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Quarterback Dominick Otteni’s growth continues into 2nd year at BCS

By By David Wilson, dwilson@bradenton.com , 08/14/16, 9:00PM EDT

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An injury during Bradenton Christian’s spring game against Ocoee Legacy Charter meant the Panthers’ first taste of 11-on-11 play during 2016 didn’t last long. Legacy Charter was short-handed, so after one play the Panthers went back to 7-on-7.

The product on this particular May night didn’t necessarily vary much from what BCS wants its offense to look like this fall. The modern offense has shifted to a wide-open spread passing attack, and Bradenton Christian wants to follow.

 

“It’s really basketball on grass,” head coach Allan Gerber said.

So it’s a good thing the Panthers’ quarterback is a point guard.

Dominick Otteni broke out for Bradenton Christian midway through last season during a 55-point outburst against rival Out-of-Door Academy. The quarterback threw for a season-high 288 yards while also running for more than 100 yards for the first time with Bradenton Christian. The Panthers had unlocked a new dimension to their offense.

 

Otteni, who also could start at point guard for the basketball team, has the athletic profile to fit Gerber’s offensive desire. He’s slightly undersized at 6 feet, but he makes up for it with his mobility and big-play instincts. After breaking through against Out-of-Door, Otteni ran for more than 135 yards in each of his next two games, and he finished the year with three 85-yard games among his last four. As a passer, his completions went for an average of nearly 15 yards against the Class 2A-District 5 schedule.

“I just started to feel more comfortable in the offense,” Otteni said. “Things opened up for me.”

Otteni finished with 1,373 yards and 14 touchdowns through the air, and 605 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. After throwing six interceptions in his first four games, he tossed only two more — both during a loss to Class 2A runner-up Tampa Cambridge Christian — during his final five games to finish with eight. His second-half success earned him a nod as an All-Area honorable mention.

He picked up where he left off during Bradenton Christian’s spring game, tossing three touchdowns during the three possessions of 7-on-7 play against Legacy. He completed 10 of 13 passes for 170 yards without an interception. Two of his touchdowns went to Kevin Etienne, a second-team All-Area wide receiver last season.

 

“We do have some size; we do have some speed on the perimeter,” Gerber said, “and that makes the chess game more fun.”

Otteni’s adjustment to the Panthers’ offense had to happen quickly. He transferred to Bradenton Christian from Manatee before his junior year, enrolling before summer practices began. He didn’t have a spring to ease into the role as Bradenton Christian’s quarterback. Even though he had the tools to run the Panthers’ spread, Bradenton Christian used the regular season to ease him in.

This summer has been different. He was voted a team captain — the only one of the three captains who is primarily an offensive player — and has instilled confidence in Bradenton Christian as the Panthers prepare for their first season in the Sunshine State Athletic Conference.

“It changes your teaching progression,” Gerber said. “You don’t have to slow things down. You can now speed things up from an installation standpoint. You can begin to put more on the quarterback.

 

“We know it’s a quarterback-driven game."