Prep Player of the Week : Thrown In, Schweer Has Passed All Tests

Fred Schweer was supposed to be the understudy at Woodbridge High School this season--not the leading man.

Schweer, who started at quarterback on the freshmen and sophomore teams, was expected to back up senior Eric Brougher this fall.

“Fred was going to play somewhere this year, but I thought it would be at tight end or wide receiver,” Woodbridge Coach Gene Noji said.

That was the plan until Brougher suffered a broken leg in the third game of the season against Corona del Mar.

“I was a little worried before my first start,” said Schweer, a junior. “I thought that this year I would gain some experience and learn. I just had to learn a little quicker.”

Schweer’s on-the-job training has been a success.

The Warriors will play for the Desert-Mountain Conference championship Friday night and Schweer, The Times’ player of the week, is a big reason why. In nine games, he has completed 71 of 139 passes for 930 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Against Atascadero last week, Schweer completed 8 of 13 passes for 153 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown as the Warriors rolled to a 40-0 victory.

“The only good thing that can be said about Eric getting hurt is that it happened early in the season,” Noji said. “If it happened later, it could have been devastating. As it was, we had time to regroup.”

Brougher may have been down, but he was far from out.

Schweer received advice from the injured quarterback, which helped him adjust.

“Eric wanted to help me, he wasn’t selfish at all,” Schweer said. “He’d point out what to look for (in defenses) and what not to do.”

Schweer, himself, became a tutor two weeks ago, after a bruised kidney sidelined him for the Warriors’ quarterfinal game against Paso Robles. He was there to help wide receiver Derrick Odum step in as quarterback.

Odum completed 10 of 14 passes for 220 yards to lead Woodbridge to a 33-25 victory.

“We’ve gotten this far because of the adversity we’ve overcome,” Schweer said. “First Eric was injured, than I was. A broken leg and a bruised kidney were freak accidents, but the team has handled it all well.”

Fred Schweer

Woodbridge High

Position: quarterback.

Height, Weight, Class: 6-2, 180, Jr.

Last Week: Schweer completed 8 of 13 passes for 153 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also rushed for a touchdown as Woodbridge defeated Atascadero, 40-0.

Season: Schweer has completed 71 of 139 passes for 930 yards and 11 touchdowns.