Jamerrius Anthony goes by Pac (pronounced pock), which is short for Tupac, a middle name his father gave him after the late rapper, Tupac Shakur.
The Cortez High School football team knows him as Mr. Touchdown after three games. He's been brilliant at quarterback, both running and throwing, during the Colts' 2-1 start.
In the first three games, he's racked up 688 yards and seven touchdowns rushing, averaging 10.2 yards a carry. He has passed for 302 yards and four touchdowns. And, at strong safety, he's averaging five tackles a game.
Before Brian Cole took over the program at the west Phoenix school this year, Anthony, in his fourth year at Cortez, ran the veer option offense as quarterback. He seldom threw the ball.
That's changed this season.
"We're letting him throw the ball," Cole said. "We're getting him out in space. We're running spread with him. We're running all different stuff.
"He's such a competitor. He willed us to win that game the other night."
Cortez's 42-40 win over Phoenix Washington on Sept. 4 was the first time the Colts beat their Glendale Union High School District rival since 2005.
Anthony had more than 400 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns in the game. He was named the Arizona Cardinals high school football Player of the Week for his performance. What made the win even more impressive is that Cortez is a 2A team and Washington is a 4A team
The games against Washington the last three years have all been close with the Rams winning by no more than a touchdown each game. This was a breakthrough that felt like a championship.
"When we got the ball back, there was four-and-a-half minutes left and we were ahead 42-40," Cole said. "So we had to run the clock. I don't know how many plays we ran the run the clock out, but nobody touched the ball but him. He's going to get it done."
Anthony, 5-foot-9, 185 pounds, is enjoying his senior year to the fullest, especially given the chance to throw in Cole's offense.
"Since I got here, I knew I could throw," Anthony said.
Arizona Christian is Anthony's only four-year college football offer. He is hoping to get a chance at a bigger school.
He is open to playing safety.
"Because of my height, they (colleges) don't think I'm a quarterback," Anthony said. "But I also love to play defense. If it comes down to that, I'll stick with playing defense, because, then I get my anger out on defense at safety."
Anthony is similar to former Phoenix Christian two-way star Howard Russell, who played for Cole in high school. In 2020, he scored 30 touchdowns for the Cougars. He's now helping out at Cortez. He played at Eastern Michigan.
"Pac is a baller," Russell said. "He's our guy. I wouldn't say everything is built around him but he's in the mix. And on defense he's our strong safety, which means he's sometimes down in the box. But you can count on him to make plays."
The Colts' program had small numbers in the spring but continued to grow through the summer. They know there are tough games ahead, especially against three-time defending 2A champion Scottsdale Christian, which is in the same region.
But the confidence has skyrocketed.
"They've come a long ways," Cole said. "When I got here, it felt like coaching a junior high team. Now it feels like coaching a high school team. They've made big strides, and it's showing week after week so far.
"I think if we get better every week, we're going to be pretty good by the end of the season."
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don't miss a thing. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cortez High football off to fast start behind 'Pac' at quaterback
