From Scrub to Star. The story and the player get better.

2005-12-25 Posted at 06:28:07 PM

 Ricky Santos  University of New Hampshire (UNH) player who came out of
spring practice in 2004 as the fourth-string quarterback and ended up breaking
most all the school passing records and being named  USA Today's Player of
the Week in his first collegiate start had a forwarning.  A very similar incident
happened in high school.

As his Bellingham High School team was leaving for its season opening game
 the starting quarterback fell and hurt his knee and was unable to play.  Ricky
who had been playing some as a wide receiver was called on to be the
quarterback.  He was so unfamilar with the plays the coach delayed the bus
15 minutes so they could practice in the parking lot.  Ricky almost almost
pulled out the victory, electrifying the crowd with a 50-yard run but coming up
short. He became a starter and led the team to a 9-2 season.  He continued
as a starter for 3 years and became one of the most prolific passes in in
Massacusetts football history.

In spite of his success only a few schools showed interest Hofstra and
 Massacusetts.   None offered a scholarship. They evidently felt that since
he was playing against a small schools with small players he would not make
it in college.  Even UNH initially turned turned him down but later offered him a
scholarship when someone they had offered changed his mind.  Dale
Caparaso his high school coach delights in emailing the coaches who didn't
recruit him who loose to him now.

As a sophamore in  2005 Ricky had even greater success.  He broke his own
season record for completions, touchdown passes passing yards, total offense,
percent completion and set a game record of completing 25 out of 26 (24 straight)
passes and led UNH to their best season ever with a 11-2 record.  He was second
in the voting for the Payton Award ,the Division I-AA Offensive Player of the Year
 Award to  Eric Myer,  Eastern Washington University  333 to 328.   Ricky Santos
has come a long way since the end of spring practice.  Both his coaches in high
school and college emphasize that there was never any doubt that he would be
successful.  In both cases, injuries just meant it happened sooner.

Ricky faces big challanges next year as UNH opens the season against
 Northwestern of the Big Ten and after losing in the quarter finals  Division I-AA 
in 2005 UNH has it's sites set on the National Championship in 2006.



 Wally McRae





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