High School Football Player of the Week: CdM’s Ethan Garbers started with record-breaking night
It was just a scrimmage, but it definitely wasn’t very satisfying for Corona del Mar High senior quarterback Ethan Garbers.
The Sea Kings offense looked off at Tesoro on Aug. 16. Garbers candidly categorized his performance as “awful.â€
The seven days between the scrimmage and the season opener against Downey were all about preparation for Garbers, who has committed to the University of Washington.
“I told myself I didn’t want to ever have that happen again,†he said. “I went to work, jumped in the playbook, jumped into film and kind of just grinded that whole week coming into Downey.â€
The first game that counted for CdM turned into a record-setting one for Garbers and the offense.
He completed 24 of 29 passes for school-record totals of 491 yards and eight touchdowns in CdM’s 57-20 win over Downey on Aug. 23 at Newport Harbor High. The CdM offense, which returns 10 starters this season, got off to a red-hot start.
Senior quarterback Ethan Garbers breaks his own school single-game records for yardage and passing touchdowns in the Sea Kings’ 57-20 season-opening win.
It was originally thought that Garbers set the Orange County single-game record for touchdown passes, but that belongs to Quinn Commans of Whittier Christian, who threw nine in 2016. Still, it was a very impressive season debut for Garbers, who had three touchdown passes each to Stanford-bound senior receiver John Humphreys and senior Bradley Schlom, as well as one each to Washington-bound tight end Mark Redman and Simon Hall.
Garbers inflicted all of the damage in less than three quarters. He was done after throwing a five-yard touchdown pass to Redman with 2:01 left in the third.
“Starting off like that was good, just to show everybody what we’ve got and what we’re dealing with this year,†Garbers said. “I’m just excited to keep it going and hopefully keep playing like that for the rest of the year. We just want to go out there and show that we’re the best public school in Orange County, and the state too.
“I was very, very excited to start football again. After last year, I felt like me and football kind of ended on a bad note, with losing to [Simi Valley] Grace Brethren [in the CIF Southern Section Division 4 championship game]. I’m trying to just start new his year, get back to this game and win it hopefully.â€
CdM (1-0) plays at Mountain View St. Francis on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Bay Area. The Sea Kings, led by head coach Dan O’Shea and associate head coach/offensive coordinator Kevin Hetting, have been to five CIF title games in eight years. Last year’s was tough, with the 26-14 loss to Grace Brethren ending the Sea Kings’ season. The teams could rematch this year in Division 3, where Grace Brethren is currently the top-ranked team and CdM is No. 2.
Garbers knows that it’s a team effort on offense. He is quick to credit his receiving corps, which after the game he called the best in the nation. The offensive line had a rotation at left guard, with sophomore Cole Clemmer and juniors Sam Weaver and Jake Trachtman all seeing time. They did the job, along with junior left tackle Thomas Bouda, senior center Tanner Tomlinson, junior right guard Hunter Schimmelphenig and senior right tackle Vinny Provenza.
The group enjoys protecting its quarterback.
“Ethan is a funny guy,†Bouda said. “He believes in himself, trusts every person on the field and is always focused. He gives it his all and just carries the team with a lot of pride and confidence. That’s what is very special about him.â€
Hettig said he considers Garbers, who passed for 4,155 yards, 55 touchdowns and just eight interceptions last year as a junior, a coach on the field. The Sea Kings had little trouble with the Downey defense, even though Hettig said the Knights were running an even front with four down linemen, instead of the 3-3 stack defense that Downey has employed in the past.
The Sea Kings (1-0) head north for a nonleague test against the Lancers, a CIF Central Coast Section power that opens the season on Friday at 7 p.m.
“He has shown a ton of confidence,†Hettig said. “The good part about where he’s at is that yeah, he’s extremely confident, but he’s approaching every day with humility. He’s stayed humble even with all of the success that he’s had, which is super-impressive for a 17-year-old kid.â€
Garbers is a 17-year-old kid who will soon be a high school graduate. He said plans to graduate from CdM early in December, so he can get to Washington as early as possible and compete for playing time in 2020.
He could even end up playing against his older brother, Chase, a CdM graduate who is a redshirt sophomore quarterback at Cal. Chase Garbers, who started in the Golden Bears’ last seven games last season, has again been named the starting quarterback headed into Saturday’s season opener against UC Davis.
December could be a big month for little brother, who has said that the goal for CdM is a 16-0 season. The CIF State Championship bowl games are scheduled for Dec. 13 or 14.
“Coming out with eight touchdowns, throwing up 57 points was a pretty good feeling for the first game of the year,†Ethan Garbers said. “We’re just trying to keep that momentum rolling and get all the way down to Game 16.â€
Ethan Garbers
Born: July 28, 2002
Hometown: Newport Beach
Height: 6 feet 3
Weight: 200 pounds
Sport: Football
Year: Senior
Coach: Dan O’Shea
Favorite food: Steak
Favorite movie: “Wedding Crashersâ€
Favorite athletic moment: Throwing a touchdown pass to Bradley Schlom with 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter last year, as CdM rallied for a 21-20 win at San Clemente.
Week in review: Garbers set school records with 480 passing yards and eight touchdowns as the Sea Kings beat Downey 57-20 on Aug. 23 at Newport Harbor High.
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