At last, Morelli gets to air it out
Pennsylvania's Chaump has a healthy dilemma: PSU recruit or Henne?
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
BY BOB FLOUNDERS
Of The Patriot-News
George Chaump knows quarterbacks. He's coached dozens of good ones during a 45-year coaching career that includes stops at every level.
But Harrisburg High School's head coach, and the coach of the Pennsylvania side in Saturday's Big 33 meeting with Ohio at Hersheypark Stadium, has never had the services of a duo like Chad Henne and Anthony Morelli.
"Quarterbacks? Well, you have to remember I was around a pretty good one named Jimmy Jones [at John Harris]," Chaump said yesterday, after putting the Pennsylvania team through an afternoon workout at Hershey High School.
"And boy, I had some good ones at Central Dauphin, like Ryan Belicic and [Mike] Probst.
"But two like [Henne and Morelli]? No, I guess I never have, not this young, and not at the same time."
This year's Pennsylvania team features a little bit of everything.
Speed on the flanks, courtesy of wideout Darrelle Revis and wideout/running back Andrew Johnson.
Girth at the point of attack, courtesy of pizza oven-shaped lineman A.Q. Shipley.
And, shall we say, presence on the defensive side, where linebackers James Bryant and Dontey Brown seem capable of making about 490 pounds of statement to the Ohio offense.
But there is nothing quite like the thrill of watching a quarterback with head-turning skills.
And all of them were on display yesterday as Henne and Morelli took turns putting the Pennsylvania offense through its paces.
Henne showed the release, accuracy and footwork that triggered last spring and summer's intense recruiting battle for his services. Michigan claimed him in August.
Morelli? Well, at 6-4, 210 pounds, there is not much the former Penn Hills star can't do with a football. Name the throw, any distance, and the Penn State-bound Morelli can make it.
Which brings us to one of the great shames of Pennsylvania high school football the last several years -- Morelli's rocket of a right arm was often holstered at Penn Hills, a run-happy program.
He never had the chance to show his ability in a spread set.
Now, he will.
Chaump is using the same up-tempo, multiple-receiver offense he uses every fall. Both Henne and Morelli will be showcased Saturday.
Henne is accustomed to that offensive style from his wide-open days at Wilson.
Morelli? He is looking forward to his first taste of 21st-century football.
"Oh, man, it's a lot different. In high school, all we ever did was run the ball," said Morelli, who threw for just more than 1,600 yards last fall.
"We averaged something like 10 throws a game. Here, we've been winging it around from the start. This is not just regular high school.
"You got the best of the best out here. The offensive talent is incredible, but it's going to be like that on the defensive side, too."
Prior to Big 33 week, Morelli spent three weeks in State College, lifting and running and throwing. He said it was a nice lead-in to Pennsylvania's practices.
"I think I'm ready for this kind of offense," Morelli said.
"I was up at Penn State for three weeks throwing, and we've got coach [Galen] Hall up there [running the offense], so I think we're going to throw the ball a lot.
"I think we can do a lot of damage in this offense," he added.
"We've been throwing the ball around a lot and we've got very good running backs. We have a lot of options."
Options that didn't exist during his prep career. However, Morelli said he doesn't think about what might have been at Penn Hills.
"It would have been great, we definitely had the skill and the receivers for it," Morelli said.
"[But] that's not what our coaches wanted to do. We ran the ball. But we won, so that's all that mattered to me."
"You look at these two kids, and you see size, arm strength and athletic ability," Chaump said.
"They're very, very good quarterbacks and they'll both be good quarterbacks at the next level.
"I think both of them can play on Sundays."
