(Conner Richardson 6-3 220 Sr. QB ) Kennedy HS |
Kennedy (Burien, Wa.) Catholic has been one of the premier programs in the state of Washington for the better part of two decades and they are led by the venerable Bob Bourgette who is old-school in the way he coaches the game, preferring an offense that grinds it out on the ground and a tough defense that doesn’t give up much in the way of yards or points.
Last year, the Lancers were led by Wyoming-bound QB Jason Thompson, who, like many Kennedy quarterbacks, used his legs and athleticism a lot more than his arm to make plays.
Fast forward to 2012 and the Lancers could be opening things up if you look at how their spring practices went as well as who will be leading the team — senior-to-be Conner Richardson.
The talented athlete has been a mainstay the Barton Camps this offseason, working on both his mechanics as well as his leadership and decision-making skills and he hopes for more opportunities to throw the ball down the field this coming season.
"We had our spring game a couple of weeks ago and we got a lot more into the spread and I got to toss the ball around a lot more," Richardson told Northwest Elite Index at the Northwest Stars camp over the weekend. "I have a lot of big targets this year to throw to — Drew Thompson and Cole Madison — so I think you’ll see a different Kennedy offense this year."
At 6’3" and weighing in at 215 pounds, Richardson has ideal size for a high school signal-caller, but with his lack of experience, some may be concerned about what lies ahead for the Kennedy offense. Richardson understands that and has been working overtime to get ready for what will be his only chance to show college coaches what he can do.
"This offseason I knew I had to go out and be the hardest working quarterback in the entire country," Richardson noted. "That was my goal every single day. I wasn’t going to let anyone outwork me. My goal was to work with Taylor (Barton) and get my quarterback skills down as much as I could and then this offseason… I said to myself I wanted to be the best quarterback in the state of Washington and our team to be the best team in the state and for us to get that state championship.
"For me, the biggest thing was getting work as a quarterback. Last year, I worked in at receiver and also because I was the backup quarterback, I got work in there too, but getting the whole ‘coverage thing’ down was a big thing for me. Working on the the things that make a great quarterback."
Because Richardson doesn’t have any film on him playing quarterback, he’s been told by serveral schools they want to see what he can do the first month of the season, but nonetheless he does have some schools showing him some interest.
"I’ve talked a lot with Northern Colorado and Montana State," Richarsdon said. "I’ve also talked to North Dakota and Eastern and I’ve hit all of those camps, plus UNLV, Washington State, North Dakota State and Washington’s camps.
"I don’t have that junior film which is hurting me right now, but after the first month I should have enough to show people what I can do."
We will continue to keep tabs on Richardson in the coming weeks and months and we will update news as it happens with him.
( Richardson with other Top QB Billy Green, another Barton product and recent BYU Commit)
