Eldorado quarterback Zach Gentry's stock keeps on rising

From the moment he started playing football, Eldorado (Albuquerque) junior Zach Gentry knew he was going to be a quarterback.

"My dad (Tom) played quarterback in high school, and I wanted to follow in his footsteps," Gentry said. "Playing quarterback is all I've ever wanted to do."

And so it is for the ultra-talented Gentry, a four-star signal-caller whose stock keeps on rising. The 6-foot-6, 227-pound Gentry has four offers — from Louisville, San Diego State, New Mexico and New Mexico State — with more sure to follow.

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Highly touted as a pro-style quarterback, Gentry stands tall and strong in the pocket, has pinpoint accuracy and possesses a howitzer for a right arm. At the UNM football camp last summer, the Aggies had Gentry throw for distance, and he uncorked a 74-yard bomb.

"I knew I could always throw the ball far, but I didn't know I could throw it 74 (yards) far," Gentry said. "I really let that one go."

Gentry also unleashed a 73-yard throw at Louisville's quarterback camp in mid-June. Gentry has surprised some observers this year with his ability to run the football, too. Through five games for the 2-3 Eagles, Gentry has rushed for over 200 yards, tops on the team.

His passing numbers — 63 of 114 for 645 yards — are modest by his standards, but then again, Eldorado returned only one offensive lineman to go along with a banged-up receiving core and a running back by committee.

"Under the circumstances, Zach has played admirably," said Eldorado coach Charlie Dotson, whose team plays Rio Rancho (5-1) on Friday at 7 p.m. "I said before the year Zach is going to have to take us on his shoulders a bit, and he understands what we're up against."

Indeed, the Eagles have played one of the toughest — if not the toughest — schedules in the state. Eldorado has already taken on Las Cruces, Valley (Albuquerque) and Mayfield (Las Cruces), the first, second and fourth-ranked teams in New Mexico, respectively, according to MaxPreps.

"Playing the best teams is going to help us for the postseason," Gentry said. "I think we have a really talented team, but right now we're still trying to mesh everything together."

Gentry was one of only two juniors to receive an invite to the Rivals.com Five-Star Challenge camp at Soldier Field in early June, and he understands what it's going to take to become an elite quarterback at the college level.

"There are plenty of things I need to work on, like staying in the pocket a little longer," he said. "And there are a lot of little things I want to sharpen up, like footwork. My mentality is I'm always thinking about improving, because there's someone else out there doing the same thing. I'm always thinking on what I need to do to get better."

Gentry knows playing quarterback carries a huge responsibility, so he makes sure to carry himself accordingly.

"From a leader's standpoint, you can't harp on the negative," he said. "You have to stay upbeat and let everyone else know you're going to stay strong."

Gentry has already had several bouts of physical adversity. At the beginning of basketball season in his freshman year, he had to have surgery on his right knee to screw a bone back in place. In the summer before his sophomore year, he had appendicitis, colitis and couldn't throw for over a month because of a growth plate issue in his right elbow.

"Fortunately, I've been able to come back stronger from my bone injuries," he said.

Gentry said he hasn't set a timeline on his college decision, and for good reason.

"You kind of know how the process works in that different programs offer (scholarships) at different times," he said.

Gentry comes from an accomplished football family. His grandfather, Bill, coached at Highland (Albuquerque) for 31 years and at Eldorado for seven more. Bill Gentry's 305 wins as a coach rank third all-time in the state, and he was inducted into the National Federation of State High School Associations Hall of Fame in 2005, making him just the sixth person from New Mexico to be given the honor.

"My grandpa means everything to me," Gentry said. "He, along with my dad, have been the biggest influences in my career. They critique me all the time, and they've given me great advice."

It shows.