ONALASKA — When a high school football team wins 51 games and three state championships over the span off 55 games, there are many reasons for the end result.
Numerous aspects of the Aquinas program run by Tom Lee have been consistent since the start of the 2021 season, but Lee will be the first to tell you how fortunate he has been to have Jackson Flottmeyer and Jacob Thornton as his starting quarterbacks since the start of the 2020 season.
Flottmeyer passed for 6,436 yards and 77 touchdowns during his three seasons — the Blugolds won wo titles in that span — before moving on to Winona State, where he passed for 469 yards and 4 TDs and rushed for 2 TDs last fall.
Thornton passed for 3,615 yards and 44 TDs the last two seasons with one championship. He also secured his spot in program history when he was demolished while dropping back to pass in a state quarterfinal game against Columbus, stayed in the game and immediately rushed for a key touchdown — his first of the season — that helped Aquinas erase a 14-point deficit in 3 minutes and beat the Cardinals 29-28.
Those are some big shoes to fill.
Lee said this week that he isn’t quite prepared to reveal how the Blugolds will use the position this season, but he acknowledged that senior Ryan Johnson has the inside track to follow in the footsteps of Flottmeyer and Thornton after watching both of them play up close while standing on the sidelines.
“He really has taken the baton after what Jackson and Jacob did and really listened to the mentoring,” Lee said of Johnson as the Blugolds geared up for a joint practice with Onalaska. “That’s been great to see.”
Johnson attemped passes in four games last season and passed for 192 yards and 3 touchdowns without being intercepted. He also carried the ball twice and reached the end zone once.
“When I played JV, I’d get nervous out there,” Johnson said. “But you work with coach (Steven) Kramer, you work with coach Lee and all of these other coaches, they make it look easy.
“And Jackson made it make sense, and Jacob made it make sense. Those things make my job easier to do.”
Owen Ludlow, a junior this season, completed 2 of 3 passes for 20 yards and is the only other player on this team to play quarterback in 2024. Junior Isaac Miller — he finished last season as an offensive lineman — and sophomore Will Dickinson are other options for Lee.
Whomever takes the majority of the snaps has plenty of weapons at his disposal at the receiver position. The Blugolds have plenty of potential playmakers, and Johnson said that’s a definite perk for anyone who transitions to the starting position.
Senior Logan Becker is always waiting to make a dynamic catch down the field or turn a routine grab into something big after making 43 receptions for 674 yards and 9 touchdowns. He had 28 catches for 680 yards and 10 TDs as a sophomore.
“Guys like Logan and Waylon (Hargrove) and Calvin (Bahr) and Brady (Lee) give you everything you need,” Johnson said. “That gives me a lot of confidence going into thr season and makes me really excited about what we can do.”
Becker also acknowledges his role in making the adjustment a smooth one for a new quarterback. Helping aleviate that pressure by building a good relationship with the quarterback is important in getting the ball down the field consistently.
“It’s obviously an adjustment for everyone on the team,” said Becker, also a standout basketball player from the state-championship basketball team and state relay medalist in track and field. “A lot of us guys have been working with (Johnson) to help with that confidence.
“He’s a great quarterback and is more than ready for this. He throws an accurate ball, great spiral, He’s also a smart kid who can read the pocket really well.”
