HELENA — In the three games that Jack Prka has started at quarterback for Carroll College, he’s thrown for 620 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions while completing 57 percent of 86 passing attempts.
Though Prka may be a freshman, the Carroll receiving corps is looking at him as a grizzled veteran simply because of the way he acts.
"We didn't really know what to expect from him, you know? You get thrown into the fire, you never know what's gonna happen, but he came in, he showed a lot of poise through those three games," said junior tight end Tony Collins. "I've never seen him get out of it, like, get mad about things or get frustrated about a bad throw. He's always next play, he always tries to talk to us just to make sure that we're doing well. So, Prka is gonna be something great for the program for years to come, for sure."
Head coach Troy Purcell said part of the reason he thinks people have bought in is due, in part, to the team mindset heading into any game.
"I think they believe in him, they’ve seen him in practice and they, you know, they believe in whoever the quarterback is because whoever is going to be back there is the guy for that game," said Purcell. "Whoever it's going to be, that's who they're going to put their trust in and that's why we're going to move forward and that's how you play for each other here."
Following the Fighting Saints' 34-0 homecoming win over the MSU-Northern Lights on Saturday, Prka said it was a noteworthy day.
"It's pretty special. Old-time quarterback, Mr. Wiggins; he came up to me and congratulated me and that's pretty cool. He's a really cool guy and I really appreciate that," said Prka.
Prior to Prka's start in week five against Southern Oregon, redshirt sophomore Devan Bridgewater lined up under center for the Saints' first three games and posted similar splits, but with less success. Bridgwater completed 57% of his 94 attempts for 573 yards with one passing touchdown and two interceptions.
Regardless of who is under center for the Saints next, they'll face a stiff test in Billings on Oct. 23 against Rocky Mountain College.
