Raiders excited about athletic options at quarterback

Northeast has two options at quarterback as it enters the season, and there is plenty of athleticism showcased by those two players.

Sophomore Nolan Ussery, who helped spark the Raiders to two wins in a row to earn a playoff spot after Northeast started last season 0-8, will be at the Raiders’ disposal. But so will junior Vincent McCarthy, who during the summer has injected himself firmly into the competition to call signals for Northeast when it opens the season against Lamar County.

“We definitely want to keep those two guys on the field at the same time,” Northeast head coach Bruce Mullen said. “If one’s not at quarterback, they may be at receiver or running back; they’ll be on the field.”

It certainly helps Northeast to have two players with a firm grasp of the offense, either as a quarterback or from another offensive position. McCarthy logged time at running back last year. Throw in the athleticism of McCarthy and Ussery, and it’s tough for the Raiders to leave either of their abilities on the sidelines.

“We’ve realized we needed another quarterback; it’s gotten to the point where those guys are going to be competing,” Mullen said. “Any time you have a year’s experience, it makes that player better, and it’ll make us a better team.”

Northeast is hopeful that becoming a better team entails surpassing last year’s first-round postseason appearance, where a 48-0 loss to Brooks County has lingered within the program, but in a good way.

“That’s our engine light; we want to get out there and be able to play those teams and go farther,” offensive lineman William Causey Jr. said.

In fact, the Raiders are banking on the improvement toward the end of last season being able to be carried over. Northeast kept fighting to the end of the season, even after starting with eight losses.

“We preach to them all the time that we want to improve, and that was improvement. We played the whole season and didn’t have any success (until) the last two ballgames and were able to win,” Mullen said. “Even before the last two, we got better. We just let them know to get better on every play and every down.”

Mullen points to play in the trenches as a key. The Raiders will hang their hats on the play of Causey, who is 6-foot-3 and 348 pounds, and Solomon Davis, who also brings back valuable experience up front with his 6-3, 245-pound frame. If the Raiders can have sound play from their offensive line, it’ll certainly make matters easier, regardless of who is calling signals for the offense.

“If we can get them to be successful and dominate, you’ll usually be successful,” Mullen said.

“William, this is his first year starting, and Solomon Davis is there next to him. We’ll use those guys to hopefully help us be successful in the run game.”

This story was originally published August 13, 2016 at 4:19 PM with the headline "Raiders excited about athletic options at quarterback."