It didn’t look good for Social Circle. They were down 20-0 at halftime to the fourth-ranked team in the state at home last November.
But something changed between the end of the second quarter and the start of the third. After struggling to move the ball offensively, the Redskins exploded for three touchdowns.
Although they still lost, the rebound served as a turning point, not just for the team but their young and talented quarterback.
Logan Cross, who’d burst onto the scene as a wide-eyed freshman with a cannon of an arm, settled in as a cool and collected team leader.
Over the next three weeks, he led the Redskins to a pair of wins and a state playoff berth, the school’s first in a decade. During that stretch, he passed for 840 yards and nine touchdowns.
“After we scored that first touchdown against Commerce, it really gave us come confidence,” Cross said. “After that, we felt like we could move the ball and score.”
With Cross returning for his third season as the Social Circle starting quarterback, moving and scoring should be a strength of this year’s team. At 6-foot-5, 180 pounds with a strong and accurate arm, the rising junior is a perfect fit for the team’s pass-happy “Air Raid” offense.
“The throws he makes, I’ve not seen a lot of quarterbacks with stuff like that,” said Redskins head coach Rob Patton.
The closest comparison he sees is Collins Hill quarterback Sam Horn, who’s among the top recruited signal callers in the country and recently commited to Missouri.
“He’s got that kind of talent,” Patton said of Cross.
He had the talent as a freshman, when he was thrust into the starting role. It was just unrefined. He passed for 1,460 yards and 10 touchdowns, good for second in the county. But he also threw 10 interceptions.
“Back then, whenever I’d get under pressure, I’d just throw the ball wherever,” Cross said.
Last season, he led the county in passing with 2,081 yards. But more importantly, he had more than twice as many TD passes (19) as picks (seven).
“I’m a lot more calm now whenever I see a blitz or I’m about to get hit,” Cross said. “I’m making better decisions.”
If he continues to pile up the numbers, he’ll likely have some bigger decisions in the future, like where to play at the next level. For now, he more focused on the present.
“I just want to win,” Cross said. “I’m just focused on the team. If we win and I do great, then that’s even better.”
