Bulldog QB keeps honing skills through the offseason

Published 8:50 pm Monday, June 27, 2011

King’s Fork’s Matt Hommell throws during a 7-on-7 passing game in Saturday’s Peanut City Shootout at King’s Fork. On Sunday, Hommell went to a one-day football camp for prospective college recruits at the University of Maryland. Hommell is a rising senior for the Bulldogs.

After a long, hot day of playing quarterback for King’s Fork in fast and hectic 7-on-7 passing games Saturday in KF’s Peanut City Shootout, Matt Hommell’s weekend was still just getting started.

Hommell, a rising senior for the Bulldogs, has a non-stop summer of football under way, and that’s on the heels of never taking a rest through the school year as he’s also one of King’s Fork’s best wrestlers and plays a mix of outfield, catcher and pitcher for the Bulldog baseball squad.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. I can’t sit still. I can’t help it,” Hommell said during a short time to rest during what proved to be five games for King’s Fork on Saturday.

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Sunday, the day after the Shootout, Hommell traveled to the University of Maryland for a quarterback camp.

“It’s looking like the only weekend I’ll have off this summer is Fourth of July weekend,” Hommell said.

Last weekend was a fairly easy weekend for Hommell. At least half of it was at home. The norm since the end of baseball season has been one or two college combines or camps a weekend. He’s doing all the traveling and working out to get noticed and get as much coaching as possible.

He’s been to the University of Richmond, Virginia, the Junior Rank Camp in Virginia Beach and still has a combine at James Madison among more still to go.

King’s Fork, as is becoming a summer tradition, will be going to a team camp in eastern Pennsylvania in late July shortly before the actual preseason practices get going.

“Every time I go somewhere and a coach works with me, I’m picking up a little here and a little there,” Hommell said.

For the Bulldogs, Hommell’s a triple-option quarterback. He’s keeping the ball, running, and getting hit, much more often than getting to put the ball in the air.

On one hand, showing he can run, read plays quickly and is tough enough to play through all the tackles are good attributes for a college recruiter to know about. At the same time, and one more major reason for getting to as many camps and combines as possible, every opportunity to show his arm is important, both for learning and performing.

During the week doesn’t bring much time for summer break. It mainly brings grunt work as the Bulldogs are within two months of their season opener on Aug. 26.

“Everyone makes the weight room. Everything about what we’re doing is a big change from how it was, say, in my freshman year. The commitment is here,” Hommell said.

In addition to the weights, Hommell and his receivers are out trying to gel two or three days a week, not counting 7-on-7 passing league nights.

“It’s about trying to get better and everyone here has a common goal,” he said.