Casey Cochran reaches new heights in Connecticut

When he began playing organized football, Casey Cochran was bigger than most of the players on his team, so he was assigned to the offensive line. Even back then, however, there were signs that he was destined to play another position.

"In youth football he was always a bigger kid, so at that level he was on the line, but he had a great arm," explained Jack Cochran, Casey's father. "He just had a great touch with the football. A very, very strong arm. He could throw the football a long way."

Casey's arm only got better as he grew older, and by the time he was a freshman in high school he was a starting quarterback at the varsity level. He's now a senior at Masuk (Monroe, Conn.), and he's had a high school career unlike any other Connecticut quarterback.

Cochran is to Connecticut high school quarterbacks what Disney World is to amusement parks – the standard by which all others are measured. He owns the state record for career passing yards (10,152), career completions (586) and career touchdowns (109). In his most recent outing, Casey tossed five touchdown passes and ran for another as Masuk (9-0) extended the program's winning streak to 22 games by beating Weston 56-14 Friday night.

Casey has completed 91 of 129 passes for 2,452 yards and 45 touchdowns in nine games this season, when he set the state record for career touchdowns and career completions.

"Coming into the year I had heard that there were a couple records coming up, but I tried to keep my mind away from them," Casey said. "I've found that not looking at the stats and just going out and playing, going out and winning games, you'll eventually get there. So my mindset has kind of shifted.

"Early in my career it was all about getting the best stats, the awards and everything. Quarterbacks are measured too much about their stats. I feel like wins are a lot more important than how many yards you throw for, how many touchdowns you threw. I think a high completion percentage and winning percentage are the true stats people should look at."

It took Casey a while to step out of his father's sizable shadow. Jack Cochran is one of the most successful – and controversial – high school football coaches to ever blow a whistle in Connecticut.

Jack has served as the varsity coach at three Connecticut high schools — Bloomfield, New Britain and New London — and has steered his teams to eight Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) state championships. He's tied with New Canaan's Lou Marinelli for most state titles by a Connecticut head coach.

Jack's teams were also known for their large margins of victory, which some say is why Connecticut instituted a score-management policy, also known by some as "The Cochran Rule."

Under the score-management policy, any coach whose team wins by more than 50 points faces a possible one-game suspension. The rule caused one coach to punt on first down on each of his team's second-half possessions, and earlier this season a player running for what appeared to be a sure touchdown stopped to ask his coach if he should proceed to the end zone since a TD would have put his team ahead by more than 50 points.

"I don't have any regrets at all," Jack said. "I had some very successful teams in the 1990s and 2000s and they scored a lot of points. As soon as they put that rule in we became the laughingstock of high school football in the country. It's sad because it takes kids off the field – kids who have worked 320 days a year and they're lucky to play 10 nights.

"I'll be straight with you: We kept our first defense in the whole game. We scored a lot on defense and on special teams. There were games where we scored 50 points in the second quarter. Once we got to 45 points so we'd start moving guys in and out [on offense]. Coaches refused a running clock in the second half – that happened many times.

"We chose to do things right. We worked out in the spring and summer while a lot of other schools didn't. Their coaches went on fishing trips. Why should we be penalized for that?"

Jack led New London to the Class SS title in 2008. Casey, then a freshman, became the starting quarterback for that team midway through the season. Jack was removed as New London's coach after that season for what New London superintendent Christopher Clouet termed a series of "questionable judgments."

Casey has spent the last three seasons at Masuk, while Jack commutes 90 minutes each way to his teaching job in New London.

"It's a father's dream to coach his son, and I cherish the one season we had," Jack said. "I just regret that it wasn't for four years. When we made the move I thought I could help out coaching [at Masuk], but it just didn't work out."

Those in the media who have covered Jack Cochran's teams insist that his former players remain fiercely loyal to him. Casey called playing for his father a great experience.

"Not many kids get to play for their father at a high level in high school," Casey said. "He instilled a great work ethic in me and that really carried through into my years in high school. He's taught me to have a great work ethic in everything I do, not just in sports. If you're gonna do something, do it right. That's really rubbed off on me. I've taken that stuff to heart, and I really think that all my accomplishments have come down to hard work. He's really helped me a lot in both aspects — work ethic as well as learning the game."

Casey helped Masuk win the Class L title as a junior last season, when he passed for 3,345 yards and 40 touchdowns (and only seven interceptions). Casey called his strengths his accuracy and his ability to read coverages.

"That's what it's come down to the past two years – reading coverages and putting the ball where it needs to be," he said. "Getting my offense out of plays that can't work versus a defense pre-snap, and getting it to the right receiver post-snap."

Boston College made Cochran his first scholarship offer, but that offer was pulled after BC changed offensive coordinators before the 2011 season. He had the opportunity to play Ivy League football, but committed to the University of Connecticut in August.

Casey is on pace to graduate in December and said he plans to begin college in January.

"First of all, it's the home-state team," Casey said. "It's really an honor to play for your home state. I believe [Connecticut coach Paul Pasqualoni] is a very good coach. I really like the coaching staff and everyone on it. I got closer with them during the offseason, so it was a very easy choice once the [scholarship] offer came."

Casey is No. 20 on MaxPreps' list of the Top 25 Pro-Style quarterbacks in the Class of 2012.

"Casey certainly shows the arm strength and poise to make it at the next level," CBS/MaxPreps recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said. "He makes good decisions, reads coverages well, and is exceptional at moving around the pocket and buying time until his receivers come open. Always keeping his eyes downfield, he's as accurate as they come and can throw the deep out with authority. A leader both on and off the field."

Casey said his primary focus is winning another state championship, which would strengthen the argument for anyone who believes he's the best high school quarterback to play in Connecticut. Casey said this year's Masuk team has a tight-knit offense, and that cohesiveness has been on display this fall. Masuk has surpassed the 50-point mark in seven of its nine games.

"We have a lot of timing," Casey said. "We've done a lot of work together. Being able to do passing leagues in the winters and the summers and just the work we've put in in the offseason has contributed to us being a great offense this year. As an offense we really work together well and a lot of hard work is paying off for all of us."

Roger Brown is the editor and publisher of the New Hampshire Football Report, as well as a New England freelance writer. He can be reached at rbrown@nhfootballreport.com.