Football: Keller surfaces as Strasburg's signal caller (08-11-06)
By Ryan Sonner (Daily Staff Writer)
STRASBURG — Self-deprecating doesn't even begin to describe Kirby Keller.
The Strasburg senior is quick to point out the physical attributes of his teammates — wide receiver Tyler Jordan is "getting better, and he was good last year," while running back Josh Kibler is "the best player I've ever played with."
Only by process of elimination is Keller able to come up with a positive comment about his own ability on the gridiron.
"I'm not very mobile," he said after practice Wednesday morning. "If you've ever been to any baseball games, you've seen that I'm not very fast."
It's not that Keller is athletically challenged. He stands 6-foot-1 — decent size for a quarterback — and runs the 40-yard dash in under five seconds. But the Rams won't win because of his athleticism.
They'll do so because of what's between his ears.
"The worst thing is to tell the quarterback to win the game for you," coach Glenn Proctor said. "We won't do that. I think he'll be able to play within himself and within his capabilities. He's cerebral and pretty steady."
Proctor said Keller reminds him of a young Joe Paterno, the legendary Penn State coach who also played quarterback at Brown in the 1940s.
"He didn't do anything but beat you," Proctor said.
Keller more than likely won't go undefeated as Strasburg's starting quarterback, but the Rams do return enough talent to compete for the Bull Run District title. Kibler, a junior, is back after a yearlong suspension, and many of the team's other underclassmen saw plenty of action last year.
Keller's progression will determine exactly how good Strasburg will be. The 190-pound senior has been in the school's football program for five years, spending the past two backing up starter Parker Neal.
"I always thought this would be my year to start," Keller said. "I've always tried my hardest in practice, thinking maybe I could catch Parker. I knew I probably never would, but I at least tried."
Keller saw action in just two games at quarterback last season. He played at the end of a blowout win against Rappahannock County and also toward the end of a loss against George Mason in the season finale. The Rams gave up 55 points in that game, the most since Proctor took over 43 years ago.
In those two games, Keller completed 2 of 3 passes for 10 yards. On the other side of the ball, he started at outside linebacker, giving him valuable on-field experience.
"He's always played, but he was never a standout," Proctor said. "He wasn't one of our top defenders by any means, but we felt like if was going to be the guy [at QB], we probably needed to get him out there on the field and give him some game experience.
"If he hadn't played, he'd be in quicksand right now."
Putting a senior under center for the first time as a starter is something Proctor hasn't done often. The Virginia High School League Hall of Famer is famous for watching his quarterbacks develop as freshmen or sophomores. Not since the mid-1970s has a player become Strasburg's starting quarterback as a senior.
The education of Keller has been simple thus far; the Rams just began training camp Monday. Proctor and his staff have asked little of their new signal caller, but that will change as Strasburg's season opener against Shenandoah County rival Central on Sept. 8 draws nearer.
Keller's advancement will be aided by a running game bolstered by the return of Kibler, who rushed for 731 yards and 10 touchdowns as a freshman two years ago.
"The running game will take pressure off the quarterback like nothing else will," Proctor said. "Joe Gibbs, Mickey Matthews and everyone in between will tell you that.
"When we throw, it will be unexpected times. It'll be play action in nature and Kirby knows that."
While Keller may not possess the physical prowess of his predecessors, he's hoping his mental capacity is more than enough to pick up the slack.
The Rams are counting on it.
"I just need to manage the game and not make many mistakes," he said.
