Hemet Likes Its Mountainous Dew

When Brandis Dew of Hemet tells inquiring strangers he plays quarterback, his answer inevitably produces the incredulous response, “Yeah, right.”

“They don’t believe me,” Dew said.

At 6 feet 5, 248 pounds, Dew has the physical stature of a lineman. Not many coaches let someone his size play quarterback. There are exceptions, though. Daunte Culpepper of the Minnesota Vikings is 6-4, 260 pounds. Last year, Kentucky’s starting quarterback was Jared Lorenzen, who weighed 280 pounds.

Dew has shown his coaches and teammates that the role of quarterback fits him well. He passed for 1,979 yards and 21 touchdowns as a junior.

The game that probably convinced many Hemet supporters of his ability was a 41-34 playoff loss to Norco in which he passed for 380 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 163 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, he forced two fumbles and had a sack.

Dew spent much of the summer trying to persuade college coaches to give him a chance to play quarterback.

They were confused.

UCLA Coach Karl Dorrell told Dew, “You’re just not normal.”

The Bruins offered Dew a scholarship -- as a defensive end.

Dew might one day accept that offer, but he’s not ready to give up his hope of playing quarterback in college.

“Give me a chance and I’ll prove it,” he said.

He’ll start his campaign to persuade the skeptics tonight in a season opener against Palm Springs.

There’s no doubt his size offers advantages at the quarterback position. He runs 40 yards in 4.7 seconds, a good time for someone close to 250 pounds. He has never had trouble scrambling or breaking arm tackles.

“One arm doesn’t do it,” he said of defenders trying to tackle him.

You have to feel sorry for a defensive back between Dew and the end zone.

“I’m too big to juke,” he said.

Dew will plow ahead, and if the defender is smart, he’ll go for Dew’s lower body in trying to make a giant come tumbling down.

Dew bench-presses 325 pounds, and his athleticism is demonstrated by the way he handles a pair of skis. He was once a competitive racer in the slalom when he lived in Big Bear. He still goes skiing and as his father, Richard, points out, “You don’t want to run into him on skis.”

As a track athlete last spring, Dew finished second in the shotput in the Southern Section Division II championship.

His first name, Brandis, means “fire from the mountain” in Hawaiian. His father was born in Hawaii and became a firefighter, jumping out of helicopters to fight fires.

Dew remembers throwing a football with his father in his cul-de-sac, from one end to the other.

His coach at Hemet, Andy Boynton, said no one imagined Dew would stay a quarterback.

“He never played quarterback until his freshman year,” he said. “Our freshman coach put him there, and like everyone else, we thought we’d move him. As a sophomore, he won the starting job and has really come along.”

Now, the most recognizable person in Hemet, besides the mayor, could be Dew.

Whether coming down a hill on skis or throwing touchdown passes on Friday nights, Dew is certain he knows what he’s doing.

“I like being the one people look up to,” he said. “You have to get the job done, be the leader on the field, the general.”

Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com