By John Raffel
The last name’s the same, but the first will be different as the Ithaca Yellowjackets enter a new era at quarterback.
Travis Smith has graduated after three state championship seasons and is now testing his talents at Wake Forest.
Younger brother Jacob is stepping into the role and seems eager and capable of getting the job done as his team’s new offensive leader.
Smith is a member of a talented junior class that will try to help the program continue its state championship magic. He was on the varsity last season as a sophomore and started at the slot. “Last year, I got to play in most of the games in the second half because we were up by a lot,” he said. “I got good experience there. For the most part, we ran the ball. I got to throw the ball a little bit here and there.”
He also played a little bit at safety.
Smith put in extensive work during the off-season in anticipation of taking over the quarterback duties. He had a chance to work with his receivers in running the routes. The 7-on-7 pass scrimmages were high on his agenda.
He worked on his game with Hype Athletics in Detroit.
As he prepared for the season opener Aug. 29 at Clare, Smith’s confidence appeared to be growing. “I’ve been preparing as much as I can, getting comfortable,” he said. “I feel like I’ll be ready when I step on the field.”
Smith has been a quarterback since the fourth grade. He didn’t play that much at the spot last season while he and Travis were on the same team. The elder Smith has been working extensively with his brother. “When he was here, before he went to Wake Forest, we put in a lot of time together,” Jacob said. “We went out and threw the ball around, put some footwork in, and helped each other out.”
Smith, like others with the Yellowjacket program, grew up in admiration of Travis as the varsity signal caller four seasons. “He’s a great quarterback, and I hope I can do what he did his last three years of high school football,” Jacob said. “Travis was a great player, and I do have some big shoes to fill.”
When it comes to being a passing or a running quarterback, Smith considers himself to be balanced. “I’ll take off when I have to,” he said. “I feel comfortable throwing the ball.”
Smith indicated that the 2014 offense will be similar to last season. “We have a lot of athletes coming back,” he said. “It will be a pretty balanced offense, for the most part, from what we’ve been dong the last few years.”
Smith was among the nine sophomores on last year’s team. The offense is down on returning starters, but there’s some experience that is encouraging for Smith. “The sophomores got a lot of experience during the regular season, and actually in the postseason, too,” he said.
Based on what he’s seen in the off-season, Smith wouldn’t be surprised if the offense was able to click right away. “It’s been going smooth so far,” he said. “We’ve had the 7-on-7s. I think we’ll be able to click, and also with the way lifting’s going. We put in a lot of work during the off-season. I think that will pay off once we hit the field.”
He acknowledged it will be the goal to get back to Ford Field. “Obviously, we have a big target on our back,” Smith said. “Everyone wants to give us their best shot. New players have to step up and accept that challenge. There will be a little bit of pressure. But I think we’ll be prepared to handle it. We’ve been working hard. We want to keep the success going.
“We’re very excited. I’ve been talking to the guys, and they can’t wait.”
The opener with Clare and finale with Shepherd are bookends to a schedule that includes the seven-game Tri-Valley Conference slate.
“I’m ready to step in and give it all I’ve got,” Smith said. “I’ll put it all out on the field.”