Peterson's switch to WR pays off for BCHS, himself
| Friday, Dec 12 2008 02:08 AM
Last Updated Friday, Mar 27 2009 01:56 PM
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Bakersfield Christian wide receiver Jake Peterson waits for the ball during practice Wednesday as the team practices for today's Division V championship game at Corcoran.
It took Jake Peterson one route, a perfectly precise slant, to prove to new Bakersfield Christian quarterback Derek Carr this past summer that he was the real deal as a wide receiver.
"He ran a sick route," Carr said. "I hit him in stride, and I remember looking at my dad, and we both shook our heads, like, man, I can't wait for the season to start."
There was just one problem remaining: The quarterback Carr was replacing was Peterson, who had passed for 2,325 yards and ran for 550 as he led the Eagles to a Division V Central Section title last year.
"It was kind of awkward," Carr said. "But we sort of just became best friends."
And imagine the relief when Peterson ignored any ego and offered to move back to receiver.
"If there was anyone who could have said, 'No, this is going to be me,' it would have been him, especially after the year he had last year," BCHS coach Doug Barnett said. "But he said, 'Hey coach, you put me wherever you think is going to help this team.' I couldn't be prouder of him."
The decision has paid off in a big way. Peterson has become Carr's primary target in a record-setting offense.
"It really wasn't that tough at all," Peterson said. "I played receiver my sophomore year and then I had to move to quarterback because there wasn't anyone to play, and I had to step up. But this year, with Derek coming in, I saw how good his arm was, and I just decided I'd play receiver. Whatever's best for the team."
Peterson has 94 catches for 1,304 yards -- he's already set the Central Section record for receptions and needs 22 more yards to set a Kern County record in that department, according to section historian Bob Barnett.
"He's six catches away from 100 -- in high school," Carr said. "It's crazy. He's a great talent."
Peterson likely will reach that in the first half of tonight's 7 p.m. game between BCHS (11-1) and host Corcoran (12-0). The Eagles' second straight D-V championship is on the line.
Bakersfield Christian's strategy tonight will be what it has been all year: Have Carr use the spread offense to get the ball to Peterson, Colby Herron, Marcus Hall and other athletes to run up yardage and big points before Corcoran can figure things out.
Corcoran will be a test: The Panthers didn't allow a point until their fifth game and have outscored opponents by an average of 39 points. But they haven't seen a team as good as Bakersfield Christian, which went 11-1 against a schedule full of Division III and IV teams.
The Eagles have racked up eye-boggling statistics -- Carr has thrown for 3,899 yards, leaving him 318 short of Emmanuel Lewis' section record for Tulare Union in 2005, according to Bob Barnett. He has 44 touchdown passes and needs six -- what he threw for last week in a 62-20 semifinal victory against Fowler -- to equal Lewis.
"Derek has so many options on our team," Peterson said. "It's wonderful getting the ball as much as I do. But we work hard, and it pays off.
"When we click, we click. We're just unstoppable with the different skills each player brings to the table."
Peterson has been a major beneficiary of that. He's getting serious recruiting interest as a receiver from schools like Fresno State (where Carr has verbally committed), Arizona State, Washington State and Nevada.
In the short term, if things work out as planned, Peterson will be celebrating a second section title tonight, this time as a receiver.
"That's why we are where we are," Doug Barnett said. "We are as unselfish a group as I have seen in a long, long time. And Jake is a big part of that."
