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Stocker: Natural Leader

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By EDDIE DANIELS

edaniels@tampatrib.com

Published: November 21, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - When Tanner Stocker began playing football as a sixth-grader, he was immediately transfixed on the quarterback position.

Some guys are drawn to the glory aspect of the position - name in the headlines or on television, the popularity - but Stocker's more interested in the influence.

"I really like being a leader on the team," said Stocker, who began playing with the Wesley Chapel Cowboys. "You get to touch the ball every play. I just like being that leader, that commander and the team rallying around me."

The sophomore will make his second start for the Gators tonight when Land O' Lakes (8-2) hosts Daytona Beach Seabreeze (5-5) during the Class 4A region quarterfinals at Gator Stadium.

Stocker finds himself in this position after starter Stevie Weatherford was lost for the season in the team's 20-16 victory against Ridgewood Nov. 7. Late in that contest, Weatherford plowed forward on a quarterback sneak. The result was a fractured left clavicle. Ironically, nearly three years to the day, older brother Joe Weatherford suffered the same injury during a playoff game against Chamberlain.

When Stevie told Joe the news, the reaction was a comforting chuckle and "it runs in the family."

Wrapping his head around the injury and the implications didn't take long for Weatherford, a sophomore, who played in a two-quarterback rotation last season. During Stocker's first start last week against Wiregrass Ranch, Weatherford offered as much advice as he could on the sidelines.

"I've got to come out here and help my teammates," Weatherford said. "I was becoming more of a leader each week, I thought. Even though I'm a young player, I was just trying to be the best leader I could be. And now that I'm hurt, I just have to help Tanner out. He's a young quarterback and doesn't have a lot of varsity experience, but he did good Friday night. I'm glad he got a good warm-up and now he's going to hopefully be ready for the playoffs tonight."

Stocker connected on nine of 13 passes for 106 yards and two touchdown passes. That performance wasn't surprising to Gators coach John Benedetto.

Entering the game, he talked about the level of confidence he and the coaching staff had in Stocker. He said they'd watched him take snaps in practice from the spring through now and were witnesses to his development.

Stocker's level of maturity also helped in forming that confidence, which Benedetto credits his family for instilling.

"There isn't a coach on this staff who doesn't feel as though Tanner can't get the job done," Benedetto said. "And I think with his performance last Friday night, he's got the entire football team behind him now, too."

That level of support is music to Stocker's ears.

"It helps a lot when you have a lot of support from the team," he said. "They all support me very well and it's easy to lead a team that has your back."

Reporter Eddie Daniels can be reached at (813) 948-4214.

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