When asked for an evaluation of his first year starting at quarterback on the high school level, New Hampstead High School’s Randy Jarrell is quick with an in-depth response recapping his junior season high points as well as a few costly low spots during the 2019 campaign. And, like most every high school athlete with only one more prep season, Jarrell’s desire to make 2020 a memorable HS finale is only matched by an obvious urgency in his voice.
“We have a lot of team goals for this season, but I’m wanting to go for a region championship all out my last season … a region championship, but then we also want to at least advance past the first round (in the GHSA state) playoffs.” Jarrell said during a late-July phone call with PSR.
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NHHS finished the 2019 season with a 3-7 record overall and an 0-4 record within Region 2-5A under first-year head coach Kyle Hockman and Jarrell tallied 16 touchdowns and 1,505 yards through the air.
“I would say I had a pretty good year, but it wasn’t great or anything like that,” he said. “I want to be great for my team this year. Last year, I think I was just slow adjusting to the speed of everything early and that cost us. I’ve been focusing on my leadership and taking that next step as a senior leader.”
Beginning this fall, NHHS will be competing in Region 3-4A alongside Savannah powers Jenkins and Benedictine as well as Islands. For the first time in program history, the Phoenix will be in a region with only Savannah-area schools.
It’s an opportunity not lost on Jarrell.
“I’m really excited to be a part of this new region with some of these top programs in Savannah,” he said. “We’ve never had a chance to claim ‘best team in Savannah’ status because we wouldn’t be playing (BC, HVJ, IHS) in one season usually.
“Now, we can add a ‘best team in Savannah’ goal to this year too.”
A football team’s record falling short of expectations isn’t unique to 2019 NHHS. And, many times at least, team records can be partially attributed to nearly any aspect of the game that one could track/measure (injuries, weather, officiating, schedule strength, etc.).
But, Jarrell contends a first-year coach/quarterback combo can be difficult for most every high school football team to overcome, and that seems to make sense enough because there is athletic talent aplenty at New Hampstead yet a growing 2019 season was still required it seems.
That won’t be the case this year when the 2020 season kicks off for NHHS against Beach on Sept. 4.
Hockman and Jarrell will have been there, done that. Jarrell says his team’s difficulties in 2019 could wind up being a positive for this year’s squad.
“We went through some rough stretches. We had some growing pains I know,” he said.
“But that could be (a good thing) for us. Even though it was some pain (in 2019) and we didn’t finish where we wanted to be, that painful time is where you can grow too.”
Follow Jarrell on Twitter @kvngjj.
Photos by Birk Herrath Photography
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