High school football: Kellen Price's versatility has sparked Cloverleaf

The (maybe) 5-foot-8, 170-pound senior, who an informal straw poll elected as team goober at practice this week, doesn't look the part — he also really, really likes grilled cheese — but the play of Cloverleaf's Kellen Price over the last four games has been one of the biggest storylines of the Medina County football season. The quarterback for the undefeated 2022 middle school team who once ran in a two-point conversion while missing a shoe has never had an ego regarding the position. He was cool with friend Isaac Smith expressing an interest when they were sophomores, allowing Price to settle in at slot receiver, running back and cornerback while mostly forgetting about QB. What was originally an emergency situation may have saved this season. Smith and backup Zayne Trent were unavailable for a Week 3 game at Carrollton due to injuries, so Price was back behind center full time for the first time in four years, ran or threw 35 times for 248 yards total offense and scored the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter of a 14-7 victory. Reminiscent of when Lodi's Bob Packard and Seville's Bob Chidsey led Cloverleaf to a 6-1-1 record in the program's inaugural season of 1960, Price and Smith now split reps at the sport's most important position. The experienced Colts (5-1, 3-0) haven't lost since and now hold a one-game lead in the 10-team Metro Athletic Conference heading into tonight's homecoming game against Field (2-4, 1-2). "It was kind of shocking because we had some stuff going on, but I've always thought I was ready if I needed to be," Price said of his first career start at Carrollton. "Coach (Justin Vorhies) believed in me, and we got it done, man. ... Coach had me learn all that (verbiage) freshman year, and it just kind of stuck with me." Vorhies, who still holds every career passing record at the school, was thoroughly impressed with how Price handled the moment. The basketball combo guard and MAC champion doubles player in tennis doesn't try to be anything he's not, and teammates are comfortable with him barking "Down, set-hut!" because Price's laid-back personality hasn't changed over the years. Instead of continuing to work on the I-formation, which was originally thought to be the cure for Cloverleaf's offensive woes, Vorhies had an idea: Rotate Price and Smith at quarterback, keep the playbook largely the same, add a few wrinkles to highlight each player's strengths and put the opposing defense in a personnel bind on a snap-by-snap basis. One play, Price will scramble like a madman — his vision and quick cutting sometimes make defenders look like they're trying to catch a mouse on ice — or throw a bomb to Smith, who led the team in receiving in 2024, out of a five-wide formation. The next, Smith will be at QB in the Colts' traditional one-running back, one-tight end spread with Price at running back or wide receiver. The play after that could have Price in a jumbo package with multi-year veterans Brayden Beier, Jimmy Tolley and Elliot Jordan as tight ends and 270-pound former lineman Aiden Gilbert at fullback. That's how Cloverleaf scored the game-winning touchdown in a thrilling 42-35 win at Streetsboro. Those varied looks are tough for defensive coordinators to prepare for. "We always make the joke of Taysom Hill (of the New Orleans Saints) because you'll see him at quarterback, you'll see him at running back, you'll see him catch an out route, you'll see him everywhere on the field," Tolley said. "He's doing all that stuff. He's very versatile. "He gets north to south when he needs to. He'll put his head down and go through somebody, but he'll also be the first one to juke, first one to make a spin move, first one to make a hurdle. He's agile, and he runs really hard. Having both is really good." The results have been incredible. The Colts averaged a meager 11.3 points on 277.0 yards during a 2-1 start but have exploded to 52.3 points and 447.3 yards in three games with Price lining up at quarterback, I-formation tailback, shotgun running back, slot receiver and flanker. Price and Smith have completed a combined 25-of-41 passes (.610) for 536 yards, nine touchdowns, one interception and a stupendous 134.4 NFL rating since Cloverleaf implemented the timeshare. They've also rushed 54 times for 425 yards and eight touchdowns, while Smith has four catches for 128 yards and two scores — all from Price. Price, who also has 80 career tackles, nine interceptions and 12 pass breakups as a four-year starter at cornerback, obviously isn't as accurate of a passer as Smith but instead shines as a deceivingly tough runner whose jump-cutting keeps larger defenders from teeing off on him. The split also has allowed both to play with free-wheeling mentalities. "Teams can't key if we're going to run the ball in certain personnel or throw the ball in certain personnel, regardless of who's at quarterback," said Vorhies, who called the decision "easy" to make in hindsight. "It's opened things up because when you think a guy's going to run more often (Price), you still have (Tolley, Smith, Beier and Ashton Gray) on the outside to be able to throw it. Then when you have (Smith) back there and you're thinking we're going to be more traditional pass, (Smith) can take off an run." What cracks people up about Price is how chill he is off the field. There are moments where he gets fired up, however, mainly with a cartwheel against Keystone in 2024 and Hulk Hogan-style underhand flexes on a game-sealing tackle in a 10-6 win at Buckeye and after he scored the game-winning touchdown last week against Streetsboro. Price smiles when this is brought up. He won't be playing college football, so he's soaking in every moment as the seniors try to become Cloverleaf's first class to win a league championship and home playoff game in the same season. He just gets the job done, man. "I love the camaraderie of the team, just being with my best friends all day everyday," he said. "We're always with each other, hanging out, getting to know each other better. Everybody cares about each other. "(Being in first place) is obviously new to us here at Cloverleaf, but we're going to keep the same attitude, keep working and keep going." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.