MIDDLETOWN — Talk about your away games. Jake Strickler will be playing the entire 2010 football season at a distance previously unprecedented for a Middletown High School football star.
This season, Strickler will suit up in the green and gold of a NCAA Division IA college team. His home away — way away — from home will be Norfolk State University in Virginia, which has proffered him a scholarship for his two remaining years of eligibility. Heady stuff for a young man who until recently had never been east of Montana. He grew up in Cobb, where his family and forbearers have owned and operated the Whispering Pines Resort for more than 100 years.
The full ride at NSU, valued at $26,000, comes after Strickler”s stellar — indeed, spectacular — 2009 campaign at Mendocino College in Ukiah.
Strickler”s TD-to-interception ratio was 30-9 last season. He was co-Offensive Player of the Year while leading Mendocino to the Mid-Empire Conference championship. He passed for 3,092 yards, second in the state JC ranks. He ran for 300 more yards and passed/rushed for a total of 32 TDs.
“Norfolk State is getting a huge sleeper,” Mendocino coach Thomas Gang said. “We had a kid who signed with Marshall last year and in my opinion, Jake is better.”
Strickler elected to accept the NSU scholarship after being seriously courted by San Jose State and receiving feelers to varying degrees from Washington State, New Mexico State and Auburn.
“San Jose State was going to sign another kid,” Strickler said. “We were talking a lot at the break. They heard good things about me and they were excited about my films. Then (head coach Dick Tomay”s) whole coaching staff got fired.”
The selling point, Strickler said, was “They told me they don”t have anybody with experience. They have one kid coming back, but he”s had operations and hasn”t thrown a pass. I have more experience. They have a freshman QB and they”ll red-shirt him. I think they”re bringing in another JC guy. So I have a solid chance.
“I felt Norfolk would give me a better chance to come and play right away,” Strickler added. “I still have to work hard and I have. I feel I”ve gained a lot. I have confidence in myself, but I still have to go and put up the numbers and come though if I want to compete this year.”
At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, Strickler has grown since leaving Middletown (he graduated in 2007). He is probably mentally and physically tougher. His 2009 season came after he broke his collarbone in his freshman season at Mendocino (fall of 2007) and sat behind the quarterback who went to Marshall (during Mendocino”s 2008 season).
One plus factor is that NSU runs out of the I-formation, which Strickler learned while at Middletown. Another is that the team has nine starting returnees, including an All-League running back.
He also likes it that the Spartans run most of their plays out of the shotgun, which he prefers, “Just because you are already back five yards instead of taking a five-step drop and you have more time to look. But I”ll be doing a little bit of both.”
Strickler has met with Spartan head coach Pete Adrian, who said he likes Strickler”s passing style and deceptive speed. He also met NSU”s offensive coordinator, Kirk Mastromatteo, and studied NSU films.
Norfolk State is a college of 10,000 students where Strickler will be a civil engineering major. He feels good about the adjustment he”ll need to make to a eastern environment.
“It will be a good learning experience,” Strickler said. “It will take me awhile to get used to it. It”s a little laid back. It isn”t like California, but I come from a small town.”
If Strickler wins the starting quarterback job, he will get his first test in Division IA football by fire. The Spartans open against perennial Big East power Rutgers on Sept. 2 in a nationally televised game.
“That will be big!” he gulped. “They”ve gone to four bowl games in the last five years.”
As a young player from a long ways away, Strickler will need to adjust quickly to prevent NSU from being blown away.
