High school football preview 2021: Midview QB Ethan Surdock knows how to make big plays ... and now he knows he doesn't always have to

Ethan Surdock has made a lot of big plays in his two seasons as Midview's starting quarterback. That's unlikely to change this season. The senior has been the focal point of the Middies offense ever since he won the starting job in 2019. But after he, and the team, experienced a 1-7 season a year ago, he's come to an important realization. "Last year I learned that you don't really need to make the big play every play," Surdock said. "It's all about down and distance, just take what the defense gives you, and no matter the score one play is not going to change it. That's one thing I learned while watching my film this offseason, I'd try to make a big play when I didn't need to. This year I need to dial it back, take what the defense gives me and make a play when I need to." Midview's seniors are hungry to prove they're better than last year's record, and with Surdock at the helm they have a good chance to do so. Senior linebacker Tyler Smith described him as the "all-around package," and it's hard to argue with that. Surdock accounted for 72 percent of the team's offense — throwing for 1,276 yards and 10 touchdowns while leading the team with 311 rushing yards and six touchdowns. As a sophomore in 2019, e threw for 1,673 yards and completed 56.9 percent of his passes for 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He was again the team's leading rusher with 498 yards on 102 carries and four touchdowns. "He's definitely multidimensional," Midview coach Luke Beal said. "He's one of the fastest players on the team. He has great speed so there are a lot of things he can do well. He's really bright and this offseason he committed to improving his strength. He's one of our best leaders. It's always great to have a quarterback with experience, but Ethan brings more than that to the table. We really build our offense around him." As good as Surdock is, he's worked to get better. One area of focus has been his accuracy on the deep ball. He spent a lot of time with his receivers over the summer to get the timing down for each one. He also worked on figuring out when he needed to get more air under the ball, when to take a little off a pass and throwing it so that the tip of the ball will come down first, making it easier to catch. That focus went hand-in-hand with another area: His footwork. Surdock attended college camps to make sure he comes out of his drop-backs balanced and knowing how to distribute his weight in the right places. He also wants to make sure his footwork is precise on every route. "Ethan is accurate on short passes and his deep ball, but the best part about him is that he can run," senior wide receiver/cornerback Bryce Newton said. "If there's ever an issue on my part getting open, I trust him to run the ball or hit another receiver. We go back to seventh grade, so we've been paying together for a super long time now. Outside of practice we like to go up to the field and connect on some routes to get our timing down. Anytime there's not any snow or rain we like to get out on the field and work." Newton and Smith have high praise for Surdock's leadership, as well, noting that he goes out of his way to pump up other players, not just the starters and not just the ones in the program, but those who are involved in the middle school and younger levels. Beal said Surdock leads by example, adding that he's a good role model for the younger players to emulate. Not many athletes get a chance to have the spotlight on them as a sophomore, and it took awhile for Surdock to realize just how many eyes were on him in 2019. That all changed in Week 7 against Olmsted Falls, when he made a number of big plays to lead the Middies to a 28-21 upset on homecoming. "That's when I knew people were looking at me the whole game, not as a sophomore, but as a varsity quarterback," Surdock said. "As a sophomore I really didn't think about it too much, that people will always look up to you when you're at quarterback no matter how old you are. I now know that people are always watching my energy, and the way I act on the field goes down the line from juniors to sophomores to freshmen and even the kids in middle school. I always need to keep my head up, keep their head up and make sure they're doing what they need to do." And with his electric playmaking ability, he can change momentum in a heartbeat. "It brings the confidence up for everyone when we see Ethan making those plays," Smith said. "It gives everyone an energy boost and makes the defense want to go out there and just get him the ball." Contact Chris Sweeney at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com and follow him @CSweeneyCT on Twitter.