Huntingdon's Kade Pearson has developed passing game over past two years

HUNTINGDON - Look at the frame of Huntingdon senior Kade Pearson at 6-foot and 220 pounds, and many would believe he has the size of a running back or a linebacker.

But two years ago, Pearson made the move to become a quarterback.

"I played fullback, but then I made the move to quarterback," Pearson said. "I played some of both when I was younger."

Playing quarterback in the junior leagues is different than playing quarterback on the high school level though.

"Making the move to quarterback was challenging at first," Pearson said. "My first year it was about blocking and running, but I had to develop my passing skills after I gained experience."

Pearson is one that Huntingdon coach Eric Swenson knows that on a daily basis he can rely on.

"He is a competitor," Swenson said. "He comes to practice to compete. He maybe the only quarterback/linebacker in the state as far as I know. He is an intelligent kid, and he is a leader on field on both sides of the football."

Playing quarterback at Huntingdon isn't an easy task as the Mustangs aren't looking for a pocket passer, so being versatile is key.

"You have to be willing to do whatever it takes to win a game, whether that is sticking your nose up there and making a big block, completing a pass or running for a touchdown," Pearson said. "You have to be physical."

And Swenson believes that Pearson has the intelligence to pick up on about anything.

"He has no trouble when you switch stuff up," Swenson said. "He is one of those guys that you tell him one time, and he gets it. We have a few guys like that. We lost two really good running backs from last year, but Kade has some weapons on the outside that can catch the ball. So we feel like we need to turn him lose a little bit."

So throwing is important, and that is something that Pearson has really had to work on over these past two years.

"Throwing was the difficult part," Pearson said. "I have always been more of a running quarterback. We have worked a lot on our passing game, and I have just bought in. It has been a lot of work and a lot of reading."

So could this be Pearson's best year passing?

"It could be, as long as we can protect him," Swenson said. "We are still not big up front, so with some of the stuff we run, people like to stack the box. We have thrown for two or three touchdowns per scrimmage. Our ability to protect him is going to be key because as people stack the box, they are going to be bringing people like crazy, so there will be people open."

With his senior year starting Friday night with a home game against McKenzie, Pearson has his goals set for this year.

"I hope to get a state championship ring," Pearson said. "We want to win the region first, and then just keep going.

"We have worked really hard in the offseason. We have been lifting, and we are still improving."

Reach Michael Odom at michodom@jacksonsun.com or 731-425-9754. Follow him on Twitter @JSWriterMichael.