By Andrew Koob

New Castle News

Starting over in football is a hard task in itself.

Starting over on a new team, in a new scheme and a relatively new position? Almost unfathomable.

Yet Union’s Joe Gunn, who spent the last six years in the New Castle school district, is making it look easy.

Gunn, a senior who lined up at running back with the ‘Canes, hadn’t played the quarterback position since ninth grade.

It’s only taken the Ball State baseball verbal commit three games to show just what he’s learned in such a short amount of time.

Gunn helped propel the Scotties to their second victory of the season, rushing for 99 yards and four touchdowns on 15 carries while completing 12 of his 22 pass attempts for 151 yards and another score in a 33-22 win over Vincentian Academy.

The performance earned Gunn Lawrence County Athlete of the Week honors, an award sponsored by Washington Centre Physical Therapy and selected by the New Castle News sports staff.

“Coach (Stacy Robinson) kept telling me that he needed a big game out of me, he told me the whole week that there was a lot of pressure on me,” Gunn said. “I laughed at it, but I knew deep down he was right and that I needed a big game.

“I just wanted to come out and play the best that I could. That’s what ended up happening.”

Gunn has been a big reason why Union (2-0 Big Seven, Conference, 2-1 overall) finds itself in this position.

On the year, Gunn is eighth in Lawrence County with 176 yards and five touchdowns and has thrown for 267 yards and a touchdown while completing just a shade more than half of his passes (.512).

Those numbers aren’t bad for the dual-threat quarterback who learned he would be the starting signal caller a week before the season opener.

“In hindsight, maybe I should have repped him a little bit more in camp,” Robinson said.

“But I wanted to make sure everyone got reps, so now he’s getting a crash course at the position. It hasn’t been fun for him, I don’t think.

“I’m the quarterback coach, so I’m on him about everything he does in practice. He’s getting adjusted to that and starting to come through, doing the things that’s expected of him.”

Added Gunn, “There was a lot of stuff I didn’t know. Coach Rob understands, some stuff you have to go slow with. But he’s gotten his fair share of yelling in.”

It’s also taken some adjustment for the other players. Gunn is quick to credit his teammates, even rewarding his offensive line for the job it did against Vincentian Academy.

“I just had to learn everything. My teammates have been great,” Gunn said. “

I’m still learning plays, so they’ve been great in helping me out. The offensive line, with the protections, they did a great job last week. They were giving me time to throw and giving me lanes to run in. It wasn’t just me, it was everyone pitching in and that’s what’s helping me get better each week.

“I need to thank the offensive line. I bought them donuts the day after practice, I was so thankful for them. They had a day, Coach Rob put a lot of pressure on them last week to get better and they responded tremendously. I had plenty of time to throw and lanes to run in.”

(Email: AKoob@ncnewsonline.com)