One of the first things you notice about Bogan quarterback Xavier Terrell is how good he is at making opposing defenders miss when he takes off running.
The shifty senior juked his way to 131 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries in a 20-14 double-overtime loss to Longwood on Sept. 17 at Stagg Stadium.
It turns out that Terrell’s elusiveness is no accident.
“In middle school and elementary school, I didn’t have tackle football because I went to an arts school,” Terrell said. “So the only football they gave us was flag. So I just learned how to be shifty from that, really.”
His running is what moves the chains for Bogan (1-4, 1-1 Public League White South).
“He’s a tough athlete,” Bengals coach Ernest Bryant said of Terrell. “He’s more of an athlete than a quarterback. And we try to simplify it for him.
“For a typical quarterback, we say, set your feet and all that so (the ball) is coming out cleaner. But he’s not a real quarterback, more of just an athlete. … But right now, he’s our best option back there and he’s definitely a ballplayer.”
Terrell’s success is all the more impressive considering he’s been playing football only since 2024.
He started high school at South Shore and only played baseball as a freshman, He transferred to Bogan the next year and started playing football as a defensive back. Halfway through sophomore year, Terrell started playing quarterback.
He also plays basketball for the Bengals and might run track in the spring. And Terrell has hit the weights in order to get stronger and maybe catch the eye of a few more college recruiters. As of now, he’s been in contact with Aurora University among others.
But for now, Terrell is focused on finishing the season strong for Bogan.
“We’ve definitely had our ups and downs,” he said. “We won our first conference game (over Bowen) but we couldn’t take this one home. But conference is what’s most important, so we’ve just got to fight back next week (at Julian).”
Another senior, Keontay Rodgers, also ran for a touchdown for Bogan against Longwood.
“We should have at least three more linemen suiting up next week,” Bryant said. “I think that’ll make a difference because everybody’s going both ways, things like that. So (if) someone gets hurt, it really affects what it needs to be.”