Mr. Efficiency
East Rock’s QB Delivers The Ball
Posted: October 4, 2012
HARRISONBURG – With mass turnover at quarterback during the offseason, Harrisonburg/Rockingham County high school football coaches had no clue who would be this year’s Jake Durden – a first-year starter last fall who emerged as a prolific passer for Harrisonburg.
Surprisingly, East Rockingham junior Hunter Harman has solved that mystery.
At the halfway point in the regular season, Harman is the city/county’s top-rated quarterback by NCAA and NFL rating scales – scoring 169.28 and 110.83, respectively – both of which measure overall passer efficiency through four basic statistics: completion percentage, yards per attempt, touchdowns and interceptions.
The NFL formula, however, caps values, whereas the NCAA one does not.
What are not measured are intangibles such as leadership and clutch performance. But it appears Harman’s mentality under center makes him the best of both worlds – an efficient passer who has “grabbed the bull by the horns,” according to ERHS coach Donnie Coleman, giving the Eagles their most balanced attack in the program’s three-year history.
“I guess it is a surprise,” Coleman said. “He’s a first-year starter and he’s definitely exceeded our expectations so far. He’s done a tremendous job in the offseason to get ready. Hunter would be the first to tell you, he’s a product of being able to distribute the ball around to some really good people. I mean, he’s done his job.”
That isn’t to say Harman is strictly a product of a system at East Rock, which boasts one of the area’s elite running backs, senior Sharif Price, and wide receivers, John Wright. Without getting defensive or showing a shred of animosity, Harman simply dismissed that notion while admitting that “it’s pretty wild” and “pretty crazy” that he’s the top-rated quarterback locally.
“I wouldn’t say it’s luck. That’s talent from me, too,” said Harman, who has completed 26 of 50 passes for 510 yards, six touchdowns and just two interceptions. “I’m seeing the play develop.”
That anticipation, along with an uncanny ability to avoid turnovers, is what makes Harman an effective passer in a run-heavy Shenandoah District. Sometimes, the league’s reputation can also taint solid quarterback play unfairly.
“People talk about it as a hammer league, but if you look around, they sneak in those throws when they want to,” Coleman said. “And they’re back-breakers.”
Harman – whose NCAA rating compares to that of Nebraska’s Taylor Martinez (ranked 11th in Division I-A with a rating of 169.6) – had to outduel other talented quarterbacks locally to earn the top-rated distinction.
Ranking second under the NCAA formula is Harrisonburg junior Ryan Nixon, who has thrown for 664 yards and 10 touchdowns to lead the city/county, going 45-for-95. However, he has also thrown the most interceptions (six) and placed last in completion percentage (47) and yards per attempt (6.99).
Broadway senior dual-threat Dane Spitzer might challenge Harman in an all-around capacity. Spitzer – who had the second-best NFL rating at 85.36 – has thrown for 479 yards and only three scores, but he’s rushed for 176 yards and six TDs on 46 carries. Spotswood’s Daniel Frum (27-for-55, 400 yards, four TDs and four interceptions) is of a similar mode, rushing for 152 yards and two scores on 35 carries.
Harman – thanks in large part to finding Wright 18 times for 450 yards – is averaging over 10 yards per completion. Only Spitzer has thrown fewer interceptions (one). And only Turner Ashby senior Evan Hanifee (45-for-77, 58 percent) and Spitzer (37-for-68, 54 percent) have higher completion ratios than Harman.
“I believe it’s the mentality that I have,” said Harman, who has been influenced by ERHS quarterbacks coach Tierre McNair, a former collegiate QB under Rich Rodriguez at Glenville State. “Like all coaches say about me in any sport, I have that mentality.”
More than just X’s and O’s, the East Rock quarterback’s mentality encompasses things such as field vision, performance under pressure and picking up teammates – whether it be with words or doing his best Peyton Manning impression and changing the play at the line of scrimmage for a big play.
Two or three times this season, Harman has audibled to a pass, resulting in a big chunk of yards through the air. One went for a touchdown.
He’s also modeling his stance and pocket awareness after West Virginia’s Geno Smith, a Heisman Trophy candidate and the top-rated Division I-A quarterback (208.4 rating).
“I think he’s got a great mentality, moving in the pocket and making plays,” Harman said of Smith and the Mountaineer’s sterling decision-making. “… I watched him play Baylor and I didn’t see him make a single mistake. If I was a coach, I’d grade him 100. That’s a great example.”
And Harman is already looking forward to next year in his never-ending quest to prove himself under center.
“Obviously there’s playmakers like Sharif Price or John Wright or my tight end [Blake Dean],” Harman said of his senior teammates. “They make a lot of good plays for me and help me out. … We’ll be losing some of that next year. I think it would be very neat to come out and show the same thing next year that I can be an all-around quarterback.”
Surprisingly, East Rockingham junior Hunter Harman has solved that mystery.
At the halfway point in the regular season, Harman is the city/county’s top-rated quarterback by NCAA and NFL rating scales – scoring 169.28 and 110.83, respectively – both of which measure overall passer efficiency through four basic statistics: completion percentage, yards per attempt, touchdowns and interceptions.
The NFL formula, however, caps values, whereas the NCAA one does not.
What are not measured are intangibles such as leadership and clutch performance. But it appears Harman’s mentality under center makes him the best of both worlds – an efficient passer who has “grabbed the bull by the horns,” according to ERHS coach Donnie Coleman, giving the Eagles their most balanced attack in the program’s three-year history.
“I guess it is a surprise,” Coleman said. “He’s a first-year starter and he’s definitely exceeded our expectations so far. He’s done a tremendous job in the offseason to get ready. Hunter would be the first to tell you, he’s a product of being able to distribute the ball around to some really good people. I mean, he’s done his job.”
That isn’t to say Harman is strictly a product of a system at East Rock, which boasts one of the area’s elite running backs, senior Sharif Price, and wide receivers, John Wright. Without getting defensive or showing a shred of animosity, Harman simply dismissed that notion while admitting that “it’s pretty wild” and “pretty crazy” that he’s the top-rated quarterback locally.
“I wouldn’t say it’s luck. That’s talent from me, too,” said Harman, who has completed 26 of 50 passes for 510 yards, six touchdowns and just two interceptions. “I’m seeing the play develop.”
That anticipation, along with an uncanny ability to avoid turnovers, is what makes Harman an effective passer in a run-heavy Shenandoah District. Sometimes, the league’s reputation can also taint solid quarterback play unfairly.
“People talk about it as a hammer league, but if you look around, they sneak in those throws when they want to,” Coleman said. “And they’re back-breakers.”
Harman – whose NCAA rating compares to that of Nebraska’s Taylor Martinez (ranked 11th in Division I-A with a rating of 169.6) – had to outduel other talented quarterbacks locally to earn the top-rated distinction.
Ranking second under the NCAA formula is Harrisonburg junior Ryan Nixon, who has thrown for 664 yards and 10 touchdowns to lead the city/county, going 45-for-95. However, he has also thrown the most interceptions (six) and placed last in completion percentage (47) and yards per attempt (6.99).
Broadway senior dual-threat Dane Spitzer might challenge Harman in an all-around capacity. Spitzer – who had the second-best NFL rating at 85.36 – has thrown for 479 yards and only three scores, but he’s rushed for 176 yards and six TDs on 46 carries. Spotswood’s Daniel Frum (27-for-55, 400 yards, four TDs and four interceptions) is of a similar mode, rushing for 152 yards and two scores on 35 carries.
Harman – thanks in large part to finding Wright 18 times for 450 yards – is averaging over 10 yards per completion. Only Spitzer has thrown fewer interceptions (one). And only Turner Ashby senior Evan Hanifee (45-for-77, 58 percent) and Spitzer (37-for-68, 54 percent) have higher completion ratios than Harman.
“I believe it’s the mentality that I have,” said Harman, who has been influenced by ERHS quarterbacks coach Tierre McNair, a former collegiate QB under Rich Rodriguez at Glenville State. “Like all coaches say about me in any sport, I have that mentality.”
More than just X’s and O’s, the East Rock quarterback’s mentality encompasses things such as field vision, performance under pressure and picking up teammates – whether it be with words or doing his best Peyton Manning impression and changing the play at the line of scrimmage for a big play.
Two or three times this season, Harman has audibled to a pass, resulting in a big chunk of yards through the air. One went for a touchdown.
He’s also modeling his stance and pocket awareness after West Virginia’s Geno Smith, a Heisman Trophy candidate and the top-rated Division I-A quarterback (208.4 rating).
“I think he’s got a great mentality, moving in the pocket and making plays,” Harman said of Smith and the Mountaineer’s sterling decision-making. “… I watched him play Baylor and I didn’t see him make a single mistake. If I was a coach, I’d grade him 100. That’s a great example.”
And Harman is already looking forward to next year in his never-ending quest to prove himself under center.
“Obviously there’s playmakers like Sharif Price or John Wright or my tight end [Blake Dean],” Harman said of his senior teammates. “They make a lot of good plays for me and help me out. … We’ll be losing some of that next year. I think it would be very neat to come out and show the same thing next year that I can be an all-around quarterback.”