Ben Mazur gives Central Catholic different dynamic at quarterback

LAFAYETTE - Ben Mazur decided not to play football as a junior.

He then went on to help lead the Central Catholic basketball team to a state finals appearance and pitch the baseball team to a state championship.

Something was missing though.

Mazur was a freshman when the Knights won a Class A state title in football in 2019, but he didn't see the field during a miraculous comeback win in the final seconds against Lutheran.

As a senior, Mazur wanted to see if he could quarterback CC football to another state finals appearance.

"Benji is probably the most gifted athlete walking our hallways, so of course we were very excited to get him back, especially at quarterback, not really knowing what we had at that position," Central Catholic coach Brian Nay said.

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Central Catholic had just lost Clark Barrett to graduation after the now Marian University freshman put together one of the most prolific passing careers in the history of Indiana high school football.

Mazur was supposed to gap Barrett's departure with the eventual rise of Bobby Metzger.

Except Mazur's arm took a toll pitching and he required eventual surgery on his right elbow after leading the Knights to the Class A state baseball title in June.

"It wasn’t exactly easy. Watching the plays is a lot different than actually getting the rep and going through everything," Mazur said. "Once I got able to throw again, it was a lot easier to get back with the playbook.

"I feel like I am 100 percent right now. I know the playbook like the back of my hand. I am confident I can make plays and make difficult throws."

Now Mazur enters a Week 8 game going to the site of his only varsity start prior to returning as a senior.

As a sophomore, in the COVID wacky 2020 season, Mazur got the call to start at Benton Central after Barrett had to quarantine. He helped CC win that night.

He's a much different quarterback now, even if he hasn't been behind center much since that night on Oct. 9, 2020.

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"He can do anything. He can throw the ball with the surgery he had. Also being able to run the ball," senior receiver Owen Munn said. "We haven’t had a quarterback that can successfully do that for awhile.

"He will keep fighting. He won't shut down. You have to have guys on your team that are like that."

Because of the surgery, Mazur missed this season's first four games and is still easing into a part-time quarterback role with Metzger, who flourished most Fridays after being thrust into the starting QB role as a sophomore.

Silver lining, Central Catholic now has two capable varsity quarterbacks who are drastically different.

Metzger is a drop back passer and Mazur is an athlete who can beat you with his legs.

"People say if you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have one," Nay said. "We don’t feel that way at all. It’s a good problem for us to have to choose between two quarterbacks capable of playing at a high level football."

CC has alternated both Mazur and Metzger the past three games, all victories.

Mazur brings a different dynamic and keeps defenses guessing.

"He is a confident kid and he has earned that confidence based on what he’s accomplished in basketball and baseball," Nay said. "The dude is just an athlete and he has 'arm talent' and we are looking forward to seeing him progress.

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"He is a month behind. Not getting the reps in the summer definitely pushed his clock back and having to rehab and come back from surgery was another setback. He continues to improve and that is all we want from him and everybody else is to put improvement on film every week."

Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.

Central Catholic (5-2) at Benton Central (3-4)

Time: 7 p.m.

Sagarin ratings: Central Catholic 55.88, Benton Central 23.11

Series history: Central Catholic has won 13 straight, including 51-0 last season.

About Central Catholic: The Knights average 34.9 points and allow 24 per game. ... Central Catholic is ranked sixth in the Class 2A Associated Press and coaches polls. ... The Knights have scored at least 35 points in all five of their wins and just 31 combined in their two losses. ... Stat leaders - Passing: Bobby Metzger (98-165, 1,213 yards, 18 TD, 8 INT), Ben Mazur (17-25, 246 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT). ... Rushing: Baylor Smith (149 car., 984 yards, 8 TD). ... Receiving: Evan Dienhart (54 rec., 597 yards, 9 TD), Owen Munn (23 rec., 470 yards, 9 TD). ... Tackles: Aiden Sattler (69), Isaac Buche (48). ... Sacks: Aiden Schaefer (2). ... Interceptions: Brinn Robbins (3). ... Kicking: Thomas Henry (31-32 PAT, 2-2 FG, long of 27).

About Benton Central: The Bison average 13.9 points and allow 32.7. ... Benton Central is attempting to have a .500 or better record through Week 8 for the first time since 2011. ... The Bison are 3-0 in one-score games this season. ... Statistics unavailable.

Coach Nay's take: "In Hoosier Conference play, with the quality of coaching you have in this conference, you never have time to take a breather or feel like you are rolling into a cupcake game. This is far from that. What they’ve put on film so far is extremely impressive. We don’t look at records, we look at style of play and they play hard and understand their concepts and what they are trying to do and executing at a proficient level offensively. Defensively, they are going to fly around and make you drive the football."

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Ben Mazur gives Central Catholic different dynamic at quarterback