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[Dave Johnson]

Peninsula-area Player of the Week:
Bethel's Aris McGlone-English

By Dave Johnson | djohnson@dailypress.com

Bethel went the entire 2006 season trying to find a quarterback. They had two — sophomores Aris McGlone-English and Teddy BaCote — but neither seemed willing to claim the starting role as his own. As a result, the Bruins were the most one-dimensional team in the Peninsula District.

A year later, Bethel still has tailback Jontel Evans, who is closing in on his second straight 1,000-yard season. But McGlone-English, ther HRVarsity.com player of the week, has emerged as the Bruins’ quarterback and as a star on the rise.

In Saturday’s 50-28 win over Woodside, he threw for 388 yards — only 34 fewer than what Bethel passed for last season — and five touchdowns.

How impressive was his performance? Consider that neither Ronald Curry nor Tyrod Taylor, former Hampton High quarterbacks who went started for Division I-A programs, never matched that. Curry’s high as a Crabber was 356 yards, and Taylor’s was 309.

The Daily Press’ records are only so complete, so we can’t say this with absolute certainty. But as far as we can tell, McGlone-English’s 388 passing yards are the most by a Peninsula-area quarterback since Ferguson freshman Michael Vick threw for 433 against Gloucester on Nov. 5, 1994.

Even Vick’s amazing night fell well short of the Peninsula and state record. Newport News High’s Jimmy Hogan threw for 636 yards in a 1966 game.