season hasn’t gone the way he might have expected, he hopes his team and he can continue to improve with experience.
“I try to make every throw possible,” he said. “I try not to aim the ball. When I see myself doing that, then I know it’s not going to be a good throw. I just try to make the right reads.”
Knights head coach Mike Hartman said Avila is ahead of the game in that department, praising him for his accuracy, patience, and for having the look of a more seasoned quarterback.
“He keeps on improving,” Hartman said. “He’s very patient going through his reads, which is not necessarily typical of a high school quarterback. That comes as they have experience or come into their own as a senior. To be going through his progressions as he does is really good.”
Avila is already looking ahead to leading the Knights again next year and playing behind center at an in-state college someday.
This article appears in Nov 4-10, 2010.