By Paul Delante
The Community Courier
It's Tuesday evening. Football practice has just broken up at Community High School Memorial Stadium, but one Bulldog remains on the field.
Hunched over the 50-yard line, still in his helmet and full pads, is Sharaf Jarrah, the Bulldog's starting quarterback and a potential all-state selection in this, the senior's final year at Community High.
There, alone on the field, Jarrah takes an imaginary snap, rolls into an imaginary pocket, and dodges a series of imaginary tackles before letting loose a perfect spiral to an imaginary reciever. Then he chases down the ball, turns around, and does it all over again.
"My team is depending on me," the 17-year-old Jarrah explains a few hours later. "I can't expect them to run the plays right if I can't, so I'm always running through the exercises in my head — and sometimes on the field — to make sure I get it right."
And Jarrah has a chance to do it very right this year. The Bulldogs are undefeated in their first three games. Jarrah has thrown seven touchdowns and rushed for two other scores in those contests — and he hasn't given up an interception yet this season.
"He's the second coming of Johnny Unitas, that's who he is," said Community High head coach Jack Sturger. "You're going to see him in the NFL one day — mark my word."
But even though his performance makes him one of the most popular guys at school, Jarrah says he feels uncomfortable with all the praise he's getting.
"I'm an OK, quarterback, I guess, but I'm not Superman," he says. "I'm afraid of spiders, I'm caustrophobic and I'm not very good at math. So I can throw a football better than most guys, but that doesn't make me any more important than anyone else."
And as for the NFL?
"I love Coach Sturger and I'd do anything for him," Jarrah says. "But I don't even dream about that sort of thing. I just want to pass my next math test."
