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12/2/05

High school football


Huth standing tall for Tigers


Massillon QB quiets those who doubted him

By Michael Beaven

Beacon Journal sportswriter


Massillon junior quarterback Bobby Huth has heard about his height, or lack of height, all his life.
Huth stands 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs 160 pounds, hardly the ideal measurements for a modern quarterback.
Despite his size and the doubters who existed in the Massillon community before the season started, Huth will be behind center when the Tigers (13-1) line up to play for the Division I state championship against Cincinnati St. Xavier (14-0) at 7 p.m. Saturday at Fawcett Stadium in Canton.
``People have always told me that I was too small and that I couldn't see over the line of scrimmage,'' Huth said Saturday after the Tigers' dramatic, come-from-behind 21-17 win over Lakewood St. Edward.
Massillon coach Tom Stacy said Huth's greatest attribute is his competitiveness.
``People around town told me he was too short and that he couldn't do this and couldn't do that,'' Stacy said Saturday. ``But I knew he was a battler, a competitor, and that's why he is our quarterback. I love his competitiveness.''
``He is not a very big guy, but I think Bobby's best quality is he is a competitor and that is the first thing I look for in a quarterback,'' Stacy said Monday.
Huth has been a solid leader for the Tigers most of the season due to good decision making. He has completed 126-of-202 passes for 1,845 yards, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions in 13 games. Huth took over the reins this season from last year's starter, Quentin Paulik, a senior that stands 6-foot-4, weighs 230 pounds and is now a starting linebacker.
After a good start to the season, which included a 35-31 win at Cincinnati Elder in the second week, Huth suffered a concussion in the sixth week at Cleveland St. Ignatius. The Tigers rallied to win 29-26 behind senior reserve quarterback Shawn Weisend.
``I really don't remember a lot from that game; I was pretty messed up,'' Huth said with a smile Saturday.
Weisend, a first-team All-Ohio punter, started the next week and led Massillon to a 54-0 route over Youngstown Woodrow Wilson. Huth returned in the eighth week, then faced adversity in the 10th week when he threw three interceptions and the Tigers were dominated by rival Canton McKinley 38-8 at Fawcett Stadium.
Huth and Massillon have rebounded nicely in the playoffs, with wins over North Canton, Findlay, Canton McKinley and St. Edward. Huth has completed 43-of-59 passes with five touchdowns and just one interception in the playoffs.
Saturday, he threw two touchdowns, one to senior Zack Vanryzin and one to junior Brian Gamble. His biggest completion of the game came on a third-and-30 play, when he connected with Gamble for 35 yards with about two minutes remaining and the Tigers trailing by three points.
Stacy hopes for more completions out of his feisty leader, as the Tigers seek their first state championship on the field after 22 poll titles. Stacy is familiar with competitive leaders, as he coached Browns rookie quarterback Charlie Frye when he was an assistant at the University of Akron and Frye was a Zips underclassman.
``Size is important to an extent, but at the quarterback position I think sometimes you can get away with playing someone who is not real big,'' Stacy said. ``(Brad) Scherer for (St. Xavier) is the same way, he's not a big guy (5-foot-10, 160 pounds) but boy he gets it done. Both of them are very good high school quarterbacks.''