By, Matt Alkire
The thought of premier
competition may not enter the cerebrum of many when they hear Maryland and
football in the same sentence, but if you travel out to watch Colar Kuhns play
on any given weekend for the Calvert Hall Cardinals, prepare for an
awakening. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound
signal caller leads his squad out of the locker room against some of the best
in Maryland every weekend – teams like DeMatha, Gilman School, Dunbar and
McDonogh – and he’s led them to eight victories as a junior so far. Next year
they will be squaring off with another national powerhouse in Good Counsel. In
fact, the school plays such competition that they’ve dipped into Canada and New
York for rivalry this year. Kuhns has answered the call consistently.
In his first season as a
varsity starter Kuhns has led his teammates to an 8-2 record, posting league
best numbers in the MIAA for total yardage (2,156). He’s completed a gaudy
71-percent of his passes and put 19 touchdowns on the board. All of this has
been done against powerhouse teams, not interlopers of the football royalty
that is the MIAA. One has to look deeper to see the young man under center and
how he arrived where he is – focusing on his mindset – a unique one.
A step from junior varsity to
varsity is baptism by fire, especially at the quarterback position. It’s
something that Colar Kuhns quickly diagnosed and passed up his demons with.
“The game obviously got so
much faster when I stepped up to the varsity level because before I was so used
to simply being better and having more talent, but now it’s a
mental game,” Kuhns told us. “It’s about making proper reads and identifying
the match-ups on the field that will give your team that advantage. You have to
process that information on the fly, make quick decisions and strike.”
“Sometimes that has meant
tucking the ball and taking off when I have running lanes this season or just
having to give up the long ball and checking down,” Kuhns added. “It’s all
about staying away from mistakes and taking what the defense gives you at
certain points of the game. At the same time, I definitely do put the ball out
there and trust my receivers to make plays. That’s something I’ll really do on
my deeper passes. If I can get the ball in a good position for them to go up
high and make a play on the ball I’ll do it – that’s a trust you have to put in
your playmakers.”
Kuhns has done both this
season and will push the ball down field. While he shows good ball placement on
short and intermediate routes, there is certain a proclivity to get the rock
downfield in one-on-one situations for his receivers on longer routes. His
aforementioned scrambling ability has also made a huge difference in some key
games, like when the Cardinals played powerhouse Gilman this season. Playing against Gilman, a
team who had previously traveled to both Archbishop Moeller and then Don Bosco
Prep – beating them on their home turf, Kuhns rushed for over 100 yards and a
touchdown and also threw for 245 yards and another score. His team came up
short, but he talked to us about both that game and how that opponent sticks in
his head all season.
“Gilman is the team we want
to face for the championship and that’s been it all season,” Kuhns explained.
“You have to be a dual-threat when you’re in the pocket. Initially when I went
into that game I was a bit nervous, but then I realized our job was just to
win, not to prove anything. The name of the game is converting first downs and
putting the ball in the end zone when we get in the red zone and we just didn’t
do enough of that. They were dropping so many players that day that it gave me
some holes, so I just had to move those chains when the opportunities came.
Beating Gilman was all that mattered, so I used my feet to open up some later opportunities
in the passing game. It was really a situation where we had to win at any
cost.”
While that game was certainly
a setback, Kuhns felt it was a high point and a standout game for his offensive
line that may lack size, but not fight.
“Our line is very strong in
pass protection and does a great job creating a pocket. They did a great job at
that against Gilman and then the next week against Spalding they plowed the
road for the running game. They’re all fighters in the trenches and always with
me, so I attribute a lot of our teams’ success to those guys.”
Against Archbishop Spalding the Cards clinched a first round bye in the playoffs with a 27-7 win as Kuhns went 18 for 26 for 220 yards and two scores. Calvert Hall’s running game was also big in the affair and it sets up a potential rematch with Gilman in the playoffs.
“We really took care of
business against a very physical team,” Kuhns said. “They’ve got a great
quarterback, but our defense really handled him well. Our offense came together
in a big way and put together some long drives and really controlled the clock.
The final score wasn’t really a reflection of how well we played.”
For a junior to step in under
the bright lights and be so collected it’s not surprising for his nickname to
be “Ice”. Kuhns is a young man who is very modest and frankly, doesn’t like to
talk about himself much. One thing that does ring through about him is his
passion for the game though. We asked him why he plays football.
“I love this game,” Kuhns
stated. “I love being in a situation where the game is on the line, it is the
last series and everything will be made or broken by what I do over the course
of a few plays. That pressure, energy and adrenaline is what makes me thrive.
If you can’t get pumped for those situations right there – you shouldn’t be
playing football. If that doesn’t get you ready to get out on the field, you
need to just put the helmet down. Also, it’s a means for me to continue doing
something that I love while I get a great education that allows me to continue
another passion in life.”
Anyone who has been in
college knows that the second passion may change over the next few years, but
right now Colar would like to do something in the medical profession. He is
part of the National Honor Society, carries a perfect 4.21 GPA and has thoughts
of becoming a surgeon.
“I want to do something in
the medical field. Right now I’m taking Honors Anatomy and Physiology and it’s
extremely interesting to me. The study of how the human body works and reacts
just fascinates me. One of my uncles is an urologist and the other is an
optometrist, so talking to them I have always felt like it would be a good way
to go. One of our teachers in school also makes it a bit fun too as he was in
the Army as a combat trainer, so he teaches us some unique things about
reflexes and anatomy as well that you may not learn in a textbook.”
Speaking of uncles – Kuhns’
bloodlines don’t just go into medicine – they dip into college football royalty
as well. His great uncle was a former Heisman Trophy winner, Notre Dame
quarterback Johnny Lujack. While Mr. Lujack may not be able to take Colar aside
and teach him some things in the backyard, other prominent quarterbacks have. Kuhns was named a top
sophomore performer at the Under Armour Combine and has been invited to the
Army All-American Combine in Texas this January. Additionally, Kuhns was the only rising junior
to be named onto the All-Madden team with Chris Weinke this past summer at IMG
Academies in Bradenton, Fla.
“Coach Weinke has a lot of
good insight. He helped me out a lot with my form and really drills the heck
out of you on your footwork. He liked that my feet were quick, but wanted me to
stop dropping the ball in my release and also talked a lot about making sure I
was throwing with a proper base. IMG has talked to my father about the
possibility of coming down to Bradenton, Fla., to play on the IMG Academy team
which would be a big honor, but I would have to switch schools to do that and I
just don't think it's in the cards. Again, working with Coach Weinke was so
great for my development though.”
Colar will continue to work
with Chris Weinke and obviously the first step is an MIAA championship, but the
focus will then be on schools. He told us briefly what he’s looking for.
“I’m really looking for a
place where I can be myself and find a home away from home,” Kuhns expressed.
“I’d like to find a coach that I relate to, can ask questions so that I can
learn and get positive reinforcement from them. Finding that coach that will
help you, but at the same time give you that constructive criticism is what I
want. As for distance, I really don’t care. Feeling comfortable with my
surroundings and coaches is really the biggest deal to me.”
If the Calvert Hall signal
caller continues on the path he has started finding suitors should be no
problem.
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