SAMOHI — Being a part of a program for four years has its perks.
After working his way up the ladder since his freshman year, Santa Monica High School's Jordan Detamore has earned the starting quarterback position, but not without competition.
The job of replacing Ryan Barbarin won't be easy, what with the departures of Texas A&M recruit Sebastian LaRue and Jason King at wide receiver, but head coach Travis Clark is confident his trio of signal callers in camp have the skills to fit the bill.
But, for now, it's Detamore's gig to lose.
"I feel like I put the work in," Detamore said Thursday during a break between two-a-day practices. "I've been with coach Clark since freshman year, I've learned how to be his quarterback."
Detamore saw spot duty last year at times when Barbarin struggled, but wasn't too productive. Granted, some of those appearances came during games where Samohi was already far behind.
Despite those difficulties, Clark believes that Detamore's experience and knowledge of the system earned him the starting spot.
"The biggest thing is he has to stay healthy," Clark said of Detamore, who has been nursing minor injuries of late. "He knows the offense, we know that."
If Detamore can't shake his injuries or doesn't live up to expectations, junior transfer Rudy Olmedo and senior Nico Basile are sitting right behind him on the depth chart.
Olmedo steps into the mix after transferring from Crespi in the spring. Clark likes Olmedo's strong arm and 6-foot-2 frame. His size could come into play if Clark calls for his quarterbacks to run the ball.
Although Olmedo is technically a transfer, he grew up in Santa Monica and has a rapport with a number of the players on the current roster.
Basile's road to this season also has a Crespi twist. He was the second-string quarterback heading into last season as a sophomore, but decided to leave Samohi after the first game and enrolled at Crespi.
Clark jokingly says that Basile is in the dog house, but has always liked his style of play, once considering him the future of the program.
Whoever wins the job will take over a team that has won a pair of Ocean League titles in a row and finished last year 8-4, losing to eventual Western Division champion Serra in the second round of the playoffs.
"It's Jordan's job right now, but I'm keeping my mind open," Clark said.
The season kicks off Sept. 6 at Redondo Union High School.
Follow the team at santamonicahighfootball.com.
daniela@www.smdp.com
