By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — Even though Seth Carter hadn’t played quarterback since middle school, Sharyland High coach Ron Adame offered an enthusiastic “heck, yeah!” when the senior asked for a chance at the starting job during the offseason.
Adame explained his excitement by saying he wanted someone who had a “deep drive” to take on a big assignment. But what largely propelled him was his experience in a multitude of positions — playing safety as a freshman, and then later switching to running back and outside receiver.
Having seen the game from different vantage points, Carter felt uniquely qualified to start at quarterback. So when Adame approached him two weeks ago to see how he was settling into his new role, Carter told him, “It’s great. I’ve always wanted to have this type of pressure.”
Carter, indeed, shoulders a big load for Sharyland, a program transitioning from a senior-heavy group that advanced to the third round of the playoffs to a new cast of players finding its way. Much is expected of him now, as a quarterback and one of the few holdovers from last season.
He’s one of two returning starters on offense, and a versatile athlete who can score in a variety of ways. So far this year, he’s passed for 13 touchdowns, rushed for three and hauled in another. Only two of his 100 passing attempts have been intercepted, and Carter is coming off a game against Edinburg Vela last week in which he registered 542 yards of offense and accounted for six touchdowns.
Coaches tout his vision. Where some running backs may be downhill runners, catching only glimpses of their surroundings, assistant head coach Joe Alex Leal describes Carter as having “eyes on the side and on the back of his head.”
Couple that with his agility and lateral movement (from basketball) and his strength (from the pole vault event in track and field), and Leal believes Carter embodies “a complete athlete.”
“We knew that talent-wise he could play quarterback,” Leal said. “It was just a matter of getting game-time reps. Most quarterbacks, that’s all they play. But he’s got a lot of skills to play a lot of positions.
“God has definitely blessed him with a lot of skills.”
Along the way, Carter incorporated his past experiences to accelerate the learning curve this year. He said he uses his defensive background to spot coverages and exploit weaknesses in opposing formations. And having played receiver, he understands how to find teammates in stride.
It’s that know-how that has also allowed Sharyland to shift Carter to running back and receiver, giving the Rattlers a different look with Manny Campos under center.
Campos threw for 308 yards and one touchdown two weeks ago at Laredo Alexander, with most of those passes going to Carter, who had 10 catches for 102 yards, including the go-ahead score.
“The funny thing is that he and Manny are so much alike,” Leal said. “They could play inside, outside, running back, quarterback. They’re like cats. Wherever you throw them, they always lands on their feet.”
At times, the process has been challenging. Taking on a leadership role, Carter understands he has to keep his teammates positive, even when times get rough.
Just last week, the Rattlers endured a 48-47 loss to Vela in a matchup in which Sharyland was widely considered the underdogs. In the closing moments, Carter fumbled the ball while attempting a 5-yard scoring run, allowing Vela to preserve its district-opening victory.
At 2-3 overall and No. 7 in the latest RGVSports.com top 10 poll, Carter believes Sharyland is better than its record might indicate, saying “it’s possibly the deadliest 2-3 in the Valley.” The schedule has certainly been a factor. So far, the Rattlers have had arguably the toughest matchups of any Valley team, facing two 2014 regional semifinalists, two area-round qualifiers and McAllen Memorial, the Valley’s No. 1-ranked team.
Through it all, Carter has helped Sharyland stay competitive.
“Obviously Seth is a great player,” Campos said. “His attitude on the field, his work ethic — it just doesn’t come to him. He goes 100 percent. And it’s good to have him as a teammate because you know you could always count on him. You know his work ethic is always going to be there.”