GLEN ROSE — For senior quarterback Aaron Weatherford, the offseason between his sophomore and junior seasons was one of the hardest summers of his life.
After starting at quarterback as a sophomore and finishing the season with a record of 2-8, Weatherford and the rest of the Beavers spent that summer working ferociously to not have a repeat performance.
“I was trying to work on my footwork and become a better passing quarterback,” Weatherford said. “When I was a sophomore, I was scared to death most of the year.
“I just felt like I wasn’t physically there to be a quarterback. And that summer, I spent time on the field and in the weight room to try to make myself to at least close to what we need.”
The hard work paid off as Weatherford led Glen Rose to a 10-3 record and a 6-1 record in conference. He followed that up his senior year with a 12-2 record and a semifinal finish in the 3A state tournament.
He finished the season completing 140 of 243 passes for 58 percent, with 2,511 yards and 27 touchdowns with six interceptions. For his performance, Weatherford has been named the 2016 Tri-Lakes Edition Offensive Player of the Year.
“We relayed heavily on Aaron throughout the year,” Glen Rose head coach Mark Kehner said, “because our running game wasn’t quite what it had been in the past.
“We kind of had to put more pressure on Aaron to throw the football, and he did an exceptional job doing it.”
Weatherford said he took it as a compliment and a challenge.
“I told the coach, I think we need to throw it more anyway …,” Weatherford said. “Our running backs were good, but they were not where we are used to. I tried to rise to the occasion, and I wanted to be more than just a big quarterback that tries to run.”
Kehner said Glen Rose had three running backs who split time in the backfield.
“Normally, we had a bell cow at running back, but this year we had a three-headed monster,” Kehner said. “And none of them was really improving at the beginning of the year.
“So going into it, we knew were going to have to rely on [Weatherford] a lot more.”
Kehner said he wasn’t too worried, though, because he had seen Weatherford improve over his three years at quarterback.
“I think he relished that opportunity,”
Kehner said. “As a sophomore, he probably wasn’t ready for that role, but at the time, he was the best we had.
“He really developed into a kid who could throw the football all over the field. He could pretty much make every throw you expect a high school kid to make.”
Kehner said the biggest improvement was definitely Weatherford’s decision making.
“In his sophomore year, he needed to see the receiver open before he threw it,” Kehner said. “This past year, he made some throws in some windows that were pretty tight, and he would throw a receiver open; that’s what we call it.
“He did that really well this year.”
Glen Rose’s only losses this season were to Prescott and Charleston, and both made it to the 3A State Championship at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. However, the Beavers did beat Malvern and Bauxite this season — a first in school history.
“I thought it gave us a lot of confidence going into the season,” Weatherford said. “Some people may downplay it by saying Malvern didn’t even make the playoffs this season, but Malvern and Glen Rose are huge rivals.
“So that was a big win for us.”
Weatherford, who is listed at 6-2 and 210 pounds, is a three-sport athlete, playing football, baseball and basketball. He said he prefers football.
“With my dad (Brian) being a coach, I grew up on the sidelines and going to every game,” Weatherford said. “I loved it.
“I will miss the practices. Most people probably won’t say that, but I will miss them. I will also miss just going out, playing and having fun on Friday nights.”
Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.