School: Cane Ridge
Position: QB
Year: Senior
Ht., Wt.: 5-11, 160
Recruiting outlook: Undecided
2012 stats: 1,548 passing yards, with 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions
RUBBING SHOULDER PADS
Converted to quarterback from running back as a seventh-grader, Caruthers initially modeled his game after the players was exposed to first-hand — Phellepe Hall, who starred at Maplewood and plays for the Nashville Storm; former MTSU and NFL starter Kelly Holcomb; and Vanderbilt’s Chris Nickson. “My dad coached with the Storm, and I was around those guys a lot,” Caruthers said. “I liked their leadership skills — how they led the huddle, how guys looked up to them.”
RAVENS TAKE FLIGHT
Cane Ridge has benefitted from a running game spearheaded by Malik Burriss (475 yards, seven TDs), but the offense is an air show led by Caruthers. He’s thrown for 200 or more yards in five games, including a season-high 242 against McGavock. Jeremy Greer has been his favorite option, but Treydonte Hill and Derrick Tucker have emerged as well. “Our receivers worked this summer and they understand the offense a lot better, where they need to be,” Caruthers said. “We ran a lot of routes, got in the classroom and drew things up. We try to keep people on their toes.”
TAKE ONE FOR THE TEAM
Prior to this season’s 6-2 start, Cane Ridge had won just five games over three years. The turnaround has been spurred by a philosophical change, according to Caruthers. “I think last year, we lacked leadership,” he said. “We had a lot of individuals, a lot of people playing for ‘I.’ This year, it’s a team thing. We have a saying, ‘Take one for the team’. I think we’ve stayed together as a team. We’re closer. Two-a-days helped us a lot. We were together from 7 (in the morning) till 6 in the afternoon, and we grew as a family there.”
YOUNG AND AGGRESSIVE
Jonathan Parks, in his first season as coach, has been a hit with the Ravens. “Coach Parks is a great coach. He came in and he’s been aggressive with us, and we’ve taken that aggressiveness and built on it,” Caruthers said. “He holds us accountable for our actions, and players are stepping up. He had a lot of plans when he came in, and we bought in. It was time for a change. The big question was, how do we want to be remembered, how do we want to leave Cane Ridge. We knew we could go out on top, we know we can go out on top. We just want to keep working.”