On Friday nights in the fall it’s common to see Jeremiah Williams and Mark Carter nearly attached at the hip.
This isn’t uncommon for a quarterback and a head coach but their bond, which traces back to last spring, is a unique one at South Mountain High School.
Carter is in his first season as head coach of the Jaguars and Williams is learning the ropes as a first-year varsity quarterback.
“He’s not really a game manager per say,” Carter told Sports360AZ.com of his junior quarterback. “But at the same time he manages the game.”
Most importantly the well-respected Carter is looking for leaders in the program and there’s no better example than the selfless 5-foot-8, 160-pound duel threat athlete who put in the work this off-season to transform his game for the better of the team this fall.
“When I got him he was such a great student of the game he was making the correct reads,” Carter explained. “I noticed his hand placement on the ball was incorrect. Once we moved the grip it was a little foreign…now he’s throwing spirals, launching the ball downfield.”
The improvement is evident in the first half of the season as Williams already has thrown double-digit touchdowns and added a handful more with his feet.
“Those adjustments made a big difference from last year to this year,” Williams said to Sports360AZ.com. “Everything that he’s taught me has made me a better quarterback all-around…I just try to make an example of myself.”
Williams’ leadership and team-first mentality has been contagious, which brings a smile to the face of his head coach and respect from his Jags’ teammates.
“Our game against Central [High] he hurt his MCL,” Carter said. “I go into half and I see him putting on a knee brace. He said, ‘Coach, I can’t sit and watch my team go through this. I’ll worry about my leg later in life. I want to get out there for my team.'”
