Air Delhi

 

Is it time to rack up some frequent flier miles? While my discussions on football with anyone knowledgeable have been severely limited since our ‘Dogs went down to some Tigers last November, one tip I got is that we may see things open up a bit more, with more air traffic. In honor of this, I thought I’d do a little reminiscing about some of the best passing games that I’ve seen around Delhi. Much like last year’s Hot ‘Dogs, this is pretty much limited to the late 80’s onward, though I can think of a few pass plays I remember seeing when I was a younger pup. Anyway, here goes…..

Best Passing QB – since I picked him as the best overall QB last year due to his passing skills, I have to consider him the best passing QB. Matt Sohns (senior in ’91) had an absolute gun, and his 6’ 2” frame helped even further. Matt threw for around 3000 yards in his career, and he went on to Division II American International, where he set some career passing records. My runner-up would have to be Chris Clark (’01). He had tremendous poise and accuracy, even when the defensive heat was coming. He didn’t have the zip that Sohns had, but he could still run a passing game well even when the defense knew it was coming. We’ve had lots of great passers through the years, so many great ones are being missed.

Best WR – again, another pick from Hot ‘Dogs last year, Seth Haight (’91) had athletic ability on the field like I’ve never seen since. Tremendous speed and a Jedi-like vertical. His 988 receiving yards as a junior is a number we’ll likely never see again in Delhi, and at the time it was one of the best ever in the state. Jason Pardee (’99) was the most aggressive receiver we’ve had at Delhi, and his hands seem to have had glue on them. Get the ball close and he would go and find it.

Best QB/WR combo – since they played together, I think you have to put the #1 QB and the #1 WR as the #1 combo. Sohns and Haight were the talk of the town as both juniors and seniors, and ripped so many defenses apart. Taking 2^nd place, I’d have to say Chris Clark and Mike Barnes (junior in ’01 before moving). Barnes was probably not far below Haight and Pardee…..more athletic than Pardee, and a bit more aggressive than Haight. Delhi was primarily focused on the run in our state championship season, but whenever we needed to have a passing focus, it was right there, and you would have thought we were primarily a passing team.

Best WR tandem – ok, you’re going to start to think I’m biased because these guys were my friends, but once again I have to go with Mr. Haight. As a senior, he was complemented by Jason Daye (’91), who was a simple do-it-all…..one of those kids with such a nose for the game. These two were just unstoppable together.

In my mind, the most noteworthy thing about WR tandems is the pairs that never happened. We had so much potential for great WR pairs through the years that never came to be. In my mind the most notable is Mike Barnes/Tom Tuthill (’02). As juniors, Kelly chose to play Tuthill only on defense, even though he had tremendous skills. As seniors, Barnes made a move back to Erie Prep, so the two never played along side each other. Jon Smith (’04) and Travis Mahler (’04) were another pair that weren’t meant to be. They shared time as sophomores, and did very well. Then as juniors, Mahler made a transition to QB. With Smith’s lightning speed and Mahler’s incredible hands, they would have had first downs and TD’s galore. Pardee and Casey Cole (’98) were another great pair. They both pulled apart even great defenses in ’97 when Pardee was a sophomore and Cole a junior, but Cole was injured in an off-season car accident and didn’t play as a senior.

Will Delhi produce someone list-worthy this year? Only time will tell, and who knows where everyone will end up playing anyway. Kathmann was a great baseball pitcher, so you know the arm is there. Price is a tremendous athlete, and Burns is solid as well. Bedient had a TD catch last year. I don’t think we’ll be going run and shoot, but have your frequent flier cards handy…..