Altavista, Amherst platoon QBs en route to state title games

ALTAVISTA — The day Altavista sophomore Rick Adams was notified he’d been called up to start for the Colonels at quarterback, he thought it was a practical joke.

“The (junior varsity) coaches sent a note to my class that said I needed to get ready to go start for the varsity,” Adams said of the week after Altavista’s only loss, to Gretna on Oct. 2. “I was the starting JV quarterback and the third-string varsity quarterback (behind fellow sophomore Jarrod Hunt), so I was thinking, ‘How can you come up three strings and start on varsity?’”

When he learned his promotion was legitimate, and earned his first start in the sixth game against Dan River, he was thrilled.

“I was smiling from ear to ear,” Adams said. “It was a dream come true.”

For Altavista (12-1), which will challenge J.I. Burton (11-2) in Saturday’s Group A, Division 1, state championship game at noon at Salem Stadium, this whole year has been the fulfillment of a dream.

Adams and senior Johnny Wimbish, who now platoon at the quarterback position, have helped write new chapters in the Colonels’ storybook season each week, playing lead roles in the school’s first playoff run in nearly 20 years, first state berth in nearly 40 years and first-ever championship appearance.

The Colonels rolled over the Wildcats 37-12 in Adams’ first start and beat Appomattox 19-6 in his second, forging a three-way tie for the Dogwood District lead, before Adams threw for more than 200 yards in a 47-14 rout of Chatham.

That’s not bad for someone who didn’t begin playing football until he was a freshman and only shifted to quarterback this past summer.

“It was a big move for him to start that Dan River game, his first year as a quarterback right in the middle of the season,” Altavista coach Mike Scharnus said. “He didn’t have any scrimmages at the start of the season, he didn’t have that luxury. He was thrown into the fire.”

There’s a similar quarterback situation at Amherst (13-0), which will make its fourth consecutive Group AA, Division 4, state final showing Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at Virginia Tech’s Lane Stadium against defending champion Broad Run (13-0).

After rotating behind center last season, junior Kirby Anderson took over the Lancers’ No. 1 quarterback job from No. 1, senior Anthony Rose, in a 49-20 victory over Liberty in the fourth week of the season.

Rose, who succeeded his brother Peter Rose at the position last fall when Anthony Fletcher was suspended and opted to transfer to Virginia Episcopal School for a season, had sprained his left (throwing) shoulder in a 41-0 rout of GW-Danville the week before.

Anderson made the most of the starting opportunity, completing six of nine passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns against the Minutemen, the first a 72-yard screen pass to Rose, who shifted to his natural position of wide receiver.

The two players have complemented one another perfectly, both at quarterback and outside linebacker, the same defensive position played by Adams and Wimbish at Altavista.

“Me and him have been playing together since we were 6 or 7,” Anderson said of Rose. “For half of our lives, we thought we were kin (second cousins). We found out that wasn’t true, but…”

“We’re like brothers,” Rose added.

They rotated at running back, quarterback and wide receiver for the Amherst Wolverines and Bruins in little league, leading the Wolverines to a state title their last year together as 12- and 13-year-olds. (Coincidentally, Amherst, which also had current senior running backs Jamal and Jamar Glover and Josh Braxton, beat a team out of Lynch Station, which featured several current Altavista players, for the championship.)

Now both are used almost interchangeably at quarterback, with Rose, who’s 6-foot-4, 185 pounds, one of Anderson’s top receiving targets along with 5-9 senior Chris McDaniel.

“We can do the same things,” Rose said. “The only thing different is I’m a little taller.”

“He started growing in about seventh grade and he just left me (behind),” said Anderson, who’s 5-10, 165. “He can see over the line.”

Amherst coach Cecil Phillips said Rose is the type of athlete who’s most effective when he can touch the football from a variety of positions, while Anderson is a little more accurate passer.

“They both do a great job,” he said. “Kirby’s maybe more consistent with his vertical passing game, (but) the reason is (he’s) got a 6-4 passing target in Anthony. He creates a lot of mismatches against the defensive secondary.”

Though both can run, and Anderson scored the clinching touchdown on fourth down from the 5-yard line late in the fourth quarter of Amherst’s 23-21 state semifinal victory over Christiansburg, Rose is more dangerous on his feet with the ball in his hands.

“Most of our play action packages get our quarterback on the edge where the play turns into a run-pass option (and Rose) has ability to run, which puts defenses in a bind,” Phillips said, noting he also has a nice touch on the ball and threw some long touchdown passes in his first three starts.

Wimbish is used in much the same way for the Colonels.

“Johnny’s a very good athlete and he’s been helping the team wherever he can, at any position,” Scharnus said. “He’s very versatile.”

“He’s an all-around player,” Adams added. “He can run the ball, throw the ball, catch the ball. He can do anything. He (always) gets positive yardage. If the play is to the left, he can go to the right and get 20 yards out of it.”

Though he’s not always substituted in wildcat formations, Wimbish brings something different to the table with his creativity out of the quarterback spot.

“He’s his own wildcat, just a spread quarterback who can make things happen with his feet,” Scharnus said. “He’s also improved tremendously throwing the ball and completed a couple big passes (in the Region B, Division 2 championship) at Riverheads in tough weather and windy conditions. We’re confident in Johnny throwing the ball.”

But Adams usually is the one in the game in passing situations, as the Colonels may find themselves in often against Burton. That’s because leading rusher Chris Clark, also the Region B defensive player of the year, likely will see most of his action at linebacker on Saturday after injuring his foot in a state semifinal win over West Point.