Thrust into duty as a freshman, junior Webb coming of age as Central QB

Central quarterback Zion Webb didn’t ever have a mentor on the football team, an upperclassman to show him the ropes and help him learn what it means to lead an offense.

He couldn’t watch a player like former Red Devils quarterback Jonathan Wallace, who graduated in 2011, step into a huddle and command the troops like a seasoned veteran. He didn’t see how, even from classmates, he commanded respect in the huddle, which was undoubtedly a major factor in his success.

No, Webb took over as Central’s starting quarterback as a freshman in 2013 and has held it ever since. Along the way, he has had to teach himself leadership and discipline. And it’s that progress, and perhaps not just the wealth of talent on the team, that could make the difference for the Red Devils this season.

Central begins its season on Friday with an out-of-state game at Stockbridge (Ga.).

On paper, the Red Devils look like a championship-caliber unit. The defense is chock-full of Division-I talent, and the offense boasts of three receivers over 6-foot-3 — Quan Weaver, Jamal Couch and Justyn Ross — each of whom will find themselves at a major college football program when they graduate.

Webb doesn’t quite have the same recruiting pedigree, but has shown plenty of capability as a signal-caller over his first two seasons with the team. The athleticism was never in question for coach Jamey DuBose.

“Athletically, I think he’s got all the tools to get the job done,” he said. “He runs with the ball well, he’s got a good arm. I don’t think that’s ever been a question.”

What DuBose wanted to draw out of the junior this season was his ability to take control in the huddle — to command the trust and respect of his teammates.

“We’re still trying to work with him with that,” DuBose said. “He understands he’s been thrown into a leadership role as a quarterback since he was a freshman. … What we’re asking of him this year is to become more vocal. To be more of a leader, to be able to lead the offense and not be worried about hurting someone’s feelings if they’re not getting the job done.

“If you watch the great ones, sometimes they have to be the tough guy, and sometimes they have to be the guy to pat someone on the back.”

Webb says it’s a challenge he’s accepted and, he believes, he has already grown in leaps and bounds compared to past seasons.

“I’m just trying to get mentally stronger,” he said. “Last year, I wasn’t grown enough to take that role. Now, I’m fit for it. I believe that.”

He knows he has a lot of weapons in both the pass and run. Even with the loss of do-it-all athlete Traveon Samuel to graduation, Central has more than enough playmakers to be effective.

Last year, that may have been a problem for Webb. After Samuel went down with an injury in the playoffs, Webb struggled to find consistency and too often went for the big play downfield rather than taking what the defense was giving him.

Webb said that he trusts his other options more, as well as his ability to get the ball to them.

“I had a lot of trust in Tra, so he got the ball a lot,” Webb said. “But working with the other guys over the summer, I can feel a lot more comfortable now.”

“We’re trying to get out of that mode that everyone built in,” DuBose added. “Tra Samuel was a great player, but we’re not a one-person team, and we’re not going to be a one-person offense.”

And he’s entrusted Webb, now one of those veteran upperclassmen he talked about, with the task of making sure the ship stays afloat when something goes awry.

He speaks like a player who has grown into the role.

“We can be tremendous,” he said. “But everyone has a job, and it’s going to take a lot of work out of everyone. If we keep working together, we can take ourselves a long way.”

David Mitchell, Follow David on Twitter @leprepsports.

This story was originally published August 20, 2015 at 5:04 PM with the headline "Thrust into duty as a freshman, junior Webb coming of age as Central QB."