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Perfect leader: QB Long plays key role in Handley's successful season
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By Tommy Keeler Jr. -- tkeeler@nvdaily.com
WINCHESTER -- Geremi Long is a natural leader -- whether it's in the huddle during a Handley football game, on the sidelines with his teammates, or even in the school play.
The Handley senior is respected by everyone around him and has a big influence on his teammates.
"It's the way he handles himself, his work ethic. It's the person that he is," Handley coach Tony Rayburn said. "He controls the huddle. It's his presence. It's who he is in all facets of the game."
"He never gets down, or at least he never shows it," Handley senior Jeremiah Wilson said. "He always stays positive. Especially, at the quarterback position you have to be a leader. It's like he's just right for that job."
Long has been leading the Judges all season with his arm and his legs. In the last two season he has started 15 games at Handley, and the Judges have a 14-1 record in those games.
On Saturday he will lead Handley into the Region II, Division 3 semifinals where the Judges will host Goochland at 1 p.m.
Handley had last week off, which gave Long the chance to take the lead in something else. He starred as the Cat in the Hat in Handley's "Seussical the Musical."
"Singing, acting, dancing I just do that for fun, goofing around with my friends," Long said. "It was a lot of fun. I was in it when I was in the seventh grade. I've always enjoyed it."
Long said it's much more nerve-racking getting ready for a big game than going out on stage.
Even his teammates were impressed with his performance.
"I enjoyed it. I'd give him an A-plus," Wilson said. "He got everybody involved and the audience involved. He didn't mess up any of his lines either."
Long said the first time he was in a musical it was with his brother, Stanley. Long said his brother, who currently attends the University of Central Florida, has always had a big influence on him.
"I'm a really lucky guy because my best friend is my brother," Long said. "He's always been my model, but he always told me 'I want you to be better.' He wants me to be a better student. He wants me to be a better athlete, be a better person -- match and exceed."
Long played various positions when he was younger, but settled in on the quarterback position in the seventh grade and has stuck with it.
Last year he platooned with Brian Tavenner at quarterback. The two helped make each other better throughout the season and guided the Judges to a 10-2 record.
Long was 13-for-40 for 192 yards with one touchdown last year.
Long wasn't satisfied with the season, but then again he rarely is. Long is a perfectionist and his own worst critic. He helped lead Handley to the Group AA, Division 3 state quarterfinals in basketball and then focused on getting better on the football field.
"Sometimes I feel like deep inside I know I can do better," Long said. "That always makes me work harder because I know that perfection is hard to reach, but I want to get as close as I can to it. That was my mindset in the offseason. Once basketball was over I was ready to start workouts."
Long said he mostly worked out with his brother and lifted weights with Wilson and fellow teammate David Carter.
"I just told myself 'you got a lot of things you need to prove to people, prove to yourself, prove to your community that you can do this,'" Long said.
This season he's led the Judges to a perfect regular season and their second straight Northwestern District title.
Long is 67-of-131 passing for 870 yards and 11 TDs this year.
When Wilson went down with a knee injury, more of the offensive burden fell on Long's shoulders. The Judges began to let him run on more plays and take advantage of his speed and athleticism.
Long is the team's second-leading rusher with 528 yards on 87 carries, and has six TDs.
Perhaps Long's biggest improvement has been in his decision making. He had his best game of the season in the Judges' regular season finale against James Wood. Long went 14-for-20 for 168 yards and a touchdown.
"One of the main things I've learned this year is to be more patient," Long said. "To be able to just trust my linemen and just make throws. I've just got to be patient, let things develop in front of me and not rush things."
The perfectionist in him caused Long to only give himself an A when asked to grade his theatrical performance, but he was even harder on himself when critiquing his play on the field this season.
He gave himself only an 87, saying he still needs to be more patient and trust his teammates.
The Judges are only two wins away from a state berth and four wins from a state championship. Handley has 13 seniors this year, many of whom have played together for a long time, and Long said it's special to be playing with them in the postseason.
"We've been playing together for so long. We're like brothers," he said. "I could tell in summer workouts that we all had that same mentality. 'This is it. We need to bust it. We need to do everything we can to be successful.'
"We've been together for so long. We need to go out with a bang. I think that's our whole mindset 'we need to go out with a bang.'"
Regan- You should be so proud of those boys.. I can still remember when they were just little guys and look at them now! Way to go Geremi! Keep up the great job! Go Judges!