High school football preview: Converted wide receiver Isaac Smith coming into his own at quarterback

Isaac Smith plans to bring a point guard and wide receiver's approach and viewpoint to playing quarterback. Having lettered in basketball and football since he was a freshman — Smith already has scored 609 points on the hardwood — the 5-foot-9, 170-pound Cloverleaf junior started at quarterback the second half of last season, but moved out wide as games progressed. This year he'll be the full-time QB as a young but experienced Colts team attempts to improve on its 5-6 overall and 3-4 Metro Athletic Conference records. "It's definitely something new, but I'm liking it," the 17-year-old Smith said. "It makes me more of a leader being the quarterback and the guy. My voice is more out there and people are willing to listen to me. "It's been a little challenging mentally and sometimes I get in my head a little bit, but I've conquered that the last few weeks. I know what I need to do and what I need to work on. All the reps are really helping. It's a lot easier than last year when I was trying to focus on two things at once." As a sophomore, Smith caught 26 passes for 365 yards (14.0 average) and four touchdowns en route to earning All-MAC honors. At quarterback, he was 18-for-39 (.462) for 462 yards, two TDs and two interceptions. "He'll be the guy (at QB) this year," Colts coach and former Cloverleaf quarterback Justin Vorhies said. "As we went through the summer, he really stepped up as a leader. "Seeing the vision he had last year without ever repping at quarterback really made me think he could develop and grow into the position. We like athletic guys who can move, and he definitely can move. His biggest strength is he wants to get better. He's a kid that if he makes a mistake once, he doesn't make that mistake again." Likely to play more point guard for the Cloverleaf basketball team in 2025-26 due to the graduation of Marty Moran, Smith credits his ability to see the floor with helping him see the field. "It's just like basketball," he said. "I'm seeing the field very well. It translates from basketball to football very well." The same is true of being a former wide receiver. "It definitely helps," he said. "I know where the receivers are on the field and I need to know that. Knowing the timing of each play helps tremendously." A bit of a perfectionist and definitely someone who expects a lot out of himself, Smith, whose biological mother Kristine died of lupus when he was 10, credits his dad Avery for his development as an athlete. He also praised his stepmother Melissa for "working very hard for our family" and former Cloverleaf star and current NFL player Kyle Juszczyk — "He's somewhere I would want to be someday" — for letting him help out at his football camp. "My dad has pushed me to my full capability and has always been there for me," Smith said. "He said I could go anywhere in life if I just work hard." With a ton of returning skill players, including running back Ethan Gray and slotbacks Kellen Price and Ashton Gray, Smith can't wait for the season opener tonight. "I think we could be the best team in our conference, honestly," he said. "We have so many guys who have so much experience, but what's nice is a lot of the guys who have that experience are returning next year, too." That includes Smith, whose speed and athleticism will make him a dual threat at quarterback. "He's one of the best athletes in the school," Vorhies said. "He can catch, he can throw, he can run and he can jump. He can do whatever you want him to do. That's why we have him there (at QB). We've been focusing on having him develop as a quarterback, but we know he can be a huge run threat for us when the chips are down. "He's a great kid. He just constantly wants to do better. He'll get frustrated when he makes a mistake, but not at other people, at himself. Once you pick him up and talk to him, he's ready to go. He expects perfection out of himself." Smith, who also runs sprints for the track team and will have 12 varsity letters by the time he graduates, feels like his freshman year was "just yesterday" but acknowledges he's matured a lot. "I've gotten a little bigger and I'm a lot smarter," he said. "I'm learning a lot about the game." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on X.