SUWANEE — Jimmy Urzua isn’t just teammates with his fellow North Gwinnett compatriots. He’s lifelong friends with most of them.
Especially fellow senior quarterback Cade Fortin, who Urzua watched lead the Bulldogs offense from the sidelines for the better part of two years.
“We’re real good friends and he’s a great player,” Urzua said of Fortin, who is a Texas A&M-commit and is expected to sign with the Aggies at the first opportunity. “He’s fun to watch and we have fun practicing and just having fun.”
So it was no fun for Urzua when he watched Fortin crumple to the ground during a Week 2 matchup against Milton.
“I was standing on the sidelines and I saw him get tackled and didn’t think much about it. Then, a few seconds later, one of the coaches told me to grab a ball and start warming up. That was when I thought it might be something bad,” Urzua said. “It was tough seeing him laying there. I felt bad for him, but I also knew that I needed to be ready.”
Urzua admitted that he wasn’t quite prepared for what happened next.
“It was third (down) and short and they called a long post pass. But I got a little scared to throw it that far on my first play so I just ran the ball to get the first down,” he said. “They yelled at me from the sideline that the pass was there so I felt like I needed to get over it pretty quick. After that, I was ready.”
Was he ever.
Urzua helped North Gwinnett rally for a 31-28 win over Milton and has guided the Bulldogs to a perfect 6-0 record since taking over as starter. For many on the outside, it may seem like the Bulldogs caught lightning in a bottle with a previous back-up -- Urzua had attempted just 19 passes in mop-up duty as a junior prior to 2017.
But former North Gwinnett coach Bob Sphire, now at Camden County, said he once told recruiters sniffing around the Bulldogs facility that he had the best backup quarterback in the state that no one had heard of.
“We felt all along that Jimmy had tremendous talent. But he was kind of a late bloomer,” Sphire said as he took a few minutes away from talking about his current team. “Jimmy is as talented as anyone we ever had there, but the only problem was that he was behind a guy that was an SEC-caliber quarterback in Cade. But I don’t think there is any question that Jimmy would have started for any team in the state.
“I told a couple of (recruiters) that if they wanted a guy that had tremendous talent and potential they should look at Jimmy. I really hate it for Cade because you never want to see a senior not be able to play his final year. I’m sure it’s been tough for him. But I also feel good for Jimmy to be able to get this opportunity to show people what he can do.”
Current North Gwinnett coach Bill Stewart, who took over after Sphire left for the Georgia coast, said there wasn’t an ounce of doubt when he turned to Urzua.
“From the first time I saw (Jimmy) in the spring and in 7-on-7s I knew we had a guy behind Cade that had talent and could get the job done if called upon,” Stewart said. “On that first play against Milon we didn’t have to change the call when he went in. We had total confidence in him. Our expectations were for him to run the offense the way we like to.”
Urzua has been doing just that. The current seven-game winning streak for North Gwinnett (7-1, 4-0 Region 6-AAAAAA) is its longest since opening the 2013 season with seven straight wins. The Bulldogs advanced to the Class AAAAAA state championship game that season.
Urzua has been efficient along the way. Through last week he was 83-of-141 (58.9 percent) for 953 yards and 7 touchdowns passing with just two interceptions in just six-plus games.
Is it also a case of the entire Bulldogs roster elevating its play in order to make up for Fortin's absence?
“First, we all felt bad for Cade when he went down. You never want to see anyone suffer an injury like that, no matter who it is,” Stewart said. “Cade is a high-level player so you maybe expect a little drop off. But honestly there was no panic in anyone.
“The guys on this team like each other and and want to play for each other. Jimmy loves this team and has a lot of friends and I think they wanted to make sure that he knew they were with him. Chemistry matters in sports, and there is a just a great chemistry with this group.”
Urzua said he got instant support from the offensive unit.
“They told me this was my chance and to make the most of it,” he said. “I felt like they were behind me from the beginning and gave me a lot of confidence.”
Urzua said the support didn’t stop after he helped lead the win over Milton.
“Me and Cade are good friends, and he wants to see me do well, just like I did for him,” Urzua said. “If he sees something I missed or can improve on he lets me know. It’s been a huge help having him there.”
Sphire said what he admired most about Urzua, however, was his loyalty.
“What I always loved about Jimmy was that he was the ultimate team guy,” Sphire said. “In today’s age of high school football, when someone isn’t able to beat out another guy at his position they usually leave and go somewhere else. But not Jimmy. He loved North Gwinnett and his teammates and that’s where he wanted to be. I commend him for being that kind of selfless teammate that just wants to help the team win.”
Stewart seconded Sphire’s assessment.
“Jimmy told me from the first day I got here that he was right where he wanted to be and would do whatever we needed him to do. It’s refreshing to hear that these days,” Stewart said. “He’s a very popular guy in school. He was voted homecoming king. He’s just a great kid.”
Urzua and the Bulldogs will get a chance to keep the fairy-tale like season going on Friday when they travel to Collins Hill (5-3, 3-1) in what is essentially a region title showdown. A win would net North Gwinnett's first region title since 2014.
“We have our work cut out for us against a really tough team,” Stewart said. “The kids know that and are coming to work and should be ready.”
Urzua said he’s not surprised his Bulldogs are in the mix for a region title.
“The Mill Creek game [a 35-21 win at home] was probably the turning point for us,” he said. “They are a (state) title contender and that showed us we can compete with anyone. With all the preparation we’ve put in I honestly feel like we’re right where we’re supposed to be.
“(The guys) talk about being able to make a run in the state playoffs. We still have two tough games left and that’s what we’re focused on. But we’ve been underdogs most of the season. We believe we can beat anyone.
“We’re just a big group of friends who are having fun right now. Hopefully we can keep having fun and see how far we can take this.”
