Delsin McNeil is ‘what we want for our quarterback,’ says Mifflin coach
Delsin McNeil was so smooth at quarterback last season people often didn’t notice when he’d sub in for Gov. Mifflin starter Eden Johnson.
They wore similar-looking numbers — Johnson was No. 3, McNeil No. 8 — had similar builds and were equally effective behind center.
Mustangs coach Jeff Lang often left it up to Johnson, a senior and a starter at safety, to hand it off to McNeil for a given series, regardless of the game situation.
“I never even blinked an eye,” Lang said.
Johnson earned all-league honors as the top quarterback in Section 1 of the Berks Football League, running a team that posted a perfect regular season and averaged 47.5 points per game, second-highest in Berks history. When McNeil replaced him under center the Mustangs didn’t miss a beat.
“If I had the chance, I could’ve done a lot of that stuff (Johnson did),” McNeil says confidently, “but I’ll never knock him because he did an amazing job.”
Johnson was physical on both sides of the ball, averaged 7.4 yards per carry and was a true leader in the huddle.
To think the Mustangs won’t have a drop-off at quarterback this season says all you need to know about the talents McNeil brings to the table.
“On any other team last year Delsin would’ve been their starting quarterback,” Lang said of the rising senior. “He’s gonna be good this year. He’ll take command; he’ll take the lead.”
Playing quarterback at Mifflin requires more than having a big arm; in fact, that’s often several slots down the checklist of requirements. Leadership, of course, is right at the top, along with being able to make split-second reads at the line of scrimmage when the Mustangs are running out of their Mid-Line Veer formation.
The Mustangs’ quarterback has to be a good ballcarrier, as well; if he reads that the defense is geared to take away the fullback dive or the pitch he keeps it. Those reads are a make-or-break determiner for that position.
McNeil sees no issue there.
“I’ve been doing it since seventh grade,” he says matter-of-factly, “so, I’m pretty comfortable with it.”
McNeil is confident whenever he steps on a football field. Has been since he was playing in the Mighty Mites and Mites during his Bronco days.
“He’s always had that quiet confidence about him,” says his dad, Everett, who coached Delsin and his twin brother Gerrell in youth ball. “He was always pretty calm under pressure.”
That’s why Everett moved him to quarterback in the fifth grade. Delsin was playing wide receiver at the time; he swapped spots with Gerrell, who was under center.
Delsin played quarterback throughout junior high and served a valuable apprenticeship last season when he was on the field for nearly a third of Mifflin’s offensive snaps. He didn’t get many chances to throw — Mifflin quarterbacks rarely do — but when he did he was effective.
He probably set a program record by going through the entire regular season without throwing an incompletion. OK, he only put it up six times over those 10 games but still, 6-for-6 is pretty good, especially when two of them went for scores.
McNeil was an effective runner, too, averaging 7.2 yards per carry, with four touchdowns on 26 attempts.
Lang will concern himself with plugging a lot of holes over the next month as he prepares for the Aug. 26 season-opener against Spring-Ford but he’ll spend precious little time fretting over McNeil.
“He is what we want for our offense as a quarterback,” he said. “He’s got a decent arm but really strong legs. He can put his foot down and make a move on a dime.”
McNeil should bring as much of a run-pass balance to the position as any quarterback the Mustangs have had in recent decades.
“I probably run better (than pass, but) if you put me in position to throw, I can throw it,” he says assuredly.
Gov. Mifflin heads to Section 2 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League this season where it will compete with Manheim Central, Warwick and Exeter for the top spot. It’s safe to say the Mustangs graduated a lot from last season’s Berks I champs, starting with Nick Singleton, Berks’ all-time leading rusher and the national Gatorade Player of the Year.
They also need to replace Berks 1 Defensive Lineman of the Year Nate Goodman, Offensive Lineman of the Year Jonah Naugle, all-league guard Jose Landrom, all-league linebacker Trey Rock and Johnson, who was the Defensive Back of the Year.
That’s a lot, but McNeil is hardly ready to punt on another successful season.
“It’s a young team,” he said. “We lost a lot of good players; I want to show everyone that it doesn’t matter who we lost, its just about (who’s back).
“I think we should have an A-plus team; we can do the same thing we did last year, it’s just all in our minds. We have a good solid line still. We have good running backs. And it starts with the quarterback.”
McNeil has looked poised in the pocket during recent 7-on-7 competitions; inside he’s churning.
“I’m just anxious . . . but it’s good nerves,” he said. “I’m ready for the first game. I want to be out there to play for my school.”
