Jace Stuckey didn't leave Triton Central. Instead, he hopes to take Tigers to new heights.

FAIRLAND — Mark James, Triton Central’s new boys’ basketball coach, watched recently as Tigers’ quarterback Jace Stuckey coordinated a workout. James, in that fly-on-wall-moment, marveled at the respect Stuckey commanded from his teammates.

“I don’t know him personally,” said James, not one to pass out unwarranted praise. “But I could tell he’s a really good leader.”

Tim Able, a veteran coach of 30 seasons, including the past 11 at Triton Central, has never allowed a quarterback to call his own plays. Stuckey does — or at the very least has an influence. On Tuesday after practice, Stuckey pitched his ideas to the coaching staff on what to add and what to eliminate for top-ranked Triton Central’s Class 2A home regional game Friday against No. 4 North Posey.

“He’ll go, ‘I like this one, I like that one, that one I’m not sure,'” Able said. “We meet in the middle and get it all figured out. Sometimes I’ll call a formation and he’ll say, ‘I’ve got trips, coach.’ He knows what concept he wants, and he can see it. I’ve never done that. Oh, no. But he can see it.”

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Stuckey, a 6-2, 190-pound Eastern Michigan recruit, earned that trust over time. It is a two-way street. Stuckey, sitting in the bleachers overlooking the Triton Central field this week, could have transferred to a bigger school. He is remarkably candid about his options to do so, both for the perceived benefit of his own recruitment and the needs of the larger schools interested in a Division I quarterback prospect.

But would it be as fulfilling to lead a different group, even if it was a larger school?

“People at our school have asked, ‘If you left, would different things have happened?’” Stuckey said, referring to his college options. “I don’t know. Probably. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

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Stuckey hoped to start as a freshman. Triton Central was coming off the program’s first regional title in 2019 and returned senior starter Erick Hebauf. “We battled it out,” Stuckey said. “And (Hebauf) won the job.”

The Tigers went 10-2 that season, losing 16-6 to Evansville Mater Dei in the regional. Stuckey took over as the starter as a sophomore, showing promise by completing 51% of his passes for 1,386 yards and 12 TDs. But an 8-5 season ended again in the regional with a 35-7 loss to Mater Dei.

Stuckey had no idea what kind of quarterback he could be going into his sophomore season. But it was actually in a loss — a 35-7 blowout against Class A champion Lutheran — that he gained some confidence. He sat down after the game with his trainer, Anthony Morelli, who showed him the positives in the performance, which saw him go 17-for-29 passing for 176 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

“I remember watching film and him telling me, ‘You can do this,’” Stuckey said. “I thought, ‘If he thinks I can do it at this level, I think I got it.’ That competition against Lutheran, seeing how good they were, really helped me.”

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Stuckey built off that going into his junior season as he completed 67% of his passes for 2,657 yards and 23 touchdowns. Again, there was heartbreak in the regional. Stuckey, battling a 102-degree temperature, could barely even talk in the huddle. His stat line — 25-for-37 passing for 237 yards — was still impressive. But he threw two interceptions and the Tigers, who were battling illness and injuries, were finished again.

“He was Michael Jordan in the first half,” said Able, referring to Jordan’s “flu game” against the Utah Jazz. “We were down six two-way players in that game, but we were still only one touchdown away. We had our 2-pointer ready if we drove down and got the touchdown.”

Stuckey’s season, and his performance in front of college coaches, put him on the radar in a loaded class of quarterbacks. In early May, he committed to Eastern Michigan. While other schools, including Power 5 programs, wanted to Stuckey to keep his options open, he solidified his commitment to the Mid-American Conference school during his official visit two weeks later.

“There were six or seven schools that came in the week I committed and about seven the week before,” Stuckey said. “But I pretty much had my mind made up. I said I would be honored if they offered and got into the mix, but I knew I wanted to go to Eastern. Any Power 5 offers I got would have been from teams in the bottom half of their conference. I wanted to go where I could play and be competitive. It was an opportunity I didn’t want to lose.”

Stuckey is the lone high school quarterback in Eastern Michigan’s recruiting class, which also includes Plainfield athlete Caden Vanderbush. Loyalty was an important factor in Stuckey’s college decision, though it was a trait that also extended to his high school experience.

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There is an alternative version to this story that could have Stuckey playing in a different regional game this week in a larger class. He heard from people throughout his high school career that he needed to transfer to a bigger school.

“Recruiting is real in high school,” Stuckey said. “I had people telling me it was time to get out. It kind of gets in your head when all these people are in your ear both ways. But I had a great foundation at home and a great coaching staff here that really helped me. I put the hours in, and it translated and worked out.”

Though he never seriously considered leaving Triton Central, Stuckey admits there were times he wondered, “Is this the right move?”

“There were opportunities that I knew I could have fit in,” he said. “But just looking at the (Indiana Crossroads Conference), there are dudes that go D-1. Rarely skill position players. Rarely quarterbacks. But it never really crossed my mind to leave. I think I knew this was where I needed to be. I knew we were talented and could do something special.”

Though Stuckey is only a couple months away from starting his college journey at Eastern Michigan, he is fully focused on leading Triton Central to its first state championship. The Tigers have been a consistent 2A power under Able but have not been able to make that big breakthrough. The year they did get past Mater Dei in the regional, a 13-7 win in 2019, the Tigers lost the next week to Western Boone in the semistate.

This might be the right place, right time. And the right quarterback. Able called Stuckey “a Division I quarterback with a Division I work ethic.”

“Last year I think we were the most talented team in (2A),” Stuckey said. “But we were injury plagued. This year feels different.”

Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA football: Jace Stuckey hopes to lead Triton Central to state