Player of the Week : Now That He Is Getting His Chance, QB Glover Posts Some Big Numbers

When Skip Coons took over as head coach of the Lincoln High School football team this season, he had just 14 players for each of the first two games.

At the forefront of the small squad was an untested quarterback named Malcolm Glover, who’s inexperience as a signal caller was no fault of his own.

Glover, you see, was the quarterback in waiting behind Steve Taylor, who was talented enough to sign with the University of Nebraska following his senior season.

Sure enough, the Hornet squad, which is up to 19 players as the fifth week of the season approaches, hardly resembles the unit that finished second to Crawford in the City Central League the last two seasons.

Lincoln appears to be greatly improved.

This team, which has seven players playing offense and defense, won its first three games and has outscored its opponents 138-30.

And standing at the helm of the county’s top-rated 2-A team is Glover. The 6-foot, 170-pound senior is the county’s No. 2 passer. Last week he completed 16 of 27 attempts for 389 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Most importantly, Glover led Lincoln to a 49-12 win over Kearny, which started the season as the county’s top-rated 2-A team. For his efforts, Glover has been named The Times’ Player of the Week.

“I’ve never seen that kind of performance from a high school player,” Coons said.

Glover’s 389-yard effort ranks fourth in San Diego County all-time. Jim Plum, now a backup at San Diego State University, has the record of 434 yards. Scott Barrick of Fallbrook threw for 420 yards against Mount Miguel the opening week this season. Jeff Van Raaphorst is third on the list at 412.

Glover completed six passes to Patrick Rowe on Friday for 171 yards, including touchdown passes of 37, 11 and 33 yards. Patrick Newman caught five passes for 129 yards. Keith Mitchell caught Glover’s fourth touchdown pass, a seven-yarder.

“Credit Malcolm with a lot of intelligence,” Coons said. “He knows when to get out of the pocket when it’s breaking down. He has a quick release and has the ability to read defenses quickly.

“And Malcolm credits his receivers with having a great deal of athletic ability. That’s something Malcolm has done on many occasions.”

Those receivers have likewise been the beneficiaries of Glover’s 30 completions for 746 yards and 8 touchdowns this season. He is averaging 248.6 yards per game passing this season.

“When I first saw Malcolm, I thought he had the ability,” Coons said. “He was a little above the norm. He has a little bit of moxie. I knew he was going to be my starting quarterback.

“Other than running ability, Malcolm is basically a better ball player than Taylor. To me, his arm is a lot better. He can loft that thing out there.”

Most important, Glover has shown the ability to put the ball in the end zone.