La Vernia quarterback grows into position
Lowry’s confidence reaches new heights as second-year starter leads area in passing
LA VERNIA — A quarterback needs to trust himself as much as he trusts his teammates.
La Vernia quarterback Gage Lowry learned that when he underthrew a pass that was intercepted right before halftime against Beeville last season.
Lowry tried to finesse the ball to a wide-open teammate. The interception was one of three he had during La Vernia’s 49-28 loss.
“He tried to baby it in,” La Vernia coach Chris Taber said. “He didn’t want to screw up.”
Lowry said it was the first meaningful play of his high school career — the one where he learned what it meant to be a quarterback.
“It’s pretty astronomical,” Lowry said. “If you throw a pick, it’s on you. If you lose, it’s on you. Everything is on you. It’s a big, big responsibility to hold, but I feel like I have big shoulders and I can maintain that responsibility pretty well.”
As the Bears walked to the locker room that night, Taber remembers telling him: “Here’s the deal about playing quarterback. You
can’t worry about screwing up. You have to be in attack mode all the time . ... Don’t ever try not to screw up. If you see it, throw it. You have one of the biggest arms I’ve ever coached. Take a chance. You have to be a risk-taker as a quarterback.”
Lowry learned more in that moment than the first six games he had played as the Bears’ first-year starter.
“At that point in time, I was still young, and I didn’t watch as much film as I needed to,” Lowry said.
“That taught me I had to progress with the mindset of the game, not just the physical aspect.”
He gets it now. His pass efficiency is higher, and he’s almost reached his touchdown total from last season.
Lowry leads the area in passing with 1,459 yards and 20 touchdowns. He’s completed 90 of 141 passes (63.8 percent) and has four interceptions in six games.
A year ago, Lowry completed 173 of 310 passes (55.1 percent) for 2,780 yards and 27 touchdowns against five interceptions as the Bears finished 5-6.
“This year, he’s definitely more confident with himself,” senior receiver Daryl Dulak said. “He’s more used to playing on Friday nights and his throws are accurate and more on point. He makes better reads because he’s more comfortable being on the field now.”
That’s good news for the 4-2 Bears as they prepare for Friday’s District 14-4A-I opener against Uvalde.
Lowry has passed for five touchdowns in three games this season, including in last Friday’s 55-6 victory against Pearsall. He also threw for five scores to go with a career-high 315 yards (on 20-of-26 passing) in a 47-16 victory against Gonzales on Sept. 18.
“We throw it around enough to understand there’s risk in throwing the ball,” Taber said. “I’m not going to stop throwing the ball because we made a bad pass, or we threw an interception. He knows our offense, and he’s confident, and that makes me confident.”
In addition to learning how to be a quarterback, Lowry dealt with a significant growth spurt between his sophomore and junior seasons when he went from 6foot-2 to 6-6. His arms and legs lengthened, and he needed to change his passing motion. He went from a quick, compact throw to throwing more over the top.
Taber and Lowry experimented with different arm angles. He was throwing with more power because of his added arm length, but he also lost foot speed.
“I went from being one of the fastest dudes in my grade to being one of the slowest,” Lowry said. “I couldn’t keep up with my legs. It was an adjustment. Throwingwise, I had to adjust. Every aspect of the game, I had to adjust.”
Pleasanton at Boerne, 7:30 p.m. Uvalde at La Vernia, 7:30 p.m.
La Grange at Cuero, 7:30 p.m.
Austin Eastside Memorial at Navarro, 7:30 p.m. Wimberley at Manor New Tech, 7:30 p.m.
Crystal City at Bandera, 7:30 p.m. Carrizo Springs at Devine, 7:30 p.m. Pearsall at Hondo, 7:30 p.m.
Comfort at Llano, 7:30 p.m. Lago Vista at Luling, 7:30 p.m.
Marion at Cotulla, 7:30 p.m. Cole at Jourdanton, 7:30 p.m. Randolph at Lytle, 7:30 p.m.
Natalia at Nixon-smiley, 7:30 p.m. Poth at George West, 7:30 p.m.
Taber said Lowry’s height is a benefit because he can see the field throughout the play. He stays steady in the pocket, giving his receivers extra time to get open.
“Gage, multiple times, has delivered a big pass with a guy bearing down on him,” Taber said. “He’s not looking to run out of the pocket. He’s looking to deliver the football and his eyes are always down the field.”
Many of those key passes have been to Dulak, who has 26 receptions for 511 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. A year ago, he 57 catches for 1,072 yards and 11 touchdowns.
“He gives me more time to get the route going, so I don’t have to worry about if he’s rushing off to some other side of the field,” Dulak
Karnes City at Stockdale, rescheduled to Nov. 6
Harper at Mason, 7:30 p.m. Johnson City at Brackett, 7:30 p.m.
Kenedy at Bloomington, 7:30 p.m. Refugio at Three Rivers, 7:30 p.m.
Sabinal at La Pryor, ppd.
Louise at Falls City, 7:30 p.m.
Central Catholic at Houston St. Thomas, 7 p.m. SA Christian at Antonian, 7:30 p.m.
Brownsville St. Joseph at Boerne Geneva, 7 p.m. CC St. John Paul II vs. St. Anthony, 7:30 p.m. (UIW)
Shiner St. Paul Catholic vs. Holy Cross, 7 p.m. (WH) Brooks Academy at TMI, 7:30 p.m.
said.
Dulak is part of a strong receiver group that includes Koy Carpenter (35-517, five touchdowns) and Braden Pressley (17-220, three touchdowns). Dulak didn’t play with an injury last week, and Kolban Mills stepped in and caught a 60-yard score.
“We have four of the best receivers in South Texas right now,” Lowry said. “I feel they can outrun anybody, get off bodies. Daryl, I look to him at key moments. He’s a good athlete and a big playmaker. My confidence in them gives them confidence in me and it all meshes together.”
Lehman at Southwest, 7:30 p.m.
Dripping Springs at Lockhart, 7:30 p.m. Southside at Somerset, 7:30 p.m.
Killeen Shoemaker at Kerrville Tivy, 7:30 p.m. Boerne Champion at Killeen Harker Heights, 7:30 p.m. Alamo Heights at Buda Johnson, 7:30 p.m. Ozona at Center Point, 7:30 p.m. Cornerstone at Frisco Legacy Christian, 7:30 p.m.
Madison vs. Roosevelt, 7 p.m. (C) Clark vs. Reagan, 7 p.m. (HE)
Brennan vs. Holmes, 7 p.m. (G)
Bruni at D’hanis, 7 p.m.
C – Comalander (North East ISD); F – Farris (Northside ISD) ; G – Gustafson (Northside ISD); HE – Heroes (North East ISD); R – Rutledge (Judson ISD); UIW – University of Incarnate Word; WH – Wheatley Heights Sports Complex.