SPRINGDALE — Brandon Keaton watched the Top Gun final event from the sideline last year.
This year, he had clinched the title by the time the last event rolled around. Keaton, of Camden Fairview, rolled to a convincing victory in the Top Gun Quarterback Challenge on Saturday at Springdale High School.
Keaton won one event and finished in the top five in two others to finish with 508 points. Clarksville’s Trey Schucker was second with 468 points, and Jonesboro’s Moe Malugen was third with 446.
This year’s competition had 23 quarterbacks who competed in several off-field and on-field events before narrowing the field to 12 finalists. Those 12 then threw seven balls at moving targets to determine the overall winner.
Last year, Keaton didn’t make the final. This year, he was determined to at least make the cut, but he did much better than that. Keaton entered the moving accuracy contest with a 60-point lead on Schucker, making it impossible for Keaton to lose even if he finished 12th and Schucker won.
Points were awarded according to place, making first place in each event worth 100 points with second place 96, third 94 and so on.
“I just had to stay in the top five of each event,” said Keaton, who won the physical test. “If you were lucky to win a couple, it’d push you to the top.”
In addition to his physical test victory, Keaton was second in the speed and mobility test and tied for third in the stationary accuracy contest.
“I always wanted to win it,” Keaton said. “I thought Ihad a chance. I was going to give it my best and see.”
Keaton said he was nervous during last year’s competition but was calmer this year. As a junior, Keaton didn’t start until Chase Foster got injured in Week 10.
Keaton stepped in, and the Cardinals didn’t miss a beat. Camden Fairview reached the Class 5A state title game, where the Cardinals lost 38-7 to Monticello.
Keaton completed 51 of 104 passes for 847 yards and8 touchdowns after becoming the starter.
“I learned I had to step up,” Keaton said. “The team had faith in me, so I had to have faith in myself.”
The Top Gun was missing top quarterbacks such as Fayetteville’s Brandon Allen, Springdale’s Joseph Calcagni and Shiloh Christian’s Kiehl Frazier, all of whom have orally committed to Division I schools. Frazier won the event last year. Keaton said not being considered among the top quarterbacks is motivation.
“I think I should be mentioned up there with them,” Keaton said. “It motivates me to work harder to get up there.”
For Schucker, his secondplace finish was an improvement on his showing last year when he finished fourth.Schucker used last year’s fourth-place finish to gain confidence for his first year as a starter at Clarksville.
Schucker won the mental test, a written examination on defenses and other questions the quarterbacks were instructed on during the three-day camp. He tied for fifth in the long-ball toss witha distance of 61 yards and tied for fourth in the moving accuracy contest.
Schucker said he has been doing a lot of film study and that approach helped him win the mental competition. With his starting experience and improved mental approach, Schucker has big expectations for his senior year.
“Hopefully, we pass it a little bit more,” Schucker said. “What it comes down to is wins. I don’t care if I have one pass attempt a game, as long as we win, I’m fine.”
Sports, Pages 37 on 07/25/2010