ASHEVILLE — Erwin football coach Rodney Pruett wouldn’t want anyone besides quarterback Caden Ingle commanding a fourth-quarter drive with the game on the line.
Against Watauga, Erwin took over at its own 25-yard line with three minutes left. Ingle kept the offense moving, directing teammates when to get out of bounds and quickly line up for the next play.
He got his team within 2 yards of the end zone before handing the ball to running back Jah’Baree Tolbert who plunged into the end zone for the winning touchdown with 17 seconds left.
“I wouldn’t put the ball in anybody else’s hands other than Caden in those situations because I don’t know the end result remains the same,” Pruett said.
For Pruett, Ingle’s ability to excel late in games has become
one of the defining characteristics of a quarterback who has spent four seasons growing into the leader Erwin (3-2) needs when the game gets tight.
For four seasons, Ingle has been the constant at quarterback for the Warriors when almost everything around him has changed — including the receivers he throws to.
He has been one of Western North Carolina’s top quarterbacks since his breakout sophomore season, when he led Erwin to its first conference title since 2000.
Ingle has repeatedly had to build chemistry with new receivers. Lawson Reynolds, one of his favorite targets early in his career, suffered a season-ending ACL injury in Week 1 of Ingle’s junior season. He then developed connections with seniors Noah Houdham and Jackson Davis, who graduated after last season.
“He grew through that because it was a struggle, and not all him, but his guy wasn’t there,” Pruett said. “So, he had to develop some chemistry with other guys.”
This year, he's doing it again with Lunsford and Jackson Summey.
“Going through that as a junior and going through that process has only elevated him this year where he doesn’t want to make the same mistake twice,” Pruett said.
During Ingle’s first couple of seasons, Pruett said, players like Petty and Reynolds were leaders Ingle looked up to. This year, it’s his turn.
“Now it’s, ‘Hey, it’s my senior year; I’m a leader’” Pruett said. “Get on my back, and I’ll carry you mentality, and that’s what he’s done.”
Ingle has taken that approach with Lunsford and Summey, building their connection through spring and summer workouts.
“We were working hard through spring ball, which transitioned into summer ball,” Ingle said. “We were playing seven on sevens and then transitioned into the season. We get up here and get extra work when we can, and that’s helped us a lot for sure.”
The respect Ingle has developed with his teammates has helped keep their two-minute drills from becoming frantic.
“Just being confident is key,” Ingle said. “If you got confidence in your arms, your legs, then it works out a lot easier. In those close games, you either got timeouts or you don’t. You just got to complete assignment football.”
Ingle threw an interception late in the fourth quarter against Hendersonville, but Pruett said it didn't stop him from making tough throws against Watauga the following week. Pruett said Ingle stays calm in those moments and the team feeds off that.
“If your quarterback is helter skelter, all the kids, they’re going to be in panic mode,” Pruett said. “They need him, and they feed off his calmness and his positive energy to produce the way they’re producing in those clutch moments.”
Ingle wasn't the one who scored Erwin's winning touchdown against Watauga. He was one of the first players celebrating it.
After Tolbert's touchdown run, Ingle ran toward the back of the end zone, jumped and threw his fist into the air.
For Pruett, that reaction said as much about his quarterback as anything Ingle did during the drive.
“That’s why he’s the leader,” Pruett said. “That’s why he’s the voice of our program, of this team, and this is why the kids rally behind him and play for him.”
Zachary Huber is a high school sports reporter for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him at zhuber@gannett.com or follow him on X @zacharyahuber.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Why Erwin football has complete trust in quarterback Caden Ingle with game on line
