Anthony Torres wanted to be just like his dad.
So when the Frankford High School sophomore started playing football, he donned a pair of his dad’s socks for the first practice.
There was a slight difference, though.
Torres was 7 years old at the time, and his father, also named Anthony, last played football for the Frankford Chiefs semipro team. So the footwear wasn’t exactly the perfect fit.
“I really wanted to wear my dad’s socks, so when I came out to practice, they were way past my knees,” said Torres, who is known as Sox to his teammates. “My dad was a really good football player. He coaches us, and he really knows a lot and I’ve heard a lot of stories about how good he was, so I think he was really good.”
So far, so is his son.
Torres is the starting quarterback of the Pioneers, and he brings a little bit of everything to the table. A transfer from Boys Latin, he started working out with his new team after he made the move to his father’s alma mater, and it didn’t take him long to fit in like a hand in a custom-made glove.
But prior to last week, he didn’t know he was going to be the starter. And he wasn’t upset. He just wanted to help the team any way he could, and if he wasn’t going to be named the quarterback, he was excited to work on the sidelines in support of whoever would be under center.
But when he found out last week that he was the starter, he couldn’t have been happier. And he couldn’t have been more ready to take the reins.
“I was truthfully ready to do whatever I could to help, and if that meant supporting the starter and helping them gameplan, I was ready,” said Torres, who lives in North Philadelphia. “But they told me Wednesday that I was going to start and I was really excited because I think I’m ready to be the quarterback and the leader they need.
“I think I’m a pretty good improviser. I wouldn’t say I’m a running quarterback, but I can run. I can pass, I can run, I can do whatever the coaches want me to do. I’m ready to do whatever we need.”
As great an athlete as Torres is, that’s not what makes him a great quarterback.
What sets him apart is his ability to lead on and off the field, and his biggest concern is making sure his teammates are in position to succeed.
As a sophomore who has one start, a 32-21 loss to Martin Luther King on Saturday in spring football, Torres seems to have exactly what it takes to be the leader the Pioneers need in the huddle.
“I’m really glad we’re having a season, mostly for the seniors so they can get some chances for colleges to look at them and hopefully get them into college,” said Torres, who rushed for a touchdown in the opening-night loss. “I’m happy for all of us because it’s been a tough year for all of us. It’s hard when you’re not able to play, not able to do things with your brothers. So I’m glad we were able to get out there.
“The biggest thing for me as a quarterback is to make sure we are all on the same page. Just to make sure we all know what we need. I learned from my parents, my mom and my dad, the biggest thing you need to be successful is for everyone to be on the same page. Communication is key, and I think, as a quarterback, that’s my job to make sure we are all on the same page and want the same thing.”
He’s not all talk.
Torres, even before he was named the starter, took on the role of leader to keep the team united. He admits it isn’t a hard job, he says the Pioneers are always looking out for each other, but when someone needs to take a lead, he’s happy to be that guy.
“I’m not like that because I’m the quarterback, I’ve always been that way,” Torres said. “I’m always worried about other people. It’s just the way I was raised. That’s what my parents taught me, and I try to keep that same attitude.”
He is playing this year to make sure the older players get their time to shine, and get a chance to go out on a high note.
But he’s also playing for himself and his younger teammates.
This might not be a normal Public League year, but there will be a champion crowned, and Torres wants to make sure his team has a shot at bringing that home.
But he also knows whatever he does this year, whatever he learns and perfects, will help him over the next two years when he comes out as an experienced signal-caller.
“I want to build a championship team here starting this year and go for it the next two years,” Torres said. “I think we could be really good this year. We work hard and we have some great players and great coaches.
“I’m really proud to be the quarterback here. I know about Frankford football, and it means a lot to be the quarterback.”
