Elite athleticism makes Poland’s Damon Martin and Edward Little’s TJ Kramarz perfect fits to be under center.

These two aren’t just quarterbacks who can throw the ball and make plays with their legs, both Martin and Kramarz are QBs whose running might their teams’ most dangerous offensive option.

“I feel like our offense is definitely based off the run,” Kramarz, a senior, said. “Like, we run a lot of plays where I could either hand the ball off or keep it myself. And then there’s a lot of, like, passing plays. Like, all of our passing plays are me on the run. So, like, I can either scramble it or just dump it off, which is perfect.”

Head coach Rick Kramer said the Red Eddies view the the QB as another running back.

“If you have skills, we’ll put you in the position, because our quarterback is actually a fullback and a quarterback at the same time, so that’s just how we run it,” Edward Little coach Rick Kramer said. “We really don’t have a kid that just plays quarterback. It’s like we have a mantra: no block, no rock. So, in order to be whatever it is, you have to be able to block and run the rock.”

The Knights, meanwhile, run the triple option. Martin took over at quarterback last season when was a sophomore. He said he’s able to use more of his tools this year in the offense of first-year coach Seth Johnson.

“I would say I fit more in this offense than I did in last year’s, because last year’s was more, it was tight,” Martin said. “So I couldn’t run the ball as much, I couldn’t get outside. This year, we kind of spread everybody out so we can use our athleticism and the players that we have to our advantage.”

Johnson said Martin is more than just an athlete — he’s a smart football player who processes the game quickly.

“He sees the field in a different way,” Johnson said of Martin. “… He fits in with the coaching staff more than he does the other players because he sees the field the same way we do. So having a guy like that (who) can run your offense, he can just see what should be happening on the play before anybody’s ever moved. So he can see what’s open. He can make changes to the plays.”

Kramarz and Martin are both three-sport athletes. Kramarz is a starter on the Edward Little basketball team and plays shortstop for the baseball team. Martin also plays basketball and in the spring he runs track.

Martin said both of his other sports help him on the gridiron. He plays point guard for the Knights, so he’s used to looking for holes and weaknesses in opposing defenses. And track make him faster and tougher to catch when he’s in the open field.

So far this season, Martin has 592 yards rushing and five touchdowns on 70 carries. He also has completed 46 of 95 passing attempts for 641 yards and five passing touchdowns.

When Martin decides to run, he’s looking for weak spots in the defense.

“Honestly, when I’m running,” he said, “because most of the time, you’re not just going to see open grass, so I look for spots where there’s one player, and if I can beat that guy, then I just know I’m off to the races.”

Even strong defenses have struggled to contain Martin. Against unbeaten Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale/Kents Hill earlier this month, he had runs of 80 and 77 yards and finished with 160 yards rushing on 14 carries. He also for 93 yards and two TDs.

His speed and football IQ also help him as a safety on the defensive side of the ball. In last week’s win over Madison, Martin returned fumbles — both of which he forced — 107 and 41 yards for touchdowns, and he returned an interception 54 yards for touchdowns The 107-yard interception was picked by MaxPreps as the nation’s top play of the week.

He also played a role in three offensive scores: He ran for two TDs — and racked up 111 yards rushing — and threw a touchdown pass.

FIRST-TIMER

This is season is the first time Kramarz has ever played football. One of the reasons he decided to switch from golf to football was he knew the Red Eddies didn’t have a starting QB, and he figured his athletic ability would translate to the gridiron.

“So going into it, I kind of knew, I had somewhat of an idea, that I was going to be a QB,” Kramarz said. “And me being able to move, be mobile, which has helped me a lot through this. I haven’t really passed the ball much this year, it’s been mostly designed runs and stuff, which has been good.”

Kramarz has rushed for 397 yards on 77 carries and six touchdowns and completed 32 of 76 passes for 419 yards and one touchdown.

While throwing a baseball isn’t the same throwing a football, the former has helped Kramarz with the latter. The arm angles are different — and Kramarz even said that throwing footballs causes less discomfort in his arm.

“Obviously, the throwing motion is a little different, so it kind of took a little bit to get used to,” Kramarz said. “I haven’t thrown a baseball in a while, which is probably a good thing, but, yeah, it just took a little while to get used to, but once I got the hang of it, kind of, I got the arm strength to throw the rock.”

Kramer said it’s not coincidence when athletic players are under center.

“Well, I mean, high school quarterbacks probably are your most athletic kids,” Kramer said. “But they’re probably the highest number of recruited kids in the country that play quarterback, because they’ll take them to college, but TJ is just a competitor. He’s learned a lot over the summer, took part in camps, and grown a great deal. The problem is … one year is all we have him for.”