Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Stammetti more comfortable engineering offense
ARKADELPHIA — It took a while for Richard Stammetti to get comfortable in his role as Henderson State’s starting quarterback last season.
“I was still technically the new guy,” said Stammetti, who came in from Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif. “I had to come in and earn my respect and earn the leadership of the offense.”
Stammetti, 6-2, 210 pounds, ended with respectable statistics, passing for 2,459 yards and 18 touchdowns. He completed 53% of his passes (213 of 402), was intercepted 11 times and endured the bulk of 28 sacks suffered by the Reddies.
There was a transition for sure — a California junior-college quarterback from Las Vegas moving to smalltown Arkansas — but mostly it was about learning the Reddies’ offense under first-year coordinator Hayden Hawk, getting acquainted with his teammates and gaining confidence that he was the man the job.
There is little doubt about that now.
Stammetti stalked the sidelines during Henderson’s first scrimmage in mid-August, slapping hands and shouting
encouragement to his teammates as the first team struggled in its first two series.
“I feel way more confident,” Stammetti said. “Way more. So many playmakers coming back. So many toys for me to get the ball to. … It’s my offense. Definitely get to do what I want with it. Just go.”
His teammates have noticed.
Offensive tackle Blake Dybala said Stammetti was part of the maturation process that occurred last season.
“He has that year under him,” Dybala said. “He’s more calm out there, more than anything.”
Wide receiver Chase Lodre, one of Stammetti’s favorite targets last season, said it takes time for a quarterback and receiver to get to know each other.
“We tried to get off real quick,” Lodre said, explaining how they worked to get in sync. “But now, I feel real confident in my quarterback. He can put it there wherever I need it to be.”
Lodre (34-462 receiving, 5 TDs) said there is no question the Reddies will be strong offensively, especially with the addition of junior transfer wide receiver L’liott Curry, who has 10 career touchdown receptions on his NCAA Division II playing resume and the return of running backs Logan Moragne and Querale Hall.
“Hey, ain’t nobody going to be able to stop us,” Lodre said. “Ain’t going to be able to hold all of us. We’ve got our run game on point. We’ve got a lot of receivers that can play. We’ve got a quarterback that can put it there, and our O-line, they can block it down.”
Then there is all the tradition of winning at Henderson, which has waned a bit since the departure of Kevin Rodgers, the state’s all-time leading passer, after the 2014 season.
The Reddies have gone 112, 8-3, 6-5 and 5-6 in four seasons after a three-year run of 30-4 and three Great American Conference titles.
“I talked to Kevin Rodgers a couple of times,” Stammetti said of the quarterback who passed for 13,678 yards and 124 TDs in four seasons. “He reached out to me. He told me if I needed anything to let him know.”
Stammetti said his contact with Rodgers this summer meant a. lot.
“It kind of helps to know he’s got our backs,” Stammetti said. “He set the standard.”
The players, Stammetti included, are aware that Maxfield, who is shooting for his 100th career victory in Saturday’s season-opener at Oklahoma Baptist, is not satisfied with the gradual decline in winning.
“He’s a legend around here,” Stammetti said. “5-6 didn’t cut it. We knew that going in. Our saying here is Code Red.
“It’s right now. We’ve got to do it right now. Get that bad taste out of our mouths, and I think we’ve got a good chance to do it.”
Maxfield, moving around the practice field in a golf cart after suffering a broken foot during the summer, said he likes what he has seen — so far.
“I feel a lot better than last year,” Maxfield said. “A lot further ahead.”