For weeks last spring, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High coaches and players waited for The Decision from their best football player, Tahj Skinner, on whether he would agree to play quarterback.
Think of it as important to Notre Dame as LeBron James’ “Decision” was to the Miami Heat.
“It was never yes. It was never no,” one of Skinner’s teammates said.
Skinner wanted to focus on being a top safety even though he started high school at Chaminade playing quarterback, transferred to Notre Dame as a sophomore and played quarterback for the junior varsity team. He wanted that college scholarship as a defensive back.
Finally, in June, after committing to UC Davis as a safety, Skinner agreed to play quarterback for the good of his high school team, and Friday night’s 28-21 win over Chaminade in a Mission League opener showed how much the Knights (6-0) need him.
Skinner passed for three touchdowns, intercepted a pass and returned it 54 yards for a touchdown and recovered Chaminade’s attempted onside kick to seal the win.
“It was completely up to me,” Skinner said of playing quarterback. “But at the end of the day, I’ll do anything for coach [Evan] Yabu. I mean he’s the only reason I’m in the position I’m in right now.”
Mica Weaver of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame is hoisted up after a touchdown.
(Craig Weston / For The Times)
In handing Chaminade (5-1) its first defeat, Notre Dame took advantage of the absence of Chaminade quarterback Jeremy Mellalieu, whose right hand was wrapped in a soft cast because of a ligament injury. The Eagles were able to come up with a new game plan, using freshman quarterback Hendrix Coleman along with several running backs and receiver Andrew Cordero in a wildcat formation.
Coleman came through with two touchdown passes to Cordero. The game went back and forth until Skinner’s game-clinching, 54-yard pick-six with 1:18 left gave Notre Dame a 28-14 lead.
“Thankfully, he said yes,” Yabu recalled of the waiting and anticipation once Skinner agreed to add quarterback to his other duties.
There was entertainment from both sides in unsung players stepping up. After throwing his first touchdown pass to Cordero on fourth down, Coleman saw his 300-pound teammate, Kingston Williams, moving toward him in a celebratory mood. It looked like Williams wanted to do a chest bump.
Coleman, at 170 pounds and the cousin of former Newbury Park quarterback Brady Smigiel, didn’t become a quarterback without having some quick instincts and intelligence. He turned his body slightly as Williams approached and gave the giant lineman a pat in his chest as the stadium lights went on and off.
The first half ended in a 7-7 tie as both teams struggled to move the ball. Notre Dame got its touchdown on its opening possession, on a 50-yard pass from Skinner to Mica Weaver.
Chaminade put together an impressive 80-yard scoring drive to start the third quarter, taking a 14-7 lead on Marquis Jones’ seven-yard run. Again Skinner showed off his athleticism with a touchdown pass of 51 yards to Weaver to tie the score 14-14.
Finally, in the fourth quarter, Skinner connected with speedster Emmanuel Pullins for a 44-yard touchdown and a 21-14 lead before his interception return.
“I was having so much fun,” Skinner said. “I knew what this game was going to take. It was important for us to come out and show Chaminade what we had.”