The high school football season was five weeks old and the Patriots of Secaucus were in a very unfamiliar way, having lost all five of their games this year.
Secaucus football teams simply don’t go 0-5. The Patriots have certainly gone 5-0 in the past, but not 0-5.
“It was very hard and very frustrating for everybody,” said Secaucus head coach Charlie Voorhees. “It was a frustrating five weeks. Things didn’t go according to plan.”
Things got even worse for the Patriots, when both starting quarterback Narayan Iyer and backup Jeter Artilles got hurt.
“What are we going to do now?” Voorhees said.
So Voorhees turned to his standout running back Evander Pons and asked if he could handle the quarterbacking duties in the Patriots’ game against North Arlington.
“He was excited about it,” Voorhees said.
Pons sure was.
“I just wanted to make sure I could do everything, like take responsibility of the team in the huddle,” Pons said. “I had to make sure I had the plays down. I never played quarterback before in my life, but I knew I could handle it.”
Voorhees went back to the drawing board and devised plays for Pons to run with the ball from the quarterback position.
“You can call it whatever you want, Wildcat, Pistol,” Voorhees said. “We just had to come up with a plan that works.”
So Voorhees made a cheat sheet of sorts with the plays on it for Pons and taped the plays to his wrist.
It was a trick that was first utilized by then-Baltimore Colts head coach Don Shula for emergency quarterback Tom Matte at the end of the 1965 season, when quarterbacks Johnny Unitas and Gary Cuozzo (currently a dentist in Middletown, N.J.) both were lost for the season to injuries. Shula put all the plays on this plastic wristband that Matte wore. That wristband currently is featured prominently in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
“With the plays on my wrist, it made things easier,” said Pons, who lined up in the shotgun formation and got direct snaps all game from freshman center Hunter Pein.
Voorhees wasn’t about to use any elaborate passing game with the impromptu signal caller. It was basically snap the ball directly to Pons and let him run with the ball.
“He made it work,” Voorhees said. “The thing Evander has going for him is his toughness. No doubt about it, the kid is tough. He’s been frustrated like the rest of us and wanted to win.”
Pons rushed the ball 38 times for 187 yards and scored two touchdowns, the second touchdown coming with just three seconds left, capping a 14-play, 80-yard drive, giving Secaucus a thrilling 19-18 victory. And the win total now reads one instead of none.
For his efforts, Pons has been selected as The Hudson Reporter Athlete of the Week for the past week. Incredibly, Pons was also named the Athlete of the Week in 2014 on the same exact day.
Pons, who was named after former heavyweight boxing champ Evander Holyfield, said that he liked running out of the shotgun formation.
“It was very helpful to see the plays all set up and I can get into the hole faster and quicker,” Pons said. “I take the direct snap and just get right into it.”
Voorhees believes that Pons could play any position on the field.
“He fits into our system perfectly,” Voorhees said. “If I asked him to play wide receiver, he’d do it. He’s acclimated to what we do and how we do it. Just at quarterback, it was a little different. But he handled it very well.”
Voorhees was asked if Pons has improved over his Athlete of the Week status last year.
“I think he’s playing defense better,” Voorhees said. “He’s become a better linebacker. He had a big sack in the North Arlington game in the fourth quarter. As a running back, he went over 1,000 yards, so there’s not much more he can do offensively. But he’s still carrying the load this year with a lot less experience around him. He’s doing well.”
Pons said that he went to freshman Pein after the game.
“I hugged him after the game and thanked him for stepping up,” Pons said. “He made it one of the most memorable moments of my life.”
And as for getting the win?
“It’s a great feeling,” Pons said. “It’s nice to see the smile on everyone’s faces. Everyone is in a good mood again.”
The Patriots will face old rival Weehawken this weekend. Pons doesn’t know if he will be at quarterback or running back just yet.
“We may keep some of those plays in,” Pons said.
Pons is hopeful that he can play college football, but he has to deal with size obstacles and academic obstacles.
“I want to go to college and I want to play, so if there’s a chance, I’d love it,” Pons said. “I have the heart of the little guy.”
“He is a little undersized, but he has the heart of a lion,” Voorhees said. “I’ve been around him enough to know he will get the job done. He plays as hard as he can and gives us everything he’s got.”
And last week _ as well as October 26, 2014 _ Pons gave enough to be the Athlete of the Week. – Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.