CLARION, Pa. (EYT/D9) — The game now moves much slower for Jase Ferguson.
No longer does the action play out before him as if set to fast forward.
It’s half-speed. It’s as if he controls the remote, able to advance frame by frame.
It allows for the Central Clarion junior quarterback to notice things. Little things. A turn of the hips from a defensive back here. A wayward glance from a safety there. One of his receivers breaking into the open before anyone else can see it.
(Pictured above, Central Clarion quarterback Jase Ferguson lets go of a pass against Brookville in the District 9 Class 2A championship game last week/photo by Kirkland Photography)
Ferguson has parlayed his command of the Wildcat offense into a monster season in his third year as a starter.
“We talked about getting the ball out quicker, putting them in tighter windows because the better the competition, the tighter those window get,” said Central Clarion coach Dave Eggleton. “That’s what we’ve been focusing on all season long, to get to where he is right now. You know, he’s a phenomenal athlete and the work he puts in is unmatched.”
During the dog days of summer, Ferguson was out on a sunbaked field, throwing spirals to his Wildcat friends and teammates. Rep after rep, getting it down so it was second nature.
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That work has continued to pay dividends through the turning of the leaves and now into the frigid nights of the postseason push. Through it all, Ferguson has been picking apart defenses at will.
He has completed 130-of-194 passes for 2,555 yards and 43 touchdowns to just four interceptions.
Last week against Brookville, Ferguson threw five TD passes to five different receivers.
“I’m just kind of used to it now,” Ferguson said of the offense and the game slowing down. “It took awhile. Freshman and sophomore year, I wasn’t the best at it. I’ve definitely developed a lot and it’s really gotten easier for me.”
Easier for Ferguson and Central Clarion. Infinitely more difficult for opponents.
Ferguson has an experienced offensive line in front of him providing him clean pockets. He also has a bevy of receiving threats.
It’s an embarrassment of riches for one of the best quarterbacks and offenses in the state.
“We just have so many athletes and our offensive line is great,” Ferguson said. “They do an amazing job. Then we have Dawson Smail and Tommy Smith and Brady Quinn and Mason Burford — guys who can just go and get the ball and run amazing routes and are really fast.”
All four of those receivers have at least 15 receptions. Smail and Burford each have caught 14 touchdown passes.
Ferguson has been able to get them the ball consistently.
“He has a progression every play,” Eggleton said. “It’s never just one guy I tell him to throw to. Sometimes I’ll tell him who I think will be open, but he does a really good job finding that open guy.”
(Central Clarion coach Dave Eggleton, who calls the offensive plays for the Wildcats, and Ferguson have a collaborative relationship with Ferguson offering suggestions based on what he sees on the field during the course of a game/photo by Kirkland Photography)
Eggleton calls the plays during the game and Ferguson has his ear.
Many times, Ferguson will come off the field and tell Eggleton something he has seen or to suggest something. The coach and QB very much have a collaborative relationship.
“It happens all the time,” Eggleton said. “Even something in the run game. Or he’ll come and say, ‘Hey, I missed that guy. Come back to that play. He’ll be open again. I should have thrown the ball to him.’ It’s just the constant communication we have throughout the game of what he’s seeing and what I’m seeing.”
Ferguson appreciates the faith Eggleton and the coaching staff has in him.
“It feel amazing they have that confidence and that trust in me to be able to make my own reads and make my own decision,” he said.
Ferguson didn’t do as much of that during his first two years as a started when he was just trying to get his bearing as the starting QB.
He displayed his raw talent during his freshman campaign, which started slowly for Central Clarion amid COVID-19 pandemic cancelations and last-minute rescheduling of game. It started to click for Ferguson the second half of that year and the Wildcats turned an 0-4 start into a playoff berth.
Ferguson made a huge leap last season, leading Central Clarion to the District 9 Class 2A championship before losing to Westinghouse in the PIAA playoffs.
Here the Wildcats (11-0) are again, D9 champs and the No. 2-ranked team in the state, set to face fourth-ranked Westinghouse (10-0) on Friday at PennWest Clarion with a quarterback who has yet again taken his game to another level.
“Things have changed so much,” Ferguson said. “We knew we were a good football team last year, but we were nervous and we were in a new environment (at Cupples Stadium in Pittsburgh) that we weren’t used to. We need to play a good game, limit errors, and I need to make good reads and not be scared going into the game.”
Little scares Ferguson these days.
He’s also the leading rusher for Central Clarion with 774 yards and nine touchdowns.
That’s another part of his game that has blossomed over the years, especially this season.
“I love running the ball,” Ferguson said. “My line does an amazing job opening holes. We actually put in a lot more RPOs this year and a few more designed QB runs. I also get yards, obviously, from scrambling. That definitely helps. It makes it hard for defenses to be able to cover everyone and then come up and defend the run.”
Because of Ferguson and the myriad of weapons around him, Central Clarion is leading the state, regardless of class, in scoring at a gaudy 59.3 points per game.
Even Ferguson admitted to be taken aback by some of the numbers this Wildcat offense has been able to produce.
“I think it definitely surprises us a bit,” he said. “We knew we were good. We knew our offense was gonna be good, but I don’t think we expected that many points every game.”
Central Clarion has scored 70 or more points in four games this season, including 86 against Bradford.
Ferguson isn’t satisfied. He said this offense hasn’t reached its full potential yet.
Now that’s a scary thought.
“We definitely have a lot we can improve,” Ferguson said. “You can always get better. There’s always stuff to clean up. I can make better reads. Definitely a lot to work on.”
Central Clarion football coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Redbank Chevrolet and DuBrook.
