New QB A-OK for Polo: Cheatham filling role admirably

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Drew Cheatham wasn’t nearly as nervous as he thought he should be, what with the size of the cleats he was stepping in to fill.

As quarterback of the Polo Marcos, the offense was going to start in his hands every play. It would be up to Cheatham to get the offense going smoothly.

“I thought it would be a fun challenge,” the Polo senior said. “Quarterback is a unique position here. I’m going to run and throw the ball as much as anybody else, and it’s up to you to make reads and adjustments and put your teammates in position to succeed.”

Soon after the initial excitement wore off, however, some doubts started to creep in. It really didn’t have anything to do with the demands of the position, but more with the player he was replacing.

Early in the process, though, Cheatham reached a sort of epiphany.

“Once I realized I wasn’t going to be Matt Scholl back there – or that nobody expected me to – it became a lot easier,” Cheatham said, referring to the player who led Polo to the quarterfinals in 2008. “I was going to take over that role and do it my way, and that’s when things started to get smoother.”

Cheatham (547 rush yards, 3 TDs; 494 pass yards, 4 TDs, 3 INTs) has never been one to shy away from making a change. In his varsity time with the Marcos, he has played fullback, halfback, defensive back and kick returner.

Adding quarterback and linebacker to the list didn’t take much arm-twisting.

“He has great versatility, so we weren’t worried about him learning another new position,” Polo coach Ted Alston said. “Drew was the obvious choice to move to quarterback. He can run, he can throw, he’s smart and he has good leadership skills – basically all the attributes you look for in a quarterback.”

Cheatham credits his surrounding cast with making his new position so much fun. Talented backs like Brandon Wiggins (686 rush yards, 7 TDs) and Dagin Buck (945 rush yards, 15 TDs) and receivers like Connor Lincoln (21 catches, 319 yards, TD) mean it’s not hard for Cheatham to put his teammates in position to succeed.

“It’s definitely been easier because of the guys I have around me,” Cheatham said. “They take all the pressure off me.”

His teammates are quick to point right back to Cheatham.

“Drew has done a great job just doing his job,” Wiggins said. “He makes a lot of good decisions and he makes sure we all get the ball in the right place and at the right time.”

Polo (7-2) at East Dubuque (8-1)

When: 1 p.m. Saturday

Radio: WLLT-FM (107.7)

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