Several Orange County schools featuring new quarterbacks | Football Insider

TL;DR

Several Orange County high school football teams will have new quarterbacks next season following the graduation of standout players. Coaches are focused on helping these new players develop their own styles and leadership qualities.

Key points

Several Orange County teams will have new quarterbacks next season
Standout quarterbacks Dereon Coleman, Carter Emanuel, and Sam Johnson graduated
Coaches are focused on player development and leadership
New players must fill roles in their own ways

(Chris Hays/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)

When standout quarterbacks like Dereon Coleman and Carter Emanuel and Sam Johnson graduate, coaches face a difficult challenge in finding and molding the right person to step into the role the next season.

Six Orange County teams that made the playoffs last season will be tasked with moving forward with new quarterbacks.

The most difficult part is getting the new players to understand they are not there to replace the departed seniors. They must step into the roles and fill them in their own ways, allowing the process of transition along with their own styles, personalities and leadership traits.

“Nobody is going to step in here and fill Dereon Coleman’s shoes. You don’t replace a Dereon Coleman or a Vernell Brown,” Jones High offensive coordinator Dale Williams said of Coleman, who is now a quarterback at the University of Miami, and Brown, who was a standout freshman receiver at Florida last season.

Perhaps the most important part, however, is allowing oneself to fail.

These new quarterbacks will fail, at times. It’s just part of being human. The difficulty is moving past and learning from the mistakes.

Stepping into the role as starting quarterback at Jones, the Class 4A state runner-up, will be Peyton Carroll (6-foot-2, 185 pounds), a sophomore who saw limited time a year ago, but a player with whom Jones coaches have entrusted the role of QB1.

“No one is going to be perfect. You can’t go home and beat yourself up every night. You can’t get down on yourself,” Williams said. “We have spoken to (Carroll) and assured him that he’s our guy. Good or bad, he’s still our guy.

“You are going to have bad days. We know that. We plan for that.”

It won’t be easy. A coach may not be able to replace the talent that is departed, but the role still has to be filled.

“Oh it’s huge. Some kids are irreplaceable,” Williams said. “But we don’t want him to be Dereon Coleman. We want him to be Peyton Carroll and thrive on his strengths. He has tools that can be his strengths and we are going to stay in his comfort zone to help make him successful.”

Carroll is not the only one. Newcomer Lucas Minenok, a senior, will be the new guy at Boone, after the departure of Sam Johnson, who is now at Bemidji State University in Minnesota.

Minenok (6-0, 192) is a move-in from Youngstown, Ohio, where he played at Ursuline High.

New Boone coach Charles Sprenkle said he has been pleased with the progress of Minenok, who can throw the football, but he loves to tuck the ball and run.

Q&A

Which Orange County schools are introducing new quarterbacks this season?

Six Orange County high school teams that made the playoffs last season will be introducing new quarterbacks.

Who are the standout quarterbacks that graduated from Orange County schools?

The standout quarterbacks who graduated include Dereon Coleman, Carter Emanuel, and Sam Johnson.

What challenges do coaches face with new quarterbacks in Orange County?

Coaches face the challenge of helping new quarterbacks understand they need to fill the roles in their own ways rather than trying to replace the graduated seniors.

How can new quarterbacks succeed in their roles for Orange County teams?

New quarterbacks can succeed by developing their own styles, personalities, and leadership traits as they transition into their roles.