Mount St. Joseph senior Christian Carter spent two seasons watching, learning and listening from the sidelines as backup quarterback to Bryan Constable.
Now, its Carter's turn to start, and he's certainly making the most of it.
Carter has thrown for 2,036 yards and 20 touchdowns and ran for five more scores for the 7-1 Gaels, who are ranked No. 4 in the Sun's high school football poll and boast a 3-0 record in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference.
Interest from colleges is picking up, according to Mount St. Joseph coach Rich Holzer.
The 6-foot, 195-pound Carter has been recruited by Towson and New Hampshire universities.
Carter is also a track standout. He won Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference championships in the shot put in both indoor and outdoor track as a junior while placing third in the discus indoors that same season.
We recently sat down to talk to Carter about the fun he's having running the Gaels' spread offense, his aspiration to play college football, his relationship with Holzer, a second-year coach, and his hectic summer attending football camps up and down the East Coast.
Are you having a lot of fun running the spread offense? Your team has scored more than 40 or more points four times.
"It's very fast. That's why we can score so much. We move at a fast pace. Everybody is clicking. It gets people open. It's very easy to read compared to Wing-T or one of those congested offenses, where they do motion, spinning and all that other stuff. The point of the game is go out and have fun, and I am having a lot of fun. It's my last year and I am playing with my heart. I just love football. I am a quarterback, so I love to throw the football. So the more opportunities I get to throw the ball, makes it even more fun."
What are you biggest assets as a football player?
"If you ask me, I have the best arm anyone has ever seen. I can throw 78 yards in the air. I think I can complete any pass. If people see me throw a hitch route, they will say, 'He has an arm.' One of my main strengths is being a leader. I have a lot of people looking at me to do the right thing and leading the team to a victory. I encourage guys and get on their case when they are doing bad and stepping up when coach (Holzer) isn't saying something."
What did you gain out of attending nine camps?
"The summer was just all football. It was non-stop football. I really worked on lifting weights and conditioning. I went to a lot of camps. I heard a lot of technique from the different coaches and it helped improved my football and make better throws. I was doing drills I had never done before."
Can you talk about the impact Holzer has had on the program?
"He came in here with a winning mentality from Meade (High). He's doing the same things he did there, and it seems to be working pretty good. He said, 'He's pushing us even harder than his guys at Meade and knows that we can get the job done.'"
How would you describe your relationship with him? Has he helped you grow as a player?
"He has really helped me read defenses better. He has simplified defenses so much for me that I can throw the ball better and make better reads. He has just made me a better football player and a student of the game. He is my coach. I just listen to everything he says. He came in here with the mentality that, 'These guys have got to be No. 1.' I appreciate that because I want to be a winner and be on top."
How important is it to you to play college football?
"This is my first year as a starter. I just have to make the best of my last year so I can get looked at. I am trying to make a name for myself. That's all I really want to do. I want to play Division I football."
How did you get into track?
"A couple of my teammates from the varsity football team during my sophomore year said 'You need to come out for track.' People usually look at me for being a track star because people hear about my success. They say, 'He must be better at track than football.' I put more heart into football than track. It's important to me, but not as much as football."