Delaportas Brings ‘Quiet Toughness’ to the Table
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)
Publisher
It’s common, and often recommended, for high school quarterbacks to be multi-sport athletes. BC starting quarterback Phil Jurkovec also played basketball at Pine-Richland. And backup Dennis Grosel originally committed to play baseball at Butler before taking a preferred walk-on spot with BC’s football team.
But the Eagles’ newest quarterback, Class of 2022, three-star signee Peter Delaportas, doubled as wrestler.
That, according to second-year Eagles head coach Jeff Hafley, is “very rare.”
“He’s got this quiet toughness about him,” Hafley said Wednesday. “He’s got a great presence about him. I think he’s got a chance to be a really good football player.”
Delaportas was put through the wringer this year. After transferring from Pope John to his home district to play for Jefferson Township, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound gunslinger suffered a wrist injury in a summer car accident that cost him two months of practice and the season opener.
He worked his way back to the field and, despite a 1-4 start, found his mojo, throwing for 2,006 yards and 26 touchdowns while posting a completion percentage of 68.4% and leading Jefferson Township to its first sectional title since 2008. But he didn’t get to play most of that championship game because of a shoulder injury that he sustained on his first pass attempt of the day.
The injury came following a three-touchdown performance—during which Delaportas completed his final 15 passes—against an undefeated Newton team in the semifinal. His team pulled through in the final, however, it was another bout of adversity for Delaportas to battle.
“Mentally, you’ve got to stay strong,” Delaportas told the New Jersey Herald Wednesday. “I got hurt at the beginning of the season, came back. I kind of struggled at the beginning of the season but picked it up at the end. The injury in the championship, you’ve just got to keep your mentals right and help others around you when you’re down.”
While Delaportas might not have the biggest personality, his arm is nothing short of huge. He can drive the ball downfield and, even though he’s not necessarily a dual threat, he is mobile inside and outside of the pocket. “Live body,” were the words Hafley used to describe his new quarterback’s flexibility in the tackle box. Hafley explained that Delaportas isn’t going to be running a 4.4, but “he can move.”
Delaportas, the third-rated signal caller in New Jersey this cycle, received offers from Kentucky, Pitt, Rutgers, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Temple and, of course, BC.
“We had targeted him early on, and it was a fight,” Hafley said. “And we went out, and we got it done. I’m really, really happy with him.
“Quarterbacks, as you know, are important. And we feel now we have several really good ones in the program, which means we’re gonna have a bright future.”
