A star by any other name
Emerson’s Quezada making a name for himself, albeit a different one
Don’t dare ask Emerson’s brilliant junior quarterback Joan "J.Q." Quezada about the origins of her, oops, his first name.
"It’s pronounced ‘JOE-AHN,’ " Quezada proudly proclaims. "It’s not Joan. I have no idea what my mother was thinking about when she gave me that name. She said that a lot of people in the Dominican Republic have that name, but not spelled that way. It’s not a girl’s name. My teachers call me Joan. Everyone calls me Joan. I tell them to call me JOE-AHN, but I still get Joan. It’s easier as J.Q. I like J.Q."
There aren’t a lot of people in local football circles who know the name of Joan or J.Q., or even Quezada, for that matter. But they will. Because right now, J.Q. is doing OK. Check that, even a little better than OK.
The 6-2, 185-pound reluctant signal caller has been the biggest surprise on the team that has to be considered Hudson County’s biggest surprise of the early season. No one in their right mind gave Emerson a chance of defeating perennial power St. Peter’s Prep or defending county champion Memorial in its first two games
But after first stunning the Marauders, 31-21, in the season opener, the Bulldogs came back and totally shocked Memorial, 26-7, in the second game.
Yes, Emerson, the team that no one considered a county championship threat, already has two gigantic scalps under its belt. And a lot of the credit has to go to the quarterback with the peculiar first name.
Although at first, Quezada didn’t want to be the quarterback. He wanted to remain at wide receiver, where he played last year.
"I think I’m a better player at receiver," Quezada said. "With my size and speed, I figured that’s where I fit in better. And I love playing defense."
But after Mark DeBrecki, a three-year starter at quarterback, graduated last year, head coach Eddie Marinez needed to find an adequate replacement. Quezada had played quarterback as a freshman and in his youth football days, so he was a natural choice for Marinez, who had to choose from three candidates.
"But J.Q. was very upset when I asked him," Marinez said. "He didn’t like coming out on defense and didn’t want to have defense taken away from him. In the beginning, he was lagging behind the others. But one of the other kids got sick and J.Q. just stepped up more and more."
Quezada said that he had some apprehension taking over the role that DeBrecki so adequately held for the past three years.
"I thought it was going to be hard to replace him," Quezada said. "Mark was an excellent quarterback, especially at reading defenses. It took some getting used to."
"He made me nervous at first," Marinez said. "In some of the things he was doing, he was crossing up plays and went the wrong way. But I still thought the team would be better off with him."
Marinez kept the faith in his new quarterback.
"He’s a very smart kid," Marinez said. "So as he went along, he got more and more comfortable. At first, I thought he was thinking too much and that was bothering him. He knows now that I have confidence in him, because I know how bright he is. I thought it was going to take some time. But I never expected what happened."
What happened is that Quezada completed merely eight of 11 passes for 223 yards in the opener and then completed seven passes for 202 yards in the win over Memorial, tossing two touchdown passes in each game.
For his efforts, Quezada has been selected as The Hudson Reporter Athlete of the Week for the past week, the first such honoree in the 2000-2001 scholastic sports season. This marks the tenth year that The Hudson Reporter will offer the weekly feature, spotlighting the best athletes in Hudson County.
Quezada was told that he was the first Emerson quarterback to throw for 200 yards in consecutive games since Tony Ragone in 1987.
"I know who he is," Quezada said. "I really didn’t know I was the first since him. That’s quite an accomplishment. I’m very surprised with what I’ve done so far. It’s almost too amazing for anyone to believe. We lost so many seniors, yet we’re 2-0. I’m really shocked. I guess the work we put in over the summer is really paying off."
"J.Q. has been the lead weapon," Marinez said. "We have other players, like Guido Sanchez, Victor Ayala and Miguel Merrick, but J.Q. has taken the lead. Although I knew he could do it, he’s still surprised me. And he’s only a junior. He’s going to get better and better."
And become more recognized. With a more recognized name. Not some girl’s name.
"I like getting a lot of attention," Quezada said. "People are coming up to me and talking to me and I don’t even know them. It means a lot to me to be a successful football player, because I want to go on to college and I look at football as being the future."
Just remember the name. It’s JOE-AHN Quezada, or J.Q., for short. Right now, he’s enjoying another name – that of winner. It has the best ring to it of all of the monikers. –