Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal
Quarterbacks are judged on several things - running, passing, wins, decision making and leadership. Carson High's Blake Plattsmier gets high marks in all four areas.
Consider the following:
• Through 10 games, the 6-foot-2 senior has completed 69 percent of his passes for 848 yards and 10 touchdowns.
• He also is third-best on the team running with the ball, averaging 5.6 a carry with five scores. He has gained 426 yards on the ground.
• He has played in nine of the Senators' 10 games, winning seven of those nine contests, losing 38-34 to McQueen and 14-11 to Manogue.
• He has the respect of the entire team because of his tremendous work ethic. Coach Blair Roman said that if Plattsmier isn't the hardest worker on the team he's in the top three.
• He has turned the ball over just four times this season - two interceptions and two fumbles. Considering he handles the ball on every play, it's an impressive stat.
Plattsmier is one of the key reasons for Carson's improvement from 3-7 in 2008 to 8-2 this year. His passing percentage is up by 23 percent, he's doubled his TD total through the air and he's running the ball better.
The biggest improvement from the 2008 season is that Plattsmier is making more plays with his feet, according to Roman.
"Against Manogue, he made two key plays to keep that last drive alive," Roman said. "Against Douglas, there was a pass called and Douglas had it covered. He pulled it in and ran (16 yards) for the score. He's become decisive in his decision making.
"We do so much running in our offense that Blake has been able to take advantage of the defense wanting to stop our other guys, too. He's had a good year running the ball. He makes yards inside, makes yards on the option and makes yards outside. It's tough to key on everybody, and he makes them pay."
This year's numbers aren't an accident. He lived in the weightroom in the offseason, and mentally devoured whatever Roman threw his way in the Senators' Winged-T offense.
"I'm stronger and more explosive," he said. "I can take hard hits and keep going."
When Plattsmier was asked to grade his overall performance this year, he hesitated just briefly before answering.
"I'd give myself a B or B-plus," said the senior quarterback as he prepared for Friday's playoff opener against North Valleys. "It's why I'm always looking to improve. Nobody plays a perfect game. There are a lot of things I'm working on to get better, small things like footwork and making better reads."
Roman said Plattsmier might be too hard on himself.
"My overall grade? I'd probably give him an A," Roman said. "The reason being is what he brings to us from a leadership standpoint. He is a team leader. Guys respect him and guys look up to him.
"Secondly, he has played as well or better than any quarterback in the region. In big games, he has really stepped up. He was super against Douglas and Reed, and had an awesome game against Damonte Ranch."
The 54-27 win over Reed was the most prolific stat-wise. Against Reed, he completed 9 of 14 passes for 146 yards and three scores, and he rushed 13 times for 145 yards and a TD in the 54-27 thrashing of the perennial powerhouse.
That Reed game was Plattsmier's coming out party in terms of his knowledge of the offense.
"It started in the McQueen game," Roman said. "You saw it fully against Reed. The biggest compliment that I can give Blake is that he takes care of the ball. He knows when to force things and when not to force things."
He played big in the title-clinching win over Douglas, completing 8 of 11 for 131 yards and one TD in the 34-6 win. He also carried the ball 13 times for 68 yards and a score.
Surprisingly enough, Plattsmier pointed out the Damonte Ranch game as his best. He completed nine of 10 passes for 160 yards and three scores in just a half of action.
"Stats wise the Damonte Ranch game was my best," he said. "It was pretty good for my confidence. I didn't play that well the week after against Galena. The Reed game is pretty high up there, too. I know I played well. Passing-wise I did OK, too.
"The coaches have done a real good job of repping me up. I've really gotten comfortable in this offense."
What made the Reed and Douglas games stand out is that he did it in important games. The win at Reed avenged a loss from 2008, and the win over Douglas snapped a seven-year losing streak against the Tigers and gave the Senators the top seed in the playoffs, which begin Friday when the Sentors face North Valleys at home.
The only thing Plattsmier would love to change is getting to play some defense before this season ends. He won the starting outside linebacker job in summer camp, but injured his shoulder in the third week of the season, causing him to miss the South Tahoe game. He was replaced by Levi Bloxton, who has played well in the position ever since.
"It's an advantage and disadvantage," Plattsmier said. "The advantage is that I can talk to coach (Roman) and talk about what we're going to do when we get the ball back."
The disadvantage, according to Plattsmier, is that delivering a blow whether you're on offense and defense is all about muscle memory, something he admits to being a little out of practice.