Tue - 18 Oct
Written by Jim Ecker
Chico Lizarraga is an unsual athlete at Kennedy High School.
During the spring and summer, he catches balls that are thrown his way. During the fall, he throws them.
He was the starting catcher for Kennedy in the Class 4A state baseball tournament last summer, and he's the starting quarterback for a football team that's headed for the Class 4A playoffs.
Lizarraga was almost a quarterback who wasn't supposed to throw the ball, at least not very often. Kennedy Coach Tim Lewis prefers a hard-nosed running game and knew he had a pair of good tailbacks in Trevor Heitland and Alex Hillyer. In addition, Lizarraga had limited experience as a quarterback when the year began.
Lewis thought he might let Lizarraga throw the ball six or seven times a game, maybe 10 at the most. As time went by, the coach changed his mind.
"He just got more and more accurate in practice and more and more accurate in games," Lewis said Tuesday after practice. "Then I thought, if we don't start throwing more and more, I'm not a very good coach.
"We've got the receivers to do it, and we've got a quarterback who can get it done. So it kind of evolved from there."
The quarterback who wasn't supposed to throw the ball has blossomed into the fourth-leading passer in the Mississippi Valley Conference with 1,211 yards through the air. He trails only Riley McCarron of Dubuque Wahlert (1,558 yards), Charles Rogers of Iowa City West (1,397) and Mark Atwater of Linn-Mar (1,347).
The quarterback who wasn't supposed to throw the ball has completed 71 of 133 passes with seven touchdowns only three interceptions. He went five straight games without an interception, tossing 73 passes against Washington, Dubuque Senior, Iowa City High, Jefferson and Iowa City West without an INT.
Lizarraga said his confidence has grown during the season.
"The Washington game was a big confidence booster, just because I completed some big passes," he said. "And of course the Iowa City West game, when I had my best game so far even though we lost. It was pretty exciting."
Lizarraga completed 15 of 27 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-28 loss to Iowa City West two weeks ago.
"I think it's been a good year so far," he said.
Kennedy hosts Wahlert in the final game of the regular season Friday night at Kingston Stadium. Wahlert is 5-3 and has clinched a winning record. Kennedy is 4-4. Both clubs are headed to the playoffs, but Kennedy would rather go there with a winning mark.
As Lewis said, "5-and-4 is a lot better than 4-and-5."
In addition, Kennedy and Wahlert both have 3-2 records in the Mississippi Division of the MVC. The winner will tie Iowa City High for second place in the standings behind Linn-Mar.
"That would be quite an accomplishment, considering the way we started out," said Lewis, whose club began the season with two straight losses before winning four out of six.
Part of the surge can be traced to Lizarraga, who's blossoming as a quarterback. He was the backup QB last year as a junior, but saw limited action. And as a sophomore, he began the season as a wide receiver before switching to quarterback later in the year.
He entered preseason practice this summer in a battle with junior Riley Fergus for the job, and Lewis originally thought Fergus would be the winner after being the sophomore quarterback last year. Lizarraga had other ideas.
"I guess I just didn't do anything wrong," he said. "I got my chance and I proved that I can play."
Fergus, a good athlete, moved to linebacker, giving Lewis a chance to get both players on the field.
Lewis likes Lizarraga's temperament and approach to being the starting quarterback.
"He is very athletic, he's smart, he understands the game," Lewis said. "He's got a really short memory, which is great for a quarterback.
"He could throw an interception or he could throw a ball that hits the ground, and he gets back and it doesn't bother him. He just shrugs it off and goes on to the next play. There aren't too many people that can do that."
Lewis said Lizarraga throws "a great ball," with a quick release that's right on target. He also stays calm in the pocket and finds open receivers.
Lizarraga is not a big talker on the football field, but he's not as quiet as some people think.
"I'm a quiet guy, but if you get to know me you'll know that I'm more than just quiet," he said. "When I want to be, I can be vocal. But I just try to go out there and show that my skills are pretty good.
"I like to be in charge and lead and show that I can do things," he remarked.
Lizarraga would like to continue catching baseballs and throwing footballs in college. He's visited Luther College, where he might be able to pursue both sports, but has not made a decision.
"I just want to go wherever I can play, baseball or football," he said.
