Pretend for a moment you are a high school quarterback.
And not just any quarterback, but the quarterback in charge of Richland County’s most prolific offense.
Lined up to your right is wideout Chek Washington, a 6-foot senior who has offers from a handful of Division I schools. To your left is senior Robert Jones, who, at 6-foot-7 is a walking mismatch. Then, there is sure-handed 6-foot-3 junior tight end Mitch Nixon, who has begun to draw the interest of Wisconsin, and 5-foot-7 junior slot receiver Asante’ Wilder, whose ankle-breaking open field moves are reminiscent of the recently graduated Keon Johnson. Throw in 6-foot senior Mario Davison and 6-4 senior Derek Gilbert and you have the makings of the most talented receiving corps in the area.
Life is good for Mansfield Senior quarterback Jalen Reese.
“I’ve got a lot of weapons at my disposal,” Reese said last week. “They make me look good.”
A three-year starter, Reese has completed 60 of 90 passes for 873 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Tygers (3-0), who host Clear Fork at Arlin Field on Friday, are averaging 44 points and 465 yards a game.
Washington has been Reese’s favorite target with 18 catches for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Wilder has 12 grabs for 197 yards and a TD, while Jones has eight catches for 111 yards and a touchdown. Nixon has a team-high three TD catches among his seven receptions, while Davison has six catches for 97 yards and two scores. Gilbert has five grabs for 40 yards.
“None of this would be possible without my receivers and the offensive line,” Reese said. “It all starts with the guys up front.”
In last week’s 45-16 win at Marion Harding, Reese completed 23 of 33 passes for 332 yasrds and two touchdowns. He has thrown for 4,149 career yards. It was his sixth career 300-yard passing game.
“With his experience, it’s like having another coach out on the field,” Senior High coach Chioke Bradley said. “There are times when he will correct (offensive coordinator) Jeff Soliday.”
Soliday, a former Mansfield Senior quarterback who went on to a record-setting career at Division III Ohio Northern, has been impressed with Reese.
“What does Jalen do well? What doesn’t he do well,” Soliday said. “He does a great job of reading defenses and getting us into the right plays. He gets the ball into the hands of his playmakers.”
So what is it like to walk up to the line of scrimmage, take the snap and rocket passes to a talented bunch of receivers? Richland Source, with the help of a GoPro camera, is offering you an inside look at what it is like to be Richland County’s most prolific quarterback.
Follow Curt Conrad on Twitter @curtjconrad
Editors Note: In the video below, the title card identifies Jalen Reese as #8 to aid viewers in identifying him by the practice jersey he wears in the video. Reese’s game day jersey and listing on the roster will read #7.
