Sniewski Is Work in Progress

During physical education class at Granada Hills High, Luke Sniewski wasn’t a high draft selection when it came time to pick teams.

He was too slow, too thin and too uncoordinated to impress his peers.

“I was thinking, ‘Hey, if they don’t know what I’m made of, I’ll show them later,’ ” he said.

He used to run 40 yards in 5.8 seconds.

“I was very bad,” he said. “I was slow motion. I got made fun of and I was so skinny I thought I’d break in half.”

Sniewski played no sports as a freshman, then went out for junior varsity football and started eight games at quarterback. Last season, he appeared in one varsity game, entering with 11 seconds left in the opener and handing the ball off.

He has never attempted a varsity pass. No one knows if he can take a hit or read a defense.

But Sniewski is 6 feet 5 and 184 pounds, has a 4.2 grade-point average, plays drums for a punk rock band and is poised to take over a position once held by John Elway.

“He’s really improving,” co-Coach Tom Harp said.

On Saturday morning, Sniewski began what figures to be an endless spring and summer of learning by competing in a passing league against Chatsworth and Kennedy.

Every competition he’s in, whether there’s tackling or not, will be crucial to preparing Sniewski for the challenges ahead.

“He’s just never played,” co-Coach Darryl Stroh said. “He’s a project, but he’s a sponge and really wants to learn. He’s got a lot of people pulling for him because he’s such a good guy. If will power and determination all factor in, he’s going to have a shot.”

Spring football practice begins Monday for most high schools, and developing a quality quarterback ranks near the top in team priorities.

Sniewski, 16, is an intriguing senior prospect. No one’s ready to call him the Polish Rifle, but let’s see how he looks after a summer of nonstop passing.

He insists his 40-yard time is dropping.

“Right now it’s five flat and I’ll get it down to 4.8 by the time the season starts,” he said.

His lack of speed was one reason he rarely played last season. Slow quarterbacks don’t last long.

“The slower you are, the harder it’s going to be to run from trouble,” Harp said. “It’s a matter of avoiding pressure because not every pass play works as diagramed.”

Through workouts and maturity, Sniewski is hopeful of gaining more mobility.

“I’ve learned the offense pretty good,” he said. “I know what to throw and when to throw it.”

For someone who has played only eight games of organized football, Sniewski has already come a long way.

He’s a first-generation American. His parents emigrated from Poland in 1984, and Sniewski was born soon after in Sacramento.

An older brother briefly played football at Van Nuys and is largely responsible for convincing Sniewski to try the sport as a sophomore.

“I was never an athletic person until I started working out,” he said.

He followed football on television but didn’t know that Elway was an alumnus of Granada Hills until the first day of school when he saw the sign on the football field, “John Elway Stadium.”

Studying and playing drums has been his primary focus. His punk rock band, patterned after Blink-182, is named Shove It. He has been a member for four years. Zach Dawes, a sophomore volleyball player at Crespi, plays base guitar. Michael Schuman, a sophomore at Campbell Hall, plays guitar.

“I think he’s awesome for the band,” Dawes said. “It’s hard to play drums and he gets into it.”

Said Sniewski: “I get real sweaty and it’s a good workout.”

Band members dress with a skateboarder look, but don’t expect Sniewski to suddenly show up with purple hair.

“I don’t do the Mohawk thing,” he said.

Shove It is scheduled to play at the Palace in Hollywood on May 20 as part of a battle-of-the-bands competition.

Sniewski is known for getting a little antsy on stage and in the pocket. Coaches will want to see if he can calm down and let his instincts take over in football.

“It’s kind of hard to throw the ball when you’re all tensed up,” he said. “I know I have a great team. I know I can see over the line and have great receivers to help me out.”

Don’t expect to find Sniewski’s name on any list of Granada Hills’ potential senior college prospects. It’s too early for Harp and Stroh to pass judgment.

“He’s got no experience,” Harp said.

Saturday’s passing competition was the first step toward Sniewski’s goal of becoming a productive quarterback.

“I know I’ll be able to handle the pressure,” he said. “If I do what I’m capable of doing, I think I can take the football career further.”

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Eric Sondheimer’s column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422 or eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.