There’s more to Veterans-Houston County than the stellar quarterbacks
WARNER ROBINS -- There will be maybe 7,000 or so people in the stands, perhaps an overflow crowd of more than 8,000 at McConnell-Talbert Stadium.
Yet there won’t be any college coaches on hand, since the NCAA recruiting schedule has this as a “quiet” period until the end of the month.
But plenty of college coaches will see video of one of the showcase games in the Southeast this weekend when Veterans takes on Houston County in the season opener Thursday for the final high school showdown between quarterbacks Logan Byrd and Jake Fromm. Few games in the state or nation feature such a pair of highly touted quarterbacks, who were baseball teammates back in Little League and became their high school team’s starters at quarterback in the second half of their freshman seasons.
Byrd, a senior who committed to Virginia Tech, changed his mind and then committed to North Carolina. Fromm, a junior, has offers from Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Nebraska, to name a few. Byrd is currently the state’s No. 30 recruit by 247sports.com and 348th nationally. Scout.com lists him as the No. 2 senior quarterback in the state and 36th nationally. Fromm is 23rd among juniors by 247sports and 158th nationally. He is the No. 3 junior quarterback in the state and 18th nationally for Scout.com.
And so on.
Except, of course, that this isn’t necessarily about them, since neither is playing defense against the other.
“I wouldn’t say it adds much to the rivalry,” Byrd said. “I think it’s great competition. The way we look at it is, one player doesn’t make a team. It takes all 11 guys out there executing and getting the job done in order to be successful.”
Their styles are different, but Byrd and Fromm are otherwise pretty similar: personable, intelligent and smart. And they’re both football junkies, having been regulars for several summers at camps throughout the Southeast.
Their only meeting as high school competitors was fairly one-sided. Houston County was in charge from the start en route to a 46-27 win a year ago. Fromm was 18-for-33 for 435 yards and five touchdowns, while Byrd connected on 15-of-30 for 203 yards and a pair of interceptions, adding 135 yards on the ground.
The season pretty much followed suit for both teams. The Bears went on to a 10-3 season, losing in the GHSA Class AAAAA quarterfinals. The Warhawks lost their next five games, beating Upson-Lee in the regular-season finale to get Region 2-AAAA’s final playoff spot. Veterans lost 24-7 to Cairo to finish 3-8. The Warhawks suffered a combination of injuries and could never find a rhythm. Byrd completed 44.5 percent of his passes for 1,000 yards, five touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
“I’m not going to lie,” Byrd said. “It was a little rough.”
Fromm sizzled all season, thanks to an underrated running game and buffet of receiving targets. He connected 63.2 percent of the time for 3,628 yards, 31 touchdowns and only five interceptions, courtesy in part to the confidence-building start.
“There’s no doubt,” Houston County head coach Von Lassiter said. “That win was a great start to our season, gave us confidence. We were trying to find out where we were, and it gave us a good jump-start to the season.”
The attention focused by colleges -- and fans -- on Byrd and Fromm opens the door for the other 21 players on the field at a given time to find a spot on the recruiting radar.
Several years ago, a Michigan State assistant went down to Dooly County to watch Spartans commitment Keith Mumphery play and was dazzled by Twiggs County defensive back Darqueze Dennard, who had nary a scholarship offer to his name. Dennard was an all-conference player at Michigan State and a first-round NFL draft pick in 2014. And Bruce shared that with the Warhawks.
“That’s what I told them,” he said. “If you’re going to make a name for yourself, perform on the biggest stage.”
Houston County wideout/defensive back Darion Anderson (26th/327) has committed to Georgia, but he’s not quite at 100 percent after having offseason arthroscopic knee surgery. His twin brother Darius is a two-star prospect. The Bears also have several other players ready to display their versatility and potential, as do the Warhawks.
And certainly, defenders have a chance to stand out against a pair of renowned quarterbacks. Bruce notes Warhawks like cornerback Isaiah Gray and safety Matthew Hearst have chances to make a statement.
The Warhawks and Bears, and their quarterbacks, will display different styles and philosophies, but the one constant is anticipation, of the opponent and neighbor, but also just of the first game.
“We’ve been practicing for three or four week straight,” Fromm said. “We’re in desperate need of a payday.”
This story was originally published August 26, 2015 at 10:43 PM with the headline "There’s more to Veterans-Houston County than the stellar quarterbacks ."