Molding a quarterback

When Howie Long first became a starting quarterback for St. Anne’s-Belfield, he didn’t have to do too much.
“The pressure wasn’t put on me at all — it was kind of easy to figure it all out when there’s no pressure on me as a quarterback,” Long said. “My job was to come in on third down and hit a back out of the backfield, pick up five or six yards, get a first down and not make a turnover.”
That game-manager mentality was good enough to lead the Saints to an 11-0 record and a state title in 2006, a campaign where Long, then a
sophomore, threw 21 touchdowns and just a single interception.
This year though, Long has taken a major leap forward as a senior to become the catalyst for an explosive St. Anne’s offense.
He’s made massive improvements this season under the tutelage of new
quarterbacks coach Hunter Price. Price, a former Albemarle star who quarterbacked Randolph Macon, came over to STAB after a stint at Western Albemarle.
“This year, having Hunter here has helped Howie tremendously,” said St. Anne’s coach John Blake. “I’m not a great quarterback coach, I’m more of a big
picture guy. Hunter has done a great job with his technique. He’s made great strides.”
Price went back to basics with Long, teaching him the footwork fundamentals necessary to become a signal-caller teams can rely on. Basic steps, drops, coverage reads and releases have become a daily routine, with the repetition helping Long to get more consistent and help things run more smoothly in the STAB backfield with junior running back Aaron Clark. 
“My footwork was awful — he’s helped me out tremendously with that,” Long said. “I wasn’t getting out from under center quick enough because I’d never been taught how to.”
That isn’t surprising though, because Long hasn’t been a quarterback for all that long. He was almost strictly a running back when he played youth football, teaming with former
St. Anne’s star running back Jack Thomasson in the backfield to form what must have been a formidable one-two rushing punch.
But when the pair started playing for St. Anne’s, there was a void at quarterback, and Long figured he’d give the spot a try.
“I chose quarterback because there was no one there but it was also really fun,” Long said. “I felt like I could be in control of the game and it really satisfied me.”
After two years of trial by fire that Long passed with flying colors, Price has helped the senior quarterback become a more polished product, and it’s paid off for the Saints, who have escaped a tough schedule with a 3-3 record, setting up a critical intra-Division II matchup with Covenant this afternoon.
Long has thrown for 1,125 yards and 18 touchdowns already this season while completing almost 60 percent of his classes.  Against Virginia Episcopal two weeks ago, Long went 11 for 13 during a 56-35 victory.
“I think I’ve learned more this year with coach Price than I’ve learned the past three years I’ve been here because I haven’t necessarily had a quarterbacks coach,” Long said. “He knows so much about the game and he relates it so well — it makes it real easy to learn.”
Blake, Price and the rest of the staff have also helped Long block out any possible distractions of playing at a school where both his older brothers, Kyle and Chris, were athletic stars.
“It’s been pretty easy with my teammates and coaches, no pressure really gets in from the outside,” Long said.
He’s also taken the
pressure off himself by committing to play lacrosse at Virginia, a sport where he stars as a defenseman for the Saints. Not that pressure has ever been a problem for Long. He has demonstrated a deft touch for staying out of trouble on the field during his time at STAB, alleviating pressure by making solid decisions.
“He’s done a great job throughout his career of not putting him and his team in a bind,” Blake said. “He’s done some tremendous things here and I think he’s kind of been overlooked.”
It’s hard to overlook the polished senior now.