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| T.J. Tutone is rising up the Catholic record books, much like the quarterbacks before him. Photo courtesy CUA Athletics |
In a decade as head coach at Catholic, Dave Dunn has relied primarily on three quarterbacks.
With the exception of 2009, there has been a nearly seamless transition from Keith Ricca to Greg Cordivari to T.J. Tutone. Dunn inherited Ricca in 2006 after his record-setting freshman campaign. Ricca started in Dunn's first three seasons and broke nearly all of the passing records set by his older brother Kevin a decade earlier. After a stopgap year in which Dylan Knight and Matt Cantafio split time at the position, Cordivari took over in 2010 as a sophomore. Over the next three seasons, he also surpassed many of Kevin Ricca's numbers, but could not catch Keith Ricca's records.
Enter Tutone. He played in nine games as a sophomore in 2013, on a senior-laden squad. He split time with classmate E.J. Montgomery, but solidified his spot as the starter entering his junior season. Now in his third year leading the Cardinals, Tutone is on an early pace to become the third Cardinals quarterback to pass for over 3,000 yards in a season.
"I feel like everything is slowing down for me a bit," said Tutone. "The offensive line is playing great and the guys on the outside are making plays."
Hearing Tutone's name mentioned in the same sentence as Ricca and Cordivari is not entirely surprising considering the system he has grown into at Catholic.
"We have a history of great Italian quarterbacks at Catholic," said Dunn. "We use that in recruiting."
But, four years ago, few would have expected the former Paul VI quarterback to be averaging 358.3 passing yards per game through the Cardinals' 2-1 start to the 2015 season. Tutone ran a Wing-T offense in high school. Recruiting a quarterback from a Wing-T offense to run Catholic's spread was a gamble, but Dunn knows he made the right decision bringing in Tutone.
"I liked him as a kid and thought he had some promise. I didn't know what he had until he got here. The jury was really out on him," said Dunn. "He really blossomed the spring of his freshman year. He really embraced our offseason conditioning program, he always worked hard, and he became more confident, bigger, and stronger."
The quarterback immediately embraced the challenge and absorbed everything he could from Cordivari, who was a senior when Tutone was a freshman.
"I knew coming in that I had some big shoes to fill. I knew that I could come here and throw it around," said Tutone. "Our offense is always up to the challenge to score points when we need it. Still, I'd rather throw for 150 yards and come out with a win."
Tutone has been the player Dunn can count on to organize team functions and weightlifting sessions in the offseason. He's not a loud vocal leader, but his teammates draw from his preparation, attention to detail, and calm demeanor.
"He'll coach the younger guys on the finer points of our offense," said Dunn.
Along with his fellow captains Richard Roach and Jack Durkin, Tutone said he is "trying to mold the young guys on this team."
Tutone derives much of his leadership and discipline from his family. His father, Sal, was a New York City policeman for 20 years.
"He's a great kid from a great family. I think his dad's had a big influence on teaching him how to act," said Dunn. "You can coach him hard and it doesn't faze him. He has some thick skin. He's never been babied a day in his life.
"That's why I love coaching him."
Staying close to home was important to Tutone and his family was a decisive factor in his decision to try and air it out at Catholic. His parents have been there to cheer him on as he attempts to add his name to the Cardinals record books.
"I'm kind of a homebody. I like that my parents can come see me every Saturday," he said.
He is also a role model to other D.C.-area high school football players. After starring for the Panthers in nearby Fairfax, Tutone is still making local headlines. His former coaches are not surprised at his ability to adapt.
"T.J. is a credit to PVI and it is great that he is starring at the Catholic University of America. He is a great example of someone who worked hard to make himself a collegiate athlete," said Joe Sebastian, now the head coach at Paul VI and Tutone's junior varsity coach. "T.J. loves the game and is a student of the game. His calm demeanor and quiet confidence were already evident here at PVI. I am not surprised with his success in the passing game."
When Tutone is ready to pass the torch on after this season ends, it is likely that the Catholic quarterbacking tradition will continue. Dunn said he has two freshman quarterbacks waiting their turn to compete for the starting job. Both are Italian.
USA South rises up
In what has been a mostly disappointing non-conference season for the USA South, two teams rode impressive defensive efforts to victories over quality ODAC opponents. Methodist came from behind to knock off Randolph-Macon, allowing just 114 yards and seven points in the second half. The Yellow Jackets final three drives of the game ended in two turnovers on downs and an interception. The Monarchs intercepted each of three Randolph-Macon quarterbacks. Michael Johnson, Bryan Bing, and Brandon Boyd led the defense to victory. Jamal Brown's interception of a Hail Mary in the closing seconds preserved the win.
Maryville, without leading rusher Trenton Shuler, remained unbeaten by dominating Emory and Henry, 30-13. Nasir Beyah had himself a day, leading the Scots with 13 tackles, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and an interception that he returned 44 yards to set up a Scots touchdown. Wasps quarterback Kevin Saxton was held to 206 passing yards on 38 attempts and turned the ball over three times.
Both Maryville and Methodist were outgained by their opponents, proving that defense wins games. After a bye week for both squads, these two rivals meet in Marvyille on Oct. 3.
The champ is in the building
With NBA MVP and champion Steph Curry in attendance, Guilford remained undefeated and kept Averett winless. The Charlotte native was on hand to cheer on his uncle's team in Greensboro. Averett head coach Cleive Adams is the brother of Curry's mother, Sonya. Matt Pawlowski put on an MVP-worthy performance, completing 23 of 27 passes for 331 yards and five touchdowns. Averett's Kelly Hall was also impressive, completing 24 of 35 passes for 270 yards and a score. It was the ground game that made the difference, as Guilford rushed for 323 yards and held the Cougars to just 36 rushing yards.
The Centennial is strong
Two weeks into conference play, and the Centennial Conference looks as strong from top to bottom as it has in years. Gettysburg and Franklin and Marshall remained undefeated with hard-fought victories over Juniata and Ursinus, respectively.
Sam McDermott passed for 349 yards and rushed for 90 more to lead the Bullets. After the Eagles rallied from a 24-13 deficit to take a 25-24 lead with 1:08 to play, McDermott drove Gettysburg to the winning score. His 39-yard completion to Tyler Frazee with 19 seconds left delivered the win, and Derek Singer closed the game with an interception on Hank Coyne's final heave. It was the first career reception for the freshman Frazee. Coyne finished the game with 404 yards passing and connected with Kirby Breault 13 times for 246 yards and three touchdowns.
Taalib Gerald rushed for 122 yards to help the Dips remain unblemished. His touchdown plunge with 4:36 to play gave Franklin and Marshall its first and only lead of the game.
Susquehanna head coach Tom Perkovich earned his first conference win, as the Crusaders held off Dickinson, 42-35. The Red Devils twice rallied from 14-point deficits to tie the game, but Nick Crusco's touchdown run with 2:21 to play put the Crusaders on top. Joe Scaglia's interception on Dickinson's next play from scrimmage sealed the win. Crusco completed 24 of 37 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns (with three interceptions) and rushed 16 times for 65 yards and three more scores. Patrick Cutillo caught 10 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns.
Johns Hopkins also remained perfect and knocked Moravian from the unbeaten ranks. Brandon Cherry rushed for 118 yards and three touchdowns on just nine carries as the Blue Jays jumped out to a 35-0 halftime lead. While the conference looks strong and deep, the Blue Jays remain the team to beat until further notice.
Muhlenberg will get the next crack at Johns Hopkins this Saturday. These two 2014 playoff teams have dominated the conference since 2000. Over the past 15 seasons, the Blue Jays have made six playoff appearances, while Muhlenberg has appeared seven times. The Mules almost certainly need a win on Saturday to keep their playoff hopes alive.
What do you know? Do you know things? Let's find out!
Do you know about any upcoming milestones, big games, or new names in the Mid-Atlantic? Please share them with me. If you have suggestions for next week's column, please reach out to me on Twitter at @adamturer or via email at adam.turer@d3sports.com.
