Weston Taylor, Cambridge quarterback
Today’s interviewee is Cambridge quarterback Weston Taylor, who is coming off a career-best game in which he threw for 441 yards and six touchdowns, three in the fourth quarter, in a 51-44 upset over sixth-ranked Cedartown in the Class 4A first round. Taylor, a senior first-year starter, has passed for 3,061 yards, second in the state to Houston County’s Antwann Hill. Taylor recently was named the Region 6-4A player of the year. He hopes to continue his career at the next level but is uncommitted. Cambridge plays at Central of Carrollton in the second round tonight. This is the first time in program history that Cambridge has reached the second round.
1. What was the game plan heading into the first round against Cedartown, and how confident were you that you could pull out the win? “We knew that their defense was super, super tough, and we knew we had to play some complementary football. We had to establish the run game. We knew they had Tae Harris [a four-star defensive back/running back committed to Clemson]. We knew he was a ‘dog’ out there at safety, and we had to stop them in the run game too, which is really hard. And then our o-line, they gave us time to deliver and for the receivers to go get the ball. We scored 21 points in like under four minutes [in the fourth quarter], so we knew we had to get going and get moving. The defense really helped [with] getting the ball back for the offense to go score. We all are so confident in our team. Our coaches trust us. And we really wanted to win that game so bad. We were dedicated the whole way, and we fought to the very end. We all executed perfectly in that fourth quarter to come through with it.”
2. What has it been like getting the starting quarterback job this year and having such a big season? “It’s really built a ton of confidence. The coaches trusting me and having confidence in me has really helped me improve. Coach [Tyler] Jones and Coach [Pete] DeWeese, they’ve helped me so much with improving in the quarterback game. Preston Clemmer [last year’s starter, now at Kennesaw State] was a really good quarterback himself. I got to learn a lot from him. Last year I got to play a few games, so that helped with the confidence going into this year. Preston was a huge help in building my confidence and being better. I didn’t really know what to expect [this season], to be honest. This new offense has really helped with my season. The coaches are so smart with the offensive plays that they call for us, so it’s just really helped a lot.”
3. How has the recruiting process been for you? “I haven’t really decided yet. [Recruitment] has been slow, to be honest. But I’m excited for the future and what will happen with me. No matter what will happen, I know it will be all good. Definitely a little frustrating, but I’m sure something will happen for me at the next level. We will see. I’ve been posting on Twitter every week, trying to get a game highlight. I’ve got my end-of-regular-season highlights out there and my first playoff game. I’m trying to be active on Twitter, and hopefully when the season’s over, some coaches will start coming into the school and start talking to us.”
4. What do you think you bring to the table that allows you to stand out from other quarterbacks? “I would say I’m definitely more of a pocket passer because I’m calm under pressure in the pocket. I can run, I can kind of run. But definitely my strength is in the passing game, in reading through my RPO reads and finding safeties, knowing where to go with the ball and finding the open receiver. I’m definitely a leader on our team right now, just a team player. I know there’s going to be a lot of ups and downs, but I’ve got to make sure we’re all good and just lead this team even further in the playoffs. There aren’t many lefties out there, so I’m a lefty. I feel like that’s pretty different from all the other quarterbacks. I feel like I have a really quick release when it comes to throwing the ball.”
