Franklin's Taylor Goes from All-City Receiver to Starting QB

Joshua Taylor was supposed to be temporarily fill in at quarterback for until injured Edwin Camas was healthy enough to return to the gridiron.

If Camas does suit up again this season, it won’t be for the varsity squad, bumping Taylor up to the number one quarterback spot for the remainder of the season.

Injury aside, head coach Eric Jaimes said Camas had recently been declared ineligible for using a non-residential address to compete at .

“The address that they used to move over here is his aunt’s business address,” Jaimes said. “They were under the impression they could use that address to play at Franklin and that’s not the case.”

Camas, who is a junior, transferred from nearby Eagle Rock High School during the spring. Jaimes said they are petitioning the ruling in hopes that Camas can salvage the season by being allowed to play on the junior varsity team.

Taylor subbed in for Camas during Franklin’s a 16-13 win against Northview High School, when Camas went down with an ankle injury in the first half.

He completed 4-of-9 passes for 63 yards and threw two interceptions.

“I was nervous and had the jitters,” Taylor said about the moment he went in as Camas’ replacement. “I’ve never played quarterback at all.”

The 6-foot-2 inch junior was projected to be the teams’ top receiver in addition to playing safety, which limited the number of reps he took in practice as the backup signal caller.

Now that Taylor has taken over as the starter, Jaimes said the coaching staff is trying to bring him up to speed as fast as they can.

“He’s progressing fine. Every coach wants their quarterback to progress a lot faster, but he’s progressing and we’re happy with him,” Jaimes said. “He’s looking down field to pass and he’s just getting better, little by little.”

Fast and athletic, Taylor is a threat and likes to run with the ball, especially if he sees an open lane. With each game he’s utilizing the time given to him by the offensive line to stay in the pocket and throw the ball.

“He can get the passes there, he has the arm,” senior wide receiver Isaiah Turner said. “I’m always telling him to just trust us (receivers), throw the ball and we’ll catch them.”

Although Taylor’s experience at wide out has assisted with his knowledge of the offense, he admits he is still learning quarterback wise.

And the toughest part about playing the position, according to Taylor, is staying calm and keeping his team in the game.

“As a quarterback you have to be into the game, but you can’t get too frustrated if you’re down by a point or whatever,” he said. “You just got to be like, ‘okay when we get out there we’re gonna do our thing.’”

Taylor is second on the team with four touchdowns scored. He has thrown one and ran for three others.

Tonight he’ll lead Franklin (3-1) onto their home field for the squad’s final preseason tune up against Verdugo Hills (2-2, 1-0). Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.

Taylor said, “I feel more confident than I did and my team is behind me too, which gives me much more confidence, so I know I can do this.”