Oak Harbor quarterback with 23 touchdown passes might be even better defensive back
Mike LaLonde has spun at least one pass for a touchdown in every game thus far.
The Oak Harbor junior has 23 scoring passes, and yet he might be a better defensive back than he is quarterback.
"Free safety, he's in the middle of everything," Rockets coach Mike May said. "He gets the defense lined up and the linebackers echo his strength calls. Any adjustments we need to make according to the game plan, he makes sure those adjustments are made.
"He's an assistant coach on the field."
LaLonde is a signal caller on both sides of the ball. He's equally impactful for May on defense as he is to coordinator Scott Schulte on offense heading into unbeaten Oak Harbor's second-round OHSAA football playoff game on Friday against Marengo Highland.
"As a defensive back he's a great leader, he understands the game and he's football savvy," May said. "Tell him once and he picks it up. In game, adjustments, we'll see a formation or play we didn't see on film and tell him one time and he'll get everybody adjusted.
"His football intelligence is high. On offense with reads and decisions. His completion percentage is outstanding, 78 percent. Every good football team, championship team, has a reliable quarterback that brings confidence to the team with him running the show."
Coaches try to alleviate any burden but there's still a lot to learn and remember. Plus it doesn't work if LaLonde doesn't anticipate on both sides of the ball and basically in all directions.
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"Knowing everything," he said of the challenge. "The staff makes it easy for me. They break it down. At the beginning of the season it starts basic and we go from there. They put it on a silver platter for us."
Quarterbacking the offense is more difficult than quarterbacking the defense.
"You have to know where everyone is at all times," LaLonde said. "I want Coach [Doug] Slagle and Coach May to trust me to get everyone in the same spot. Quarterback it's same thing, but there's more after the snap.
"Reads. On defense, after the snap it's go play."
Playing each position makes him better at both.
"Coverage-wise, quarterbacks have to know coverage presnap," he said. "It's easy for me, they basically tell me what to read. I do it on defense. I'm getting in those coverages. 3-deep, man. We run what I have to read on offense."
LaLonde typically maintains a stoic persona.
"One thing that's not talked about, he's always even keel," May said. "Good or bad, he's always the same. I've never seen him rattled, it helps the team in tough spots keeping his cool. His decision making, he makes a decision on every play and he does a great job.
"It's impressive how tough he is. He's not very big [5-foot-9, 160 pounds], but he's fearless when it comes to tackles, making decisions or tucking the ball and running. He's a tremendous competitor, you see that in all three sports.
"He's a tough athlete."
He completed 10 of 18 passes for 107 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown Friday to Tyler Thompson, in a 49-20 victory over Otsego to open the Division V playoffs.
"Field general on offense is more important than defense," he said. "I can get help on defense, we have a ton of guys on both sides, on offense as field general making sure everyone's in the right spot is important."
The second-year starter has 1,865 yards passing this season. He completed 133 of 176 passes and he's sneaky elusive and physical when he keeps the ball.
"I've become more smart," he said. "Throw the ball away, there's nothing there. Last game I had a few I was smarter. Film helps. I forced too much at the beginning of the year."
The offense has too many weapons to risk turnovers. LaLonde has too much touch not to take an occasional shot.
On offense or defense, his individual highlight through 11 games is an interception in the end zone against Genoa. He had two interceptions against Maumee and one against Lake.
"That was a momentum stopper," he said. "They were driving, I was lucky enough to get over and grab it."
Which position does LaLonde play first in his heart? He couldn't help but factor baseball into that equation for a narrow edge.
"Throwing is what I like to do," the pitcher said. "But defense is football, running and hitting people."
mhorn@gannett.com
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This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Mike LaLonde leads Oak Harbor to Round 2 of OHSAA football postseason
