Hidden Gem: King's Green Excelling at QB Position

When Thomas Vincent graduated from King’s High School in 2010, there was a swell of uncertainty surrounding the Knights football program. Vincent had led King’s to back-to-back state quarterfinal appearances and had shattered every passing and rushing record along the way. Replacing him would be an unproven junior named Billy Green. Even Knights head coach Jim Shapiro was not sure what Green would do from under center.

Six games into the 2011 season, Shapiro and the Knights have found out exactly what Green is: a poised pocket passer with an innate ability to find the open man, even in the face of pressure. Green is off to an impressive start, completing 96 of 138 passes with 21 touchdowns against only two interceptions in leading King’s to a 5-1 start.

Rising Quick

The first thing that stands out about Billy Green is that he does not seem to think that what he is doing is all that impressive. Replacing a standout, taking the reigns of a young team and having the pressure of leading King’s to its third straight state tournament are simply what he had to do.

“It’s something I had to do, so I just stepped up and did it and it wasn’t too tough,” Green said.

To say Green came out of nowhere is an understatement. Prior to the season, Shapiro was talking about how the entire team would need to step up to keep King’s amongst the top 1A teams in the state. While plenty of Knights players have contributed heavily – including running back Zach Evans, wide receiver/cornerback Caleb Taylor and offensive/defensive line beast Mason Friedline – it has been Green who has steadied the ship for King’s and gotten the team in line for another run at the state title game that has eluded them the past two years.

“If you watch us on film, Billy’s probably a better quarterback then Thomas, a true pocket passer,” Shapiro said. “Thomas was just one heck of an athlete that could run, make good reads, make good throws, but purely as a pocket passer, Billy’s probably better than Thomas.”

Shapiro knew that Green had performed well in the off-season and during the team's camp in June, but was interested to see what he would do in an actual game situation.

“He did well in our team camp, did good in the passing terms, was making good decisions, but, for the most part, you’re not in live session,” Shapiro said. “I’ve seen a lot of quarterbacks in seven-on-seven look like all-stars, then you get eleven guys trying to knock your head off and it’s a different story.”

It turned out that Green was more than ready for those eleven guys running at him. In his first start of the season against Lakeside, Green completed 13 of 22 passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-6 win.

“What I’ve been surprised with is when we sent eleven guys at him, he’s been the same kid, he’s very composed, he makes really solid reads, he has a quick release on the ball,” Shapiro said. “Those are the tangibles I didn’t know we had in him until we started playing.”

Since then, Green has continued with his impressive performances, throwing multiple touchdowns in all six games and completing 70 percent of his passes. Despite that impressive start. Shapiro said he has been most impressed with Green’s continued work ethic and demeanor.

“His helmet still fits, his head’s not too big, in fact, you would think he hasn’t had a very good season just because he has been real steady-eddie, meaning he’s not cocky, he’s not all about himself,” Shapiro said. “He gets an award, like he was the Seattle Times Player of the Week a couple of weeks ago, he’s throwing good balls and a lot of touchdowns and he’s still Bill. He’s still just get back to work, he’s a hard working kid. I don’t think a kid like him is going to be satisfied until he brings home victories and brings home championships.”

While Green has hardly been without help (King’s has four senior starters on the offensive line), his transition into the leader of the King’s offense has been tantamount for the Knights program. Green and a quartet of talented junior receivers have clicked on a level that can’t be taught in practice.

“It’s been a really easy transition from Thomas,” Caleb Tayor, who has 13 touchdown receptions on the year, said. “Everyone was saying it was going to be tough, but he’s done just as good of a job and he’s stepped up as a leader, so it’s been really good.”

Replacing the Star

Perhaps the biggest worry surrounding Green heading into the season was how he would respond to replacing the dual-threat Vincent. Vincent was a steady cog for the Knights during his entire high school career and had led the school to back-to-back state tournaments. Replacing him would be no easy task.

“It’s hard to fill anyone’s shoes, kind of like Locker at the U or Thomas here, how do you fill that?” Shapiro said. “I just told Billy, Billy’s got to be Billy. You’re not going to run for a thousand yards or two thousand yards like Thomas did, but you sure can throw.”

But helping Greens’ transition was the star he was set to replace. Vincent, now playing at the University of Washington, went out of his way last year to help Green in his development, working out with him and helping him through the process of stepping into the leadership role vacated with his graduation.

“Billy was just a sophomore last year and to know that Thomas had called Billy up a lot, took him out to breakfast, got him out of bed to work out, they had the same quarterback coach in the offseason, that’s priceless,” Shapiro said. “To have a senior like that, invest in the next generation of quarterback, hats off to Thomas.”

Green is nonchalant about his new role, but it is clear that the fact that he remains friends with Vincent has been a big help in replacing him.

“It’s been a huge help,” Green said. “He’s been a great leader to me and I’m supposed to hang out with him on Saturday and catch up, so it’s awesome having a guy like him around that I can talk to.”

Chasing the Title

Last week, the Knights saw the true poise of Green in an upset win over Lakewood. Facing the fifth-ranked 2A team in the state, Green completed 20 of 25 passes and threw four touchdown passes to help lead the Knights to a 51-25 win that Shapiro labeled one of the top five victories for the school during his 18 years with the program.

King’s is now 5-1 on the season, with its only loss of the season coming in a 34-27 defeat to Cedarcrest in which the Knights had 27 missed tackles. With Green at the helm and a talented group around him, this could be the year King’s gets over the quarterfinal hump and into the state title game. While the Knights players certainly seem to know that is a real possibility, the team – like its quarterback – is keying on staying focused on the here and now.

“We’re not going to lose sight of practicing hard every week and doing our job, because we don’t want to get too cocky or too overconfident, so we just keep working hard, that’s our mindset,” Green said.