QB Broomhall breaking out
Senior used season delay to get ahead
Having your senior season postponed and subsequently pushed back six months because of the coronavirus pandemic did not present any obvious upside for Guilderland quarterback Logan Broomhall, yet he has turned potential negatives into a series of positives for himself and his team.
Entering his lone chance to be a full-time starter at the varsity level, Broomhall may have been delayed from the normal 2020 fall season to the presently contested Fall Season II campaign, but it is what he did during the interim that set him up to have a fabulous final season on the gridiron.
“Personally, I was a little undersized last year. It was really an eye-opener for me,” Broomhall said. “A quote I will always go by is something my dad would always tell me during quarantine, ‘Don’t sit around. Don’t let other people get in front of you or outwork you.’ Instead of using that time doing nothing during quarantine, I really tried to focus on my body and my school work. I tried to get ahead of the schedule.”
Broomhall gained some valuable experience as a junior filling in when incumbent starter Michael Gitto broke his leg during football camp at the University at Albany and missed the first five weeks. Playing time, stark physical enhancements and an unrelenting desire to succeed have the senior looking to do big things.
“When I was younger, I was always the starter. When I got to middle school, I was the second- or third-string guy,” said Broomhall, who also plays lacrosse for the Dutchmen. “It really killed me sitting on the sidelines and watching people play.”
Broomhall made sure when permission was granted to practice last month, he was ready to excel.
“I look at all of what COVID has done. Time is short. Life is short,” Broomhall said. “It feels like I just entered high school last year. I am already a senior.”
“The remote shutdown and the social-distancing kept us from playing ball for a while, but he has really worked on his game the whole time,” Guilderland coach Dan Penna said. “It really helped him. He is relentless when it comes to work in the weight room, throwing the ball or working on his physical and fundamental skills.”
Since concluding his 2019 junior season, Broomhall has grown two inches to 6-foot-2 and added 40 pounds of muscle to tip the scales at 190 pounds. The physical improvements have been backed up by sterling play on the field as he has completed 25 of 43 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns. The senior also has rushed for 96 yards and three touchdowns as the Dutchmen (1-1 overall, 1-1 Class AA) enter Thursday’s contest against Colonie (0-2, 0-2) looking to rebound from last week’s 35-25 setback at Shaker.
“He is a catalyst. He can change the course of a game, whether it is with his legs or his arm,” Penna said. “He has made mistakes both weeks, but he doesn’t get rattled. He comes back from those mistakes and because of that, he inspires his teammates as well.”
After the loss against Shaker, Penna expounded upon the virtues of his senior quarterback after he accounted for three touchdowns in passing for 195 yards and rushing for 74 yards.
“Shaker’s defense is superb, so I was pleased with how we moved the ball in the second half,” Penna said. “Logan is really coming into his own as a passer. He sees the field really well and is an inspired leader. We kind of got into our groove in the second half.”
During Penna’s coaching tenure, the Dutchmen have featured a string of dangerous quarterbacks. The veteran mentor credits assistant coach Garth Childs with helping develop quarterbacks such as Broomhall to flourish in Guilderland’s quick-strike spread attack.
“This kind of offense really lets the athlete be an athlete. I think it is where you can show your true talents,” Broomhall said. “I just love it. I remember in the summer throwing with my guys. We talked about what we could do and what plays we could make up.”
“His fundamentals have improved as much as anyone in our program,” Penna said. “We’ve had some good quarterbacks here and he is as good as any we’ve ever had. His command of the offense is terrific.