Skyline quarterback TJ Duarte scrambles in last year's semifinal against Marcos de Niza in the D-II playoffs. (Photo courtesy of MaxPreps/Darin Sicurello)

 

Passive doesn't begin to describe the demeanor of Skyline quarterback TJ Duarte. The Coyotes coaching staff still wonders at times after four years in the program if Duarte is plugged in to his surroundings. As one begins to chat with him, that same feeling resonates. 

"You wonder sometimes if he has a pulse," Skyline coach Angelo Paffumi said. "We've learned the kid is just calm. It's a big part of what makes him good. The kid can play."

Duarte can play. A senior, he is listed at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds. That might be fudging it a bit. And for a kid who grew up a baseball player in Kearny and Apache Junction before settingling at Skyline  with no interest in football, he's turned out to be a major asset as he's accumulated experience.

"When I was in eighth grade all my friends were playing on this 'Yotes (football) team, so I decided to play to be with them,"  Duarte said. "I wasn't really hooked on it, but  I felt like I was starting to get good. I kept playing when I got to Skyline."

Duarte has gradually climbed the ladder as he prepares for his second year on varsity as the starter. He quarterbacked a 7-2 freshman team, an 8-1 junior varsity and piloted last year's 12-1 varsity that fell a few plays shy of a Division II title-game appearance after bowing to Marcos de Niza in a great semifinal contest. How did Duarte perform in the loss? He completed 16 of 19 passes for 300 yards and two TDs. He also scrambled for 62 yards.

In the last two seasons, which have seen Skyline go 22-3, the Coyotes running game has featured two 1,000-yard backs each year. That doesn't leave much to the passing game. Duarte still had his chances to shine and he did with a solid season and clutch play. Duarte passed for 1,966 yards, 15 touchdowns and only three interceptions. He completed 70 percent of his attempts. In the game that decided the section title against Williams Field a few weeks earlier, he was 10-for-13 for 202 yards.

"We knew when he was a freshman he hadn't played much football," Paffumi said. "But watching him that year, we knew he could play."

During preaseason workouts prior to the 2014 season, Duarte was in competition for the starting job as a sophomore. He competed against a senior. That didn't disqualify him, but he wasn't quite up to the task at that level then. That year's quarterback, Jacob Roberts, supplied a roadmap to the position in the run-heavy offense. Roberts was efficient when called on to throw and nearly mistake free. Duarte followed that up nicely. He compted for the position with a senior last year and took it.

"What you find with TJ is there is no panic," Paffumi said. 'He's in control. When he scrambles he's not running just to get away. He's looking down field, and he makes plays. He has awareness."

Ever-so-quietly, Duarte admits he's having fun in the pilot's seat, especially after last year's varsity run. He even manages a fairly broad smile when answering a question and as the interview winds down.

"I like playing," Duarte said. "I think my teammates look up to me. They trust me taking control of things."

Skyline opens the 2016 season on Friday Aug. 19 on the road at Westwood. The Coyotes are moving up from 5A to 6A this season, but it doesn't phase Duarte.

"I'm not worried," he said. "There are good teams in both. I know the game speed. I like to play."