Despite a rough setback on Sunday, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has drawn oohs and aahs from across the NFL about his continual improvement behind center, with many pointing to the passer's poise under pressure as a key part of the Ravens' rapid rise toward the top of the AFC power rankings.
All of those factors are true, but they could just as easily be said about another Flacco, Joe's younger brother, Tom Flacco, who passed his Vorhees (N.J.) Eastern High squad to a come-from-behind, 20-17 victory against Vorhees (N.J.) Cherokee High, despite Eastern facing a 17-7 deficit well into the fourth quarter.
As noted by the Philadelphia Inquirer, like his more famous older brother, Tom Flacco has drawn raves from opposing coaches, with Cherokee's head coach P.J. Mehigan becoming the latest to toss serious accolades in the younger Flacco's direction.
"He's deadly accurate," Mehigan told the Inquirer. "You get a rush on him, and he still makes plays."
According to Flacco, he's having plenty of fun while providing that accuracy. Eastern runs a no-huddle offense, putting the flow of it's entire offensive system in the hands of a junior who has excelled, leading Eastern back to the playoffs after a 4-6 season.
On Friday, Flacco crowned his latest impressive performance with a 17-yard touchdown strike with 1:48 left in the game, handing Eastern it's final 20-17 lead and capping a drive on which the junior passer led his team on a 77-yard drive that encompassed 11 plays and 2:25.
In total, Flacco finished with 276 yards through the air and two touchdowns, both in his team's fourth-quarter comeback.
"I said this is the fun time, the challenge of trying to come back," Flacco told the Inquirer about the deficit he and his teammates faced in the fourth quarter. "Who wouldn't like this offense? You get to throw the ball a lot."
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