Ithaca didn’t miss a beat in the Division 6 state title game with coach Terry Hessbrook’s nephew, Logan, at quarterback.
But it was not a script that the junior substitute quarterback would have suspected.
Hessbrook got the call to go in on Ithaca’s first drive, when starting quarterback Travis Smith sustained a game-ending shoulder injury.
“He’s my nephew and I’m very proud of that,” smiled coach Hessbrook. “My brother Todd coaches for us, coaches the linebackers. I’m honored to coach all these kids. But it’s certainly a privilege to coach your two nephews.”
The other nephew, Jordan Hessbrook, like Logan, is a starting defensive back for the Yellowjackets.
“In the last four weeks, I’ll say he had one or two reps in four weeks,” Terry Hessbrook said. “I’d like to sit up here and tell you that our backup quarterback Logan Hessbrook had taken a bunch of snaps and was ready for this opportunity and was well-prepared. But I’ll be honest with you. He wasn’t well-prepared. That’s my fault. I put him in there and trusted him. He played his heart out for us.
“Early on, when we did some things, I told him ‘Travis isn’t coming back. We’re going to live and die by you. Play the way you’re capable of.’ And he was able to do that for us.”
Logan Hessbrook who, like Smith, is a junior and will be back next year, admits he’s a different style quarterback.
“I like to be outside the pocket so I can see everything and know I have the option to run,” he said. “We didn’t change much and we got it done.”
“We told him to settle down, don’t get into too big of a rush, and make his throws,” said flanker Markes Gadlen, who caught two passes for 36 yards. “He’s a good runner.”
Logan Hessbrook said he conferred with Smith during the game.
“He said, ‘You can get it done, just take what the defense gives you,’” Hessbrook said. “That gave me confidence coming from our starting quarterback. He’s an all-stater. He’s a great player.”
Logan Hessbrook laughed and said “no” when asked if there might be a quarterback controversy next season at Ithaca.
“[Smith] has always been quarterback and I had a started as running back, had a growth spurt, and changed to receiver,” Hessbrook said. “That’s where I’ll be playing next year, too.”
Ironically, Logan noted that in 2011, Smith had been a receiver before quarterback David Brown sustained an injury the first game of the season. Smith took over as QB and has been there ever since, until the first quarter of the 2012 state final.
“He helped me out just like David helped Travis out,” Hessbrook said. “It was very unfortunate for that to happen to Travis. I focus on defense. When he went out, we made adjustments. I was off special teams and defense. I got a lot more rest. That helped me settle my nerves.”
His 48-yard touchdown run for Ithaca’s first score was a major confidence booster, Hessbrook admitted.
“Confidence is such a good thing,” he said. “For us to prepare and play the way we did is just awesome.”
“We had to throw the ball a couple of times, just to keep them honest,” said Terry Hessbrook. “He threw two touchdown passes, including one on a fumble he picked off the ground. To have the poise to do that, Logan is one of those kids who all year long had tremendous confidence in himself. A lot of times, late in the game, we’ve put Logan in. The first thing he would do is audible. He had tremendous confidence in himself. It’s obvious that was on display today.”
The switch in quarterbacks obviously wasn’t lost on Constantine.
“I understand their quarterback went out the first series of the game,” said Constantine coach Shawn Griffith. “Advantage us. But you don’t have a quality program like Coach Hessbrook’s without having kids capable of coming in and being backups. They showed they have depth and the ability to make plays.”
Griffith said the change in quarterbacks didn’t really create complications for his defense.
“I’ll be honest with you, we’ve struggled all year stopping people defensively,” Griffith said. “When we game planned to stop Ithaca, it was not to stop Travis Smith, so to speak. Ithaca is going to run their offense regardless of who the guys are in there. They stepped up and showed the ability to run a little more capable than what I thought they were doing. They hit the big pass when they needed to.”