St. Ed’s graduate Johnny Schwerer quarterbacked the varsity football team for the better part of two seasons in his junior and senior years. That’s an exalted position to have at most high schools, but how Johnny arrived at that point was certainly not preordained by sheer talent or potential that was universally recognized at an early age.
In a larger sense, this was more about what St. Ed’s sports programs are all about right now and probably always will be. Surely some gifted athletes have passed through the Pirate locker rooms over the years, but that is mostly the exception rather than the rule. Johnny’s story is much more typical.
“It’s kind of funny because I started on the team as an offensive guard and linebacker,” Schwerer explained. “That was like the initiation to the team. If you’re not quick enough you go straight to the line and work your way up from there.”
That was how this quarterback of the future got his start in middle school. Upon joining the varsity in ninth grade he was immediately penciled in at guard and linebacker, saying that, of the two positions, he preferred playing on the defensive side of the ball. After two seasons he was called upon to make the biggest change possible and fill a huge void for the good of the team.
“In the spring of my sophomore year we were going through some lineup changes,” Schwerer continued. “The coaches called me into the office and asked how I would feel about playing quarterback.”
Coaches Bill Motta and Lou Ferrari found themselves in dire need of a signal caller when the projected starter for the fall season transferred. Schwerer seemed to be the right man for the job in the eyes of the two guys whose opinions mattered the most.
“So that was that,” Schwerer said casually. “It was a huge role for me to step into. A lot of people can learn to hand off the ball and call the offensive plays, but the hardest part is being the leader and having command of the huddle.
“I went to a few camps over the summer to learn how to throw well, I guess you could say. We also learned more about offenses in general and how they work.”
The results were quite impressive as the Pirates jumped out to a 5-2 start in 2013. Schwerer tossed nine touchdown passes in those first seven games of his inaugural season under center. St. Ed’s would finish 5-6.
His most spectacular performance was saved for Senior Night the following year. The Pirates were 4-6 in 2014 but that Halloween night something spooky happened. Schwerer rushed for 234 yards and two scores in a 28-10 win over Ransom Everglades. A series of injury-forced lineup changes found Schwerer at running back for that game.
“That was a very good way to end my senior year,” he told us. “I had played a little fullback in my sophomore year and it was really a lot of fun. That’s what I really wanted to do, but they needed me elsewhere. I was willing to do it and it worked out fine.
“Here at St. Edward’s we work with what we’ve got. That usually requires people to play multiple positions. There’s always a lot of switching around. You’re in a certain position one year and at a completely different position the next year.”
Schwerer was also a member of the varsity lacrosse team all four years in high school. As a senior he was a defensive specialist and team co-captain despite missing a bunch of games due to illness.
He tried soccer for one year and was a team assistant/manager for another. “I never really played soccer in my life and I just wanted to be out there with my friends. It was also a way to stay active before the lacrosse season.”
Schwerer will move on to Clemson University in a few months, and by his own admission has “no intention of playing any sports in college. I danced around with the idea of walking on at a small school, but now that I’m going to Clemson I will probably just end up playing intramurals. I don’t even know about a club team because that can get to be very serious.”
With a family background in dentistry pushing him in that direction, Schwerer says that could change very easily. “I could go into business or potentially do a lot of things. I’m really not sure yet. I don’t want to have anything locked into place. I’d like to get to Clemson, explore a little more, and feel things out.
“I would like to consider myself a pretty good student. Playing sports has helped me a lot with my work ethic. Sometimes I feel that if I had more time I would have made better grades. But I’m real happy that I learned to balance everything out.
“That was a process in itself in my early years of high school. I struggled a little bit at first balancing football and grades. I took an AP course in my freshman year and I don’t think I was mature enough at that point. Starting my sophomore year I realized that I had to do better. My sophomore, junior and senior years have been great.
“Change is a good thing. I’m very thankful that everything happened the way it did.”