DARLINGTON - After Darlington quarterback Jared Meister tore the medial collateral ligament in his knee during the first quarter of the WIAA Division 6 state championship game last year, his role was reduced to that of a cheerleader rooting on his teammates.
"It was tough knowing I couldn't be out there with my team," Meister said. "I had to be a strong supporter on the sideline. All I could do was be a supporter on the sideline because that is what a great teammate would do."
Fast forward one year and Meister is back as a senior starting quarterback leading Darlington (13-0) into a state championship game against Eau Claire Regis. It's the fourth straight year the Redbirds have played in the state title game. The Redbirds are shooting to win their first state title since 1995.
"It's definitely redemption for us, especially for me since last year I wasn't able to play. Going to Camp Randall and playing there is special. It's my senior year, and I want to go out the right way and come home with the gold ball."
Meister completed 5 of 8 passes for 187 yards and tossed two touchdowns in the Redbirds' 24-20 win over top-ranked Fond du Lac St. Mary's Springs last Friday. He connected with senior Will Schwartz on the game-winning touchdown pass with 12 seconds to go.
As a two-way starter as a quarterback and linebacker for the Redbirds, Meister early in the offseason displayed the drive to become a better passer and the leadership to make his teammates better. He met with teammates a couple days a week to throw passes on routes to his receivers. He and the Redbirds' skill players competed in 7-on-7 passing tournaments.
Meister has passed for 756 yards with 10 TDs and no interceptions. He's been efficient, completing 58.4 percent of his passes and is averaging 14 yards per completion.
"I worked hard on some quarterback drills," he said.
Meister said his biggest improvement as a quarterback is his footwork.
"I know the key for me is my footwork," he said. "If I have good footwork I can get rid of the ball quick and it gives my receivers more time to make a play."
Meister has carried over his improved footwork in the pocket to the regular season and the playoffs. He's proven to be a student of the game too.
"I watch a lot of film," Meister said. "I want to know where the weak link is on the defense. I want to see how other teams will cover man-to-man and how our receivers can find a gap if they are playing zone. There are a lot of decisions in the moment I have to make. I have to be precise and confident in my decisions."
Darlington senior running back Trevor Johnson, who is the team's leading receiver with 17 receptions for 468 yards and seven touchdowns, credits Meister for getting the Redbirds back to Camp Randall.
"He's definitely stepped up for us this year," Johnson said. "I don't think we would have been able to do what we did without him. He's been able to pinpoint the open receiver and get the ball to us."
Senior Hunter Johnson, who has rushed for more than 2,000 yards and scored 41 TDs, understands that the more efficient Meister is passing the ball with teams looking to bottle up the Redbirds' running game, the more success the team can have.
"It takes more than just three backs," Hunter Johnson said. "It's nice to be able to rely on someone other than just your running back. When you can rely on more than just your running back it makes it tougher on the defense."
"It was tough knowing I couldn't be out there with my team," Meister said. "I had to be a strong supporter on the sideline. All I could do was be a supporter on the sideline because that is what a great teammate would do."
Fast forward one year and Meister is back as a senior starting quarterback leading Darlington (13-0) into a state championship game against Eau Claire Regis. It's the fourth straight year the Redbirds have played in the state title game. The Redbirds are shooting to win their first state title since 1995.
"It's definitely redemption for us, especially for me since last year I wasn't able to play. Going to Camp Randall and playing there is special. It's my senior year, and I want to go out the right way and come home with the gold ball."
Meister completed 5 of 8 passes for 187 yards and tossed two touchdowns in the Redbirds' 24-20 win over top-ranked Fond du Lac St. Mary's Springs last Friday. He connected with senior Will Schwartz on the game-winning touchdown pass with 12 seconds to go.
As a two-way starter as a quarterback and linebacker for the Redbirds, Meister early in the offseason displayed the drive to become a better passer and the leadership to make his teammates better. He met with teammates a couple days a week to throw passes on routes to his receivers. He and the Redbirds' skill players competed in 7-on-7 passing tournaments.
Meister has passed for 756 yards with 10 TDs and no interceptions. He's been efficient, completing 58.4 percent of his passes and is averaging 14 yards per completion.
"I worked hard on some quarterback drills," he said.
Meister said his biggest improvement as a quarterback is his footwork.
"I know the key for me is my footwork," he said. "If I have good footwork I can get rid of the ball quick and it gives my receivers more time to make a play."
Meister has carried over his improved footwork in the pocket to the regular season and the playoffs. He's proven to be a student of the game too.
"I watch a lot of film," Meister said. "I want to know where the weak link is on the defense. I want to see how other teams will cover man-to-man and how our receivers can find a gap if they are playing zone. There are a lot of decisions in the moment I have to make. I have to be precise and confident in my decisions."
Darlington senior running back Trevor Johnson, who is the team's leading receiver with 17 receptions for 468 yards and seven touchdowns, credits Meister for getting the Redbirds back to Camp Randall.
"He's definitely stepped up for us this year," Johnson said. "I don't think we would have been able to do what we did without him. He's been able to pinpoint the open receiver and get the ball to us."
Senior Hunter Johnson, who has rushed for more than 2,000 yards and scored 41 TDs, understands that the more efficient Meister is passing the ball with teams looking to bottle up the Redbirds' running game, the more success the team can have.
"It takes more than just three backs," Hunter Johnson said. "It's nice to be able to rely on someone other than just your running back. When you can rely on more than just your running back it makes it tougher on the defense."
