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EDITOR’S NOTE: Months of research led to a series, “Year of the Quarterback,” being presented in three waves. The first wave — 10 articles covering the volatile new world of the transfer portal — was published recently. This is the ninth story in the second wave, which tracksthen-and-now journeys of 10 Stark County quarterbacks.
“Hang in there,” Jim Tressel told Hunter Wells, who had been bent on getting out of there.
Wells left Fairless as Stark County high school football’s all-time leader in passing yards.
He was about to leave his college team under less agreeable circumstances.
Hunter Weils of Fairless talks on the sideline, Sept. 20, 2013.
Three years in at Youngstown State, he was kicked out of the script written by a head coach, Bo Pelini, who didn’t recruit him. He’d started as a freshman for head coach Eric Wolford.
Wells was going to be Wolford’s next Kurt Hess, YSU’s starting QB from 2010-13 (and already in the athletic hall of fame).
The 6-foot-5 freshman began 2014 behind Pennsylvanian Dante Nania, a third-year Penguin. Wells was much taller than Nania, and, having thrown for 8,344 yards at Fairless, mirrored the 8,925 yards Hess gave the university.
Something about the kid spoke football, echoing from his Massillon-bred grandfather, Gary Wells.
Mark and Hunter Wells pose for a family photo, Jan. 8, 1997.
Hunter’s favorite Christmas present as a tyke was a book titled “The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Quarterback.”
The chronicles of Nania became a short story. Nania played the opener at Illinois, a 28-17 loss, but he finished the home opener, a 31-7 win over Duquesne, with an ice bag on a sprained ankle.
Wells played Game 3 and fired four touchdown passes in a 44-13 rout of Butler.
“It should have been five,” Wolford said. “There was one we didn’t catch. For his first time out, he played pretty…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/quarterback-fairless-hunter-wells-youngstown-100958637.html
Author : The Repository
Publish date : 2024-10-25 10:09:58
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