Pioneers McPhaul thrives at QB in place of injured Bryant

It’s been a season of struggles for Heritage’s football team, ever since senior quarterback O’Shawn Bryant blew out his right knee in the Pioneers’ opening scrimmage at GW-Danville.

“We’ve been through a lot of adversity this year,” said fellow senior Lakuan McPhaul, Bryant’s replacement who grew up playing basketball in Brooklyn, N.Y. “A lot of people have gotten hurt (and) a lot of people had to play positions that they weren’t supposed to play, but we all came through.”

Last season, McPhaul started primarily at defensive back, a position he could play at the college level.

“This is a guy that loves defensive back … so it was a sacrifice for him,” Heritage coach Doug Smith said. “His mindset was whatever was best for the team ... and he stepped up, when his heart was already at defensive back.”

At first, McPhaul — Bryant’s backup on JV who was projected to be one of his top receiving targets this fall — had trouble picking up the Pioneers’ split-back veer attack, which requires split-second reads and precise execution.

“It was challenging, but he wanted to do it and that was a big key,” Heritage quarterbacks coach Paul Johnson said. “He wanted to step in at quarterback and take over.”

Following an 0-3 start, and the death of Smith’s father, Carl, who lost his battle with esophagus cancer, McPhaul was instrumental in guiding Heritage to its first victory, on Homecoming weekend against Halifax.

“That was the highlight of my year,” McPhaul said. “(Smith) was going through a lot with his dad. I just knew that we had to get that first win for him. That’s what the win was for — (it) was for his dad because he’d suffered a lot.”

Gradually, under the tutelage of Bryant and through repetition in practice, McPhaul has emerged as an offensive catalyst for the Pioneers, who produced three 100-yard rushers — Tysheem Saunders, Rondell Hamlett and McPhaul — in their second victory, over city rival E.C. Glass.

“He’s been basically coaching us, especially me, letting me know what I was doing wrong or what I needed to do the next play to get better at it,” McPhaul said of Bryant, who will undergo a second surgery next Thursday to repair the anterior (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligaments (PCL) in his knee. (His lateral collateral ligament (LCL) is expected to heal on its own.)

Smith has been equally impressed with Bryant’s character development as McPhaul’s development as a player.

“He’s just an incredible leader,” he said of Bryant. “He’s done some amazing things. We’ve got a kid here that lost an opportunity to play another high school game and he hasn’t missed any practices. Unless he’s at the doctor or having surgery, he’s out there on the field with them ever since he’s been in that wheel chair, rolling out on the field. I can’t say enough about his character.”

As for McPhaul’s maturation as a quarterback, Smith added, “He’s really grasped a whole lot. Most of his calls are at the line. He’s doing on-time reads and changes the play at the time of the snap. He’s been pretty remarkable.”

“We ask the quarterback to do a whole lot in this offense,” Johnson added. “If you look at the first game that we played to how he’s running the offense now, it’s like night and day. At the very beginning, it was baby steps. Now, we’re getting to the point where we’re full speed ahead. He’s really progressed.”

In the process, after maintaining his confidence through his early-season transition period, McPhaul has gained the respect and trust of his teammates.

“Just taking control of the huddle, taking control of the team,” McPhaul said of his leadership role. “I am that guy that everybody looks to see if I’m mentally there or if I’m going to hang my head down or if I’m going to get upset because of a play we messed up on. I had to be that leader to let everybody know, ‘We’re still in this, we’ve still got this, no matter what.’”

But Heritage’s improvements on offense haven’t always translated to success in the win column. The Pioneers (2-6, 1-3 Seminole) have had a hard time finishing games, losing three of the past four — to Harrisonburg, Brookville and Jefferson Forest — in the final minute, by a total of 12 points.

“Every loss is devastating, but the close ones are what get to you mentally,” McPhaul said. “What did I do wrong or what could I have done better … or what we could have done as a team?”

Bryant, who delivered an emotional speech to the Pioneers prior to the start of the season and has led them in prayer before pre-game meals throughout the year, has maintained a positive outlook, even in defeat.

“No matter what our record is, we’re not just going to keep fighting to the end,” he said. “We’ve just got too much pride to quit and give up on each other.”

While some suggested, once a Region III playoff berth appeared unattainable, that the Pioneers rebuild for the future by bringing up underclassmen, Smith opted to try to salvage this season by playing his seniors.

“My whole thought is, you’re not promised tomorrow so we’re going to play with the best we’ve got,” Smith said. “We’re going to live for today.

“To see Laquan getting the offense, there’s no doubt we want him in the driver’s seat, running it,” he added. “We’d like the other kids to learn from watching him.”

The experience has been invaluable for McPhaul in building his leadership skills on and off the field.

“I know now that I’ve got that fight in me that I’m never going to quit on nothing, no matter what happens,” he said. “I’m ready to step up to any challenge.”