CARROLLTON - Being a first time starting quarterback, Hunter Flowers had some nerves.
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“I had some, but not much,” Flowers admitted. “I definitely needed a couple of quarters under my belt.”
Especially since he's a sophomore, but things started out splendidly for a bit.
His first ever varsity pass was a 37-yard completion to the Triopia Trojans 13-yard line, but the next culminated his nervousness. He threw an interception at the one-yard line on the first possession of his career, which led to a Triopia touchdown and the Carrollton Hawks were down 12-0 on the road.
In the second quarter on one possession, he threw two passes that were very close to being picked off until he did get intercepted again that led to another Triopia touchdown. His coach, Nick Flowers wasn’t entirely confident at that point.
“I thought he maybe would throw five or six [interceptions] tonight being a sophomore quarterback right out of the gate. Hunter’s got a long way to go, but I thought his vision got better in the second half.”
Fortunately, if you’re going to make mistakes then it’s best to get them out of the way early on, and that’s what happened.
Flowers and the Hawks came back from a 30-19 deficit, scored 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and defeated the Trojans 39-30. He ended up throwing for 304 yards, four touchdowns, two interceptions and was 13-for-22. Additionally, in the second half, he was a perfect 7-for-7 through the air.
“It feels great. It’s absolutely awesome,” Hunter Flowers said. “I trusted my line, and they got the job done.”
Described as a pocket quarterback in the preseason, Flowers carried the ball eight times and rushed for 38 yards on an array of quarterback keepers and fake option-handoffs. He even successfully evaded pressure from the Triopia defensive a couple of times. Most notably was the play he kept a botched attempted halfback screen pass alive, scrambled to the sidelines and connected with Nathan Walker for a 38-yard gain inside the five-yard line.
“We practice it, but I am a pocket quarterback. But, when the time comes I gotta do what I gotta do.”
Hunter is a nephew of Coach Flowers. In fact, there are two other Flowers’ on the team, Brett and Zach are the sons of defensive coordinator, Rodney Flowers. It’s confusing, but that’s what can happen in a small community where all the family siblings stay and start their own families. Go on over to Calhoun County and ask the Baalman’s.
Zach was one of Hunter’s favorite targets in the Triopia game. He caught three passes for 94 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown reception. He even made Hunter look good when he caught a slick one-handed catch that ultimately led to a touchdown pass to Alex Bowker right before halftime.
The next week, Flowers was just as clutch as he and the Hawks took down the Beardstown Tigers 29-23 in dramatic fashion. He directed a 65-yard drive with under three minutes to play that set up a fourth and goal from the four-yard line where the Hawks scored to seal the win with 26 seconds left. Flowers threw for 225 yards with three touchdowns, two interceptions and scored on a one-yard touchdown run.
So far, Flowers has thrown seven touchdown passes, four interceptions, and 529 yards in two games. He’s on pace to notch over 2,000 passing yards before the regular season concludes.
Going into week 1 of the 2017 season, since 2012, the Carrollton Hawks' record was 49-11. The big key to their success was wreaking havoc with their spread offense in the WIVC. From 2012 to 2014, Jacob Smith threw for 4,512 yards, 52 touchdowns, with 441 passing attempts. When he graduated, he held the all-time Carrollton records in just about every quarterback category, including most passing yards and touchdowns.
The passing yards record stood for two short years when Wade Prough overtook him last year.
Prough was the starter for the previous two seasons and racked up 4,759 yards and tied Smith’s touchdown record with 52 as well. To be fair for Smith, Prough threw 76 more passes at 517 but did have one less season.
Flowers is a different type of quarterback than Smith and Prough. He’s listed at six-foot, two-inches, weighs 175 pounds, and throws left-handed. While young, he’s acutely aware of the program’s recent history and the success of his predecessors.
“It’s definitely a lot to live up to and a lot of stuff I gotta compete with,” Flowers said.
