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Ward Proves a Two-Way Threat as Morgan’s Quarterback

Playing quarterback wasn’t even a thought in the back of Madden Ward’s mind last summer, but what a difference a couple of months can make. Madden recently completed his senior season as Morgan’s quarterback and proved himself as one of the top dual-threat QBs in the Pequot Conference.

Madden, a senior, has played baseball his whole life and didn’t get into football until his freshman year with the Huskies. Madden was actually ready to forgo his final football season to focus more on the diamond, but he stayed on the gridiron, and was pegged to play wide receiver this past fall.

However, when Morgan had an opening at quarterback, Madden decided to take his shot under center and wound up having a great campaign that saw him pass for 1,489 yards with 15 touchdowns to go with 498 yards and 10 scores on the ground for a squad that went 6-4.

“I always loved the passion everyone, including the coaches, exude during the game. I also thought it was more of a family experience with the blood, sweat, and tears you give,” says Madden on why he stuck with football. “Two weeks before the preseason, I wasn’t even going to play because I wanted to focus on baseball. I also felt there were more opportunities for me as a receiver, but as the preseason went on, the quarterbacks were young. Once I got into the position, everything felt right and it just sunk in. I allowed my receivers to make the plays and I just ran as much as I could to get those first downs.”

True to its name, the Huskies’ read-option offense creates plenty of options for the quarterback, who has a narrow window to decide whether to pass or run. Madden says that he used a combination of the Xs and Os, along with the natural flow of the game, to make that crucial decision.

“In the read-option, I mainly make my decision based on the defense and whether the defensive backs are in cover 2 or cover 3,” says Madden, who’s the younger brother of former Huskies’ star Jake Ward. “The other part of it is just being in the game and feeling whether or not to throw or scramble for the first down.”

Huskies’ Head Coach Peter Nye says that Madden did a great job of making those tough calls on the fly, while always believing in the teammates who were in front of him on the field.

“Madden is not just a great player. He is a great thinker. He has exceptional situational awareness and has a common sense about decision making that gives him confidence to perform spectacularly,” says Nye. “One of the hardest things to do on a football field is the quarterback’s patience in a pocket and trusting linemen to protect him. I think Madden took pride in this patience as a statement to his classmates doing that work. He is quiet verbally, but his love and trust in his teammates are what I think gave him so much credibility as a player and leader and in the clutch. I think everyone on the team would agree that we would not have been close to the team we were without Madden this year.”

Regarding his poise in the pocket, Madden says that he benefited from an experienced offensive line that never stopped protecting him until the last whistle sounded on every play.

“My patience comes from the trust in my offensive line. They were five seniors I could rely on,” Madden says. “I had all the confidence in the world in them. They still would be making their blocks on their guys after I started running on plays.”

Even though his team took some rough losses against strong conference competition, Madden feels those defeats helped develop a deeper bond among the Huskies that was crucial for them to go strong across the finish line.

“At the start of the year, I didn’t feel we had that solid family foundation. But in those tough losses, we came together,” says Madden, who thanks his family, coaching staff, and teammates. “We came together, grew, and got better as a team to help us get our wins at the end of the season.”