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Hess, Kanetsky fare well at QB
By Joe Scalzo
Youngstown
About an hour before Saturday’s spring game, YSU offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery told redshirt freshman quarterback Kurt Hess he would get the nod as the Red team’s starting quarterback.
That meant junior Marc Kanetsky would start for the backup White team.
“Obviously, you have to feel a little bit of pressure,” Kanetsky said. “Kurt’s a player and he’s going to play good and he gives us a great chance to win, I’m sure but I’m trying to show I can give us a good chance to win, too.”
Although both rotated between the Red and White, Hess took the majority of the snaps with the Red. Although Hess had the (slightly) better numbers, both quarterbacks played extremely well.
“We knew we had to prepare as if we’re both going to go out there,” Hess said. “I may have gotten the nod but I had to come out here and execute and make sure the offense was all squared away.”
Hess’ combined numbers were 26 of 33 for 350 yards, three TDs and and no interceptions. Kanetsky went 20 of 32 for 213 yards, one TD and a 2-yard TD run.
“I was jacked up just for the fact to come out and play,” Kanetsky said. “I get the local guy rap, kind of, ‘Oh, you’re Kanetsky from Hubbard.’
“I’m just trying to go out and change people’s opinions about me.”
Since neither player has much collegiate experience — Kanetsky has thrown 15 passes in two years, with one start — both quarterbacks know there’s a possibility the coaching staff will look to bring in a high-profile transfer this offseason.
Did Saturday’s performance convince them otherwise?
“Maybe a little bit,” Hess said. “So long as we have competition as a team, it makes everybody better.
“If they bring somebody in, they bring somebody in. We still have to work hard to win games this season.”
Although they’ve only had three weeks to learn the new offense, both players seemed to be in control. The offense was lined up correctly, there were no delay of game penalties and no interceptions.
The defenses may have been a little vanilla, but not too much.
“Offensively, they did a good job handling things and getting rid of the ball,” head coach Eric Wolford said. “If we played [a regular season game] today, they’d both play.”