Lowery’s Summer Vocation Helped His Play at Trabuco Hills

The summer was good for David Lowery of Trabuco Hills High School.

How good? Very good.

Consider that after leading Trabuco Hills to a summer passing league championship and then honing his quarterback skills at a summer camp, Lowery entered the season primed and ready.

Lowery was a big reason why the Mustangs shared the Pacific Coast League title with Woodbridge, a team they defeated, 17-13, to advance to the Southern Secition Division VIII playoffs as the league’s No. 1 team.

Lowery followed that up Friday night by completing 24 of 37 passes for 360 yards and 6 touchdowns in a 49-6 first-round victory over Yucaipa. His touchdown total was only one short ofthe Orange County record set by Burt Call of Capistrano Valley in 1983.

“Everything just came together,” said Lowery, The Times’ athlete of the week. “I was throwing the ball well. The receivers ran great routes. And their defensive backs were lousy.”

Lowery, a senior, has completed 153 of 292 passes for 2,532 yards and 22 touchdowns this season. He attributed his success to the work he did over the summer.

After playing quarterback on the freshman team, Lowery spent the next 2 seasons playing defensive back and backing up quarterback John Barnes, who had moved to California from Illinois. Lowery won the job when Barnes graduated.

“When Barnes moved in, it took a year away from me at quarterback,” Lowery said. “But playing defense helped. I was a little tougher and I learned how to read defensive coverages.”

With Barnes gone, Lowery, who threw only five passes last season, began honing his skills.

First, he led the Mustangs to an 11-0 record and the championship in a Long Beach passing league. Trabuco Hills was the smallest school in the league, competing against such Division I schools as Long Beach Poly, Long Beach Wilson and St. John Bosco.

“We were playing against defensive backs who were a lot faster than the ones we would see during the season,” Lowery said. “That really brought us together as a team. We knew we were good.”

In late July, he attended the West Coast Quarterback Camp at Saddleback College. Lowery had his passing style altered drastically. Instead of rolling out, he learned to drop back and release quickly.

“I always had a quick release. I had to as a freshman because I was getting sacked so much,” he said. “But I learned how to throw like Dan Fouts. A few quick steps and throw.”

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David Lowery

Trabuco Hills High

Position: Quarterback

Height, Weight, Class: 6-0, 175, Senior

Last Week: Lowery completed 24 of 37 passes for 360 yards and 6 touchdowns as the Mustangs defeated Yucaipa, 49-6, in the first round of the Southern Section Division IV playoffs.

Season: Lowery has completed 153 of 292 passes for 2,532 yards and 22 touchdowns.