Gavin Sidwar makes most of his debut as La Salle football team quarterback

Gavin Sidwar has always had a great arm.

Even when it led to trouble.

Sidwar is a freshman at La Salle High School, and now he’s throwing balls all over the field, putting them anywhere he wants. But the first time he showed off his golden right arm, Mom was mad.

Dad was impressed.

“The first time we realized he had a good arm was when he was really young (and) threw a Matchbox car across two rooms,” said Bryan Sidwar, Gavin’s dad. “My wife said ‘we don’t throw things in the house.’ I saw it and said ‘sometimes we throw things in the house.’ I just got him a ball and that was the start of it.”

Amazing debut for Gavin Sidwar

Last Friday night, Sidwar showed he’s just as deadly with a football as he is with a toy car. Despite not getting the start, he worked his way into the lineup and threw four touchdowns, leading the Explorers past North Penn 37-28 on opening night.

Sidwar started on the bench, but he was just as engaged in the game while he was on the sidelines as he did when he was leading the huddle.

“Honestly, since that game, nothing in my life has changed,” said Sidwar, who lives in Warrington. “I guess people look at me a little differently. I talked to a lot of people in school about it, so I met people, but nothing has changed. I’m the exact same person.”

Photos: La Salle edges North Penn in football season opener

HS Football: La Salle rallies late to upend North Penn

Sidwar surprised a lot of people by performing the way he did in his first high school football game. But he didn’t surprise those who know what he’s capable of doing. In fact, his 7-on-7 coach, two-time Super Bowl-winning wideout Torrey Smith, expected it.

Smith, who lives in Maryland, went to Friday’s game with his wife Chanel and his son, TJ, to show support for his summer league QB.

Torrey Smith knows talent when he sees it

“I wasn’t surprised at all,” said Smith, who coached Sidwar on Level 82. “Not a surprise at all. I’ve seen him play, get hot, come from behind. He led our team last year to six tournaments and we won four of them. I’m not surprised by anything — the amazing throws, how he grasped the offense. Not surprised he can compete.

“He has a great arm. Obviously, you need that as a quarterback, but it’s everything else. Hs demeanor. He’s confident. He’s got like a Joe Flacco energy. He doesn’t get flustered. He’s always the same. You need that type of balance. And the biggest thing is his leadership — understanding who he is. It’s fun watching him.”

Smith, a true student of the game, had no problems singing Sidwar’s praises.

Sidwar throws out compliments to his players just as well as he does deep outs down the sideline. But he’s not great at talking about himself.

Whenever he was put in position to talk about what he accomplished in his first game, he quickly audibled to talking about his teammates and coaches.

“I think how I played, it was a credit to the offensive line,” said Sidwar, who worked with the first team in practice this week. “They protected me, made sure I had time. We had a great running back, Stevie Davis, really ran hard. That opened up the passing game. And then the receivers worked all night — short, deep. They got open against a very good defense. I was just playing ball and getting the ball to the open guys.”

Not only did he deliver the football to open receivers in his first varsity game against a team many expect to be one of the best in Southeastern Pennsylvania — he did so after spending the first two drives of the game on the bench. Then, his first two varsity throws went for touchdowns.

Born to be an Explorer

“I knew our coaches had a great game plan and we were prepared to go,” Sidwar said. “In the game, I wasn’t worried — just worried about winning, handing it off or throwing it. I wasn’t worried about making mistakes, just playing football. Maybe I had jitters when I first went in, but then I was just playing.”

Then he started handing out more praise.

“I’ve always had great people helping me, starting with my dad,” Sidwar said. “He played football. He was a safety, but he helped me. And I’ve had great coaches. My offensive coordinator is (Vernard Abrams), who is a great quarterback coach. He interacts with us (and) always gets the best out of us. He understands. He listens. I love having him around. He’s been with me for a long time.

“And Ben Haire is a great coach — he’s with me on Torrey Smith’s team. He’s coaching at St. Joe’s Prep, but he’s helped me. He’s a great guy. He’s always helped me. And Torrey Smith, too. He’s a professional football player, but he doesn’t act like he’s done that. He’s just a great guy who always helps.”

He’s getting that same coaching at La Salle thanks to Abrams and Explorers coach John Steinmetz.

But according to Sidwar, who also hopes to play basketball for the Explorers, his entire high school experience has been great so far.

It’s not just about slinging TD passes on Friday night.

“I love everything about La Salle, and did when I shadowed there,” Sidwar said. “It’s a great school — the academics are great, the coaches are great. They really care about you, they want you to succeed — not just in football. I loved the school when I shadowed. That was the biggest reason I picked it, and I still feel the same way.”

This weekend, Sidwar will lead the Explorers against another tough test. They’ll meet Malvern Prep, one of the top programs in the Inter-Academic League, in Ocean City, N.J.

Trip down the shore to Ocean City

It will be the start of a huge football weekend for Sidwar, who will head from Friday night’s game in New Jersey to Boston College to watch the Eagles play Rutgers on Saturday at noon.

That means no time to ride the Ferris wheel, hit the beach or stop for a slice of pizza at Manco & Manco. This weekend is all about football.

“I have heard from some colleges already. It’s been fun,” Sidwar said. “I love football. I love everything about it. I love the environment, the energy — Friday nights, lots of people there, feeling you get on the field and the high of being out there with your brothers. Nothing beats it.”

But as soon as the game is over, he stops being a star quarterback and he’s back to being a regular kid.

“It’s funny. He had the game of his life, four touchdowns, and after the game, he took forever getting off the bus, so I yelled at him. I’m like ‘dude, you’re taking forever,'" Bryan Sidwar said.

“It’s not really a secret to success, you put your kids around great people. He’s had so many great people help him. The coaches at La Salle are like that. Torrey Smith is like that. We let him go to Vegas this summer with Torrey’s team — without us, no parents. But when you have Torrey there, you trust him. You know they want what’s best for the kids.”

La Salle has the pieces to make this a special year.

Last year the Explorers knocked off St. Joe’s Prep during the regular season, but the Hawks got revenge in the Catholic League Class 6A championship game, giving Prep the right to once again represent the PCL in the District 12 championship, and then the state playoffs.

Prep is loaded once again, but so are the Explorers, and with a new quarterback, this year’s rivalry should be as heated as ever.

But Sidwar isn’t looking ahead. In fact, he’s not even sure what’s up after Malvern Prep.

“I don’t know our schedule, but I know we have a tough preseason that will set us up for the Catholic League,” Sidwar said. “I love the schedule. North Penn is a great team. Malvern is a great team. This schedule should prepare us for whatever we have next. Every game, we’re getting better and learning.”

That’s been Sidwar’s progression throughout his life. Every game, he gets better. Every game he learns.

Whatever he’s doing, it’s working.

Take it from a guy who knows a thing or two about football.

“I’ve always tried to be a mentor, but now I’m doing it through football,” Smith said. “This summer, we had a senior on our team, so I was babying (Sidwar). Then we put him in against some of the best teams, and he didn’t blink. Played confident. He knows he belongs. That’s huge, especially in a young player, college or even NFL. The biggest issue is believing you can do it.

“He understands the talent and work he put in. Minute he got into the game, he looked like he did all summer. I wasn’t surprised by what he did at all. That’s what he does.”

And he'll continue to do whatever it takes to win.

Even if that means not being a star quarterback.

Whatever it takes to be a winner

"The biggest thing I want to do is win — I don't care how," Sidwar said. "If I'm not playing, we have great quarterbacks. They support me and I'll support them. All of them have helped me. Of course I want to play, but I'll do whatever it takes.

"And if I am playing, I just want to win. We need to throw, that's great. If we need to run it, we have a great line and running backs. I'll hand it off all day. Whatever it takes to win. I'm not worried about anything but helping La Salle win. And I'll do whatever it takes to do that.

"It's not about me. It's about La Salle."

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: La Salle football in great hands with freshman quarterback Gavin Sidwar