SHELTON |
Before the excitement of Friday nights in the fall, before all the honors and countless accolades, and before his explosive right arm made him a rare and coveted football commodity, it was Dan Orlovsky killing time in his backyard.
"When I was younger, I would have garbage cans set up all around the yard," Orlovsky recalled. "And I would have like 20 balls and just fire them into the cans. I really had nothing else to do back then."
These days, throwing a football keeps Orlovsky fairly busy and extremely focused.
The Shelton senior is considered one of the top quarterback prospects in the nation, and he's the main reason the No. 3 Gaels are 5-0 and eyeing their first state playoff appearance since 1995.
At 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, the 17-year-old has the combination of size, arm strength and football intelligence that is especially rare for a quarterback around these parts.
Despite offers from national powers Purdue and Michigan State, Orlovsky verbally committed to play at Connecticut this spring, where he will try to lift the Huskies from Division I-A weakling to Big East contender in the very near future.
But it's the present that has Orlovsky most concerned.
Specifically, Shelton's quest for a state title has consumed him since he was named the Gaels' starter before his sophomore season.
"We were expected to win at least one (state title) while I was here and we haven't done it yet," said Orlovsky, who has led Shelton to a 21-3-1 record as a starter. "There's a lot of pressure being a three-year starter, preseason All-American and senior captain. But I wouldn't want it any other way."
Orlovsky does have a faint recollection of Shelton's last state title -- a 14-7 Class LL victory over Trumbull in 1995.
"That was my first year of Pop Warner and I was the ball boy walking the sidelines," Orlovsky said. "I watched them win that state title and it became my dream. My goal was to win one for myself."
His statistics aren't gaudy, just remarkably efficient.
Orlovsky has completed 73 of 116 passes for 950 yards, including 10 touchdowns and three interceptions through five games.
Orlovsky, a Connecticut Post all-star in 1999, finished last season 107 of 179 for 1,750 yards and 18 touchdowns for a Shelton team that went 9-1.
Still, his value to his team can't be measured in mere yards or completions.
"It's like having a coach on the field," Shelton coach Joe Benanto said. "He does so many things, he makes my life easier. He controls the offense and allows us to do some things other high school teams can't do. His leadership skills give the team confidence."
Come Friday nights, Orlovsky is usually relying on his mind as much as his rocket arm.
"What separates me from a lot of kids is my mental game," Orlovsky said. "There are a lot of kids with big-time arms, but they get rattled easily and are not mentally tough."
Those qualities were never more evident than during the opening drive of Shelton's 21-8 defeat of then top-ranked West Haven on Sept. 22.
Shelton's offense came out in a no-huddle, four-receiver set and Orlovsky called every passing play himself at the line of scrimmage.
Orlovsky was 7 of 8 on the drive, covering 65 yards before many fans had even found their seats at West Haven's Ken Strong Stadium.
And when Chris Olenoski caught a 9-yard touchdown pass to cap the brilliant march, Orlovsky turned and shot a fiery stare at a stunned West Haven sideline.
"I usually watch 20 hours of film a week, but that week I watched about 40 hours," Orlovsky said. "It was a great drive. I wasn't thinking about anything else. West Haven was saying a lot of stuff to me that I just kept in the back of my mind.
"When I threw that touchdown pass I turned to their bench to just let them know," Orlovsky added. "In my opinion, that was the game right there."
Still, Orlovsky's advanced grasp of the game and his success didn't come easy.
In particular, despite being blessed with a strong arm, Orlovsky came to Shelton severely slow-footed.
But he eventually made his major drawback a slight asset through an exhausting workout regimen.
While he'll never be confused with Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick, Orlovsky lowered his 40 time from a dreadful 6.2 to an acceptable 4.7, making him much more desirable as a college prospect.
"I always had raw talent, I could throw hard and accurate, but I was real slow," Orlovsky said. "I was constantly working out. There were times I fainted or threw up. I would get up at 5 a.m. three days a week and run in the dark."
That work ethic, along with some startling performances at various football camps last spring, vaulted Orlovsky from a virtual unknown on the national scene to a recruiting gem.
Rivals100.com, a Web site dedicated to high school football and basketball recruiting, has Orlovsky ranked as the No. 25 quarterback prospect in the country.
And he takes his title as the "state's best quarterback" very seriously. It's an enjoyable burden he bears every game.
"I like to be the center of attention and I like to put on a show for everyone," Orlovsky said. "My mentality is I'm the best in the state and that's the way I have to think. I can't think anyone else is better than me."
Even as a thin and immobile sophomore, Orlovsky played as if he belonged on the field with some of the state's best teams.
Current Amity coach and former assistant Rick McGowan painfully remembers how Orlovsky guided Shelton down the field for a game-winning touchdown and unlikely two-point conversion run that ruined Amity's Class LL playoff hopes in 1998.
"We knew (Shelton) had something special back then," McGowan said. "He wasn't spectacular, but the fact he controlled the game and ran in the conversion tells you something. We thought we could rattle him with blitzes, but he held up under the fire."
Two years later, Orlovsky is still standing tall in the pocket. He's bigger, stronger, smarter, and, through tons of hard work, even a little faster.
But he is far from satisfied. And a flattering Web site ranking or even a college scholarship won't subdue his hunger.
The Class LL final will be played on Dec. 4 at Southern Connecticut State University.
Orlovsky plans to be there to fulfill the dream of that awestruck ballboy.
"A lot of kids might say I'm going to college and there's no reason to bust my (tail) in sprints," Orlovsky said. "But if I did that, I let my team down. If you're not doing it for the team, then you really shouldn't be out there."
