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Smooth Jag: South Mtn. QB Mature On, Off Field

Arizona Sports News online

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.'”

 

 

A Valley native, Eric has had a passion for the Arizona sports scene since an early age. He has covered some of the biggest events including Super Bowls, national championships and the NBA and MLB playoffs in his near 20 years in local media.

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