A diamond in Dillon: Hunter on the rise
DILLON, S.C. (BVM) — He’s not yet a starting varsity quarterback. He’s not yet a household name on the stage of prep level football. But he has aspirations to be one of the best, and looks like he has the talent to do it.
Lucas Hunter of Dillon High School has done everything in his power to improve his game and allow himself the opportunity to shine.
Originally from Pine Crest High School in neighboring North Carolina, Hunter had to transfer because its football season was up in the air. With COVID-19 lingering, the 6-foot-2 quarterback wanted to guarantee himself a sophomore season. He wanted to continue building upon his impressive freshman season.
Splitting time between the freshman and JV teams, Hunter put up solid numbers, and ball security was a staple of that. The rising QB had no turnovers in his freshman season, but it’s not because he played conservatively. Hunter produced.
He accumulated 724 passing yards and five touchdowns at a 60 percent completion rate. On the ground, the versatile signal-caller compiled another five touchdowns with 160 yards. In order to boost those numbers even further, Hunter decided that transferring to Dillon was his ticket. They run the spread system, mostly found throughout the NFL.
“I’ll be a really versatile player so I like that you can give the ball to anyone and they can take it 90 yards to the house,” Hunter said. “We can pass it any route, and they can take it to the house or I can just give it to the running back.”
But learning the spread did have some hiccups. In a pass-heavy system, making pre-snap reads became a necessity. Understanding the opposition’s defense had to be a weekly priority. Making the right throw at the right time was all about timing and your knowledge of the opponent’s scheme.
Obviously though, Hunter’s hard work is paying off. He’s been sending his film off to coaches all across the country, both through email and social media direct messages. Hunter has made sure to try to sell himself to everyone he gets the chance. Some schools have taken notice.
“I’ve received mail from Arizona State and emails from Auburn,” Hunter said. “Then I have the one offer from Faulkner, an NAIA school.”
As eyes begin to turn towards the sophomore QB, he’ll continue working on his game. He currently works out with private trainer Kevin Olsen, who coaches at Hough High School in Charlotte, NC.
“We focus on a lot of accuracy and footwork. I’ve gotten a lot better with my footwork but it used to be one of the weakest parts of my game,” Hunter said. “We are also working on moving in the pocket.”
However, where Hunter continues his high school career is up in the air. Whether he’ll be in North or South Carolina is still to be determined, but it may be neither. His dad may be moving to New Jersey for a job opportunity, meaning Hunter would be headed with him. He’ll have to wait until the spring time to see how things pan out.
Regardless of where he ends up though, his goals will remain the same.
“By the time I’m a senior, l hope to have won a state championship, have some D1 offers and be a three-star recruit.” Hunter said.
