The Patriots have a new face under center following the departure of Caden Hartrum. Junior Nathan McCalla will step into the starting roles.
McCalla, who backed up Hartrum in 2025, beat out sophomore Justin Wilson in a summer-long quarterback battle.
Coach Mike Holland said McCalla’s running threat gave the junior the upper hand, and allowed him to fit in OCHS’s run-heavy wing-T offense.
Last season, Hartrum rushed 82 times, more than double the amount of passing attempts (38), scoring nine rushing touchdowns.
Offensive coordinator Josh Austin echoed Holland’s reasoning, but left the door open for creativity.
“Nathan's a little bit of a stronger runner, while Justin’s got a little bit better touch on the pass,” offensive coordinator Josh Austin said. “There may be situations where we might be able to run a two-quarterback system, but we’re still just evaluating the situation because they both got so much better over the summer.”
Off the field, the two quarterbacks are friends, and are teammates on the OCHS baseball team.
“They’re both trying to build each other up the whole time,” Austin said. “They always want the reps, but what I love about them is they’re not gonna argue with each other over who gets them. They both understand that the coaches are gonna make that call, and when that call is made, you don’t hear any complaining from either one. They’re mentally prepared to do what they have to do for the team.”
Entering the last week of practice before the regular season, ball security was McCalla’s primary focus. The Patriots fumbled four times during its preseason scrimmage against Hart County on Aug. 7, most coming from the center-quarterback exchange.
“I’ve really worked on getting a bunch of snaps in the mornings,” McCalla said.
Tristen Cooper and TJ Howard are the backups, although Cooper is expected to be used as a wide receiver. Jackson Harrison has taken reps during practice, and will serve as an emergency quarterback throughout the season.