When he steps on the field for his first game as a varsity starting quarterback, P.J. Hurst will probably feel the nerves. However, the Palisades High junior signal-caller knows what he has to do: deliver the ball.
“When we we started practicing for real it was a lot different than seven-on-seven,” Hurst said. “Having the line in front of you and an actual rush coming at you is totally different. It took me two weeks to get used to.”
Hurst is a student of the game and prides himself on the intellectual side of football, having learned a lot from being the varsity backup last year. To him, the difference between now and then is “like nght and day.”
Photo: Steve Galluzzo
Hurst began playing Pop Warner football in Santa Monica at the age of 8 and tried several positions his first two years, including linebacker and punt returner. Eventually he was asked to play quarterback and he agreed: “They said it was the best way to help the team out, so I did it. I really liked it because you get to dictate play.”
Hurst studied Dolphins starter Taylor Mensik’s every move last year and although he played in just three games and attempted only one pass, he learned the playbook, got used to the speed of the game and saw what it means to be a leader. Since then he has attended several quarterback camps, including the Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State University in Louisiana in July. Hurst was one of about 1,200 high school players to learn from Eli and Peyton Manning and dozens of college players, who served as counselors.
“That was amazing − one of the greatest experiences of my life,” Hurst recalled.
He ran a wishbone offense as the JV quarterback his freshman year, but when Coach Tim Hyde took over the program last season he moved Hurst up to varsity and the sophomore benefited from the experience, treating it like a redshirt year in college.
One area Hurst emphasized most when practice started was building a repoire with his receivers, in particular seniors Quincy Cowherd, Dhaamir Lomax and Herbert Acosta.
“P.J.’s strength is reading the defense, picking it apart and making us look good,” Cowherd said..”Every ball he throws is in a great spot, right where we like it. He’s accurate, he can go short or long and we love to air it out. We spend a lot of time practicing so I run the routs right and he reads them correctly.”
Hurst lives a short walk from campus. He went to Marquez Elementary through fifth grade, then to St. Matthew’s, where he played volleyball, basketball and soccer. Pali High backs and receivers coach Ray Elie said Hurst’s best quality is his coachability.
“He takes everything in and listens to everything we tell him,” said Elie, a former Pali High quarterback who went on to play at New Mexico State and in the NFL and CFL.
“I’m always trying to get better, that’s what it’s all about,” Hurst said.
Hyde is excited to have Hurst for two seasons and shudders to think how good he’ll be as a senior.
“P.J. is a true pocket quarterback — he sits in the pocket, reads, adjusts off movement, shuffles his feet and he creates his own lanes. He doesn’t have the cannon arm but he’s very efficient. We’re running a lot of the same stuff we did last year and you can see how much he’s studied. He’s very good at reading coverages and if he rolls one way he knows what the back side is going to do.”
Hurst’s instincts tell him when to hang tough in the pocket and when to tuck the ball away and run. He scored his first varsity touchdown on a 15-yard scamper against Santa Monica last season. Above all else, Hurst’s primary duty is to get his teammates the ball and Hyde said his leadership spawns purely from respect.
“He works so hard and if someone runs the wrong rout, he’ll say to them ‘Remember, it’s a 10-yard out, not an 8-yard out.’ He’s always telling guys ‘Let me get you the ball.’ That’s his job.”
At almost 6-2 and 170 pounds, Hurst can see over the defensive line and hit receivers across the middle. He can also strike long, throwing the ball over the outside shoulder where only his receivers can catch it.
“Every quarterback has his own personality,” Hyde said. “Some get real emotional and fire their helmets through a wall and some you never know are there. Guys rally around P.J. because he never blames anyone. He’ll take responsibility all the time and that’s leadership. He was almost a captain this year as a junior, which shows the confidence and the expectations his teammates have of him.”
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