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Sports

Football: Tommy Mister Coming of Age, Leading Richards Into Contention

Sophomore quarterback had a rough start to the season, but he has rebounded to lead the Bulldogs to a two-game winning streak.

The roster given out at the gate lists quarterback Tommy Mister as a sophomore. But seven games into the season, that’s no longer what Bulldogs coach Tony Sheehan considers him.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound athletic quarterback had arguably his best game of the season on Friday night, and giving the Bulldogs their first two-game winning streak of the season.

“He’s not a sophomore anymore,” Sheehan said. “He’s got seven games under his belt now and you can see that things are slowing down for him, he’s understanding and going through his reads and he’s doing a good job leading us.”

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Handed the reins to the Bulldog offense in his first year at the varsity level, Mister was a little inconsistent through Richards’ first half of the season, and that was a big reason why the Bulldogs passed the halfway mark at 2-3.

“The first three games it was kind of rough,” Mister said. “I had to get used to the speed, and now it’s slowing down. I’m back to playing regular time.”

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Watching Mister run the offense against Oak Lawn, it was obvious he’s quicker and more confident in his decision-making. He looked comfortable in the pocket and didn’t mind trusting his arm to make plays.

The stats tell the same story. Mister was 6-for-9 passing for 102 yards and two touchdowns, including a perfect 42-yard strike to Jose Bou to give Richards the lead in the second quarter. Mister also did well with his feet. He carried the ball just six times for 35 yards, but he had two touchdowns in the process before being pulled for the fourth quarter.

Mister said his two touchdowns on Friday night were a direct result of him working to consistently step up in the pocket.

“I’m used to rolling out for no reason,” he said. “Tonight when I scored the two rushing touchdowns, all I did was step up and the end zone was right there for me.”

After two straight wins, Richards (4-3 overall, 3-1 South Suburban Red) finds itself not only in position for a playoff berth but also for a conference title. Wins against Eisenhower and Argo would give the Bulldogs at least a share of the conference crown and ensure another chance at a postseason run.

Going on the road against conference-leading Eisenhower next week will be the toughest challenge of Mister’s young career, but Sheehan likes what he sees out of his quarterback and knows he will be the main determinant in how far this Richards team goes.

“This was definitely by far his best game overall,” Sheehan said. “We’re going to really need him next week to make good decisions and lead us against Eisenhower.” 

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