By Terry Toohey
As the only quarterback remaining on the East (Blue) roster for Thursday’s 43rd annual Hero Bowl at Cardinal O’Hara High School, Sun Valley’s Anthony Ellis does not have to worry about sharing playing time.
“I love it,” Ellis said before the final full practice Tuesday for Delaware County’s high school all-star football game. “I get to play with these great athletes. They’re second to none out here.”
That doesn’t mean that Ellis will take every snap. Sun Valley’s Greg “Bubba” Bernhardt, the head coach of the East Squad, has ideas on how to get the ball to the plethora of athletes he has at his disposal, such as All-Delco performers Kennedy Poles (Penn Wood) and Julz Kelly (Sun Valley).
“This is the best Hero Bowl team that I’ve coached, personally,” Bernhardt said. “There are so many athletes. Any four of the receivers or either of the running backs can turn a play into a home run ball anytime, so we’ll get creative with them and do some different things.”
One benefit of having just one quarterback is that it’s a player Bernhardt is familiar with and one who understands the offense. Ellis was Sun Valley’s starter for the last two years and threw for more than 2,800 yards in that span.
