Jordan Rae looks to lead CBA to 2nd consecutive Class A state championship
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In his junior year, Jordan Rae threw for 2,207 yards and 26 passing touchdowns at the helm of Christian Brothers Academy’s State Championship-winning squad. But he noticed he needed to improve reading coverages, and spent the offseason reviewing film with quarterback coach Bob Battaglia rather than simply focusing on his fundamentals.
“His knowledge of football – he was like a sponge,” Battaglia said. “Whatever I asked him to do, he grasped it in an incredibly efficient manner.”
Earning the starting spot as a sophomore, Rae has worked alongside Battaglia to become a top quarterback in Syracuse. This season, Rae has shown out for CBA and fueled the Brothers to a 5-0 record, searching for their third state championship in program history.
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On the junior-varsity team his freshman year, Rae was severely undersized as CBA’s starting quarterback.
“I looked at him and I thought, ‘how am I gonna make this work,’” Battaglia said. “He was so small.”
Battaglia said Rae impressed the coaching staff with his knowledge of the game and willingness to learn. And after spending most of his freshman year in the weight room, he prepared himself for the starting role on varsity as a sophomore.
But Rae only took the field as the starting quarterback in the spring of 2021 because of COVID-19. In between his freshman and sophomore year, he frequently met with Battaglia on Zoom to review film for reading varsity defenses.
Since his first start, the coaching staff gave Rae the keys to the offense. Battaglia said play calls were merely suggestions sometimes, and that they anticipated Rae to call audibles. During his COVID-19 shortened sophomore season, Rae threw for 1,135 yards and 15 touchdowns in five starts without an interception.
“What it really comes down to is trust,” said Casey Brown, CBA’s varsity head coach. “If he sees something, he can check out of (the play).”
Wide receiver Syair Torrence said Rae has a certain level of confidence when in charge of the offense, one that “rubs off on everyone else.” Torrence added that Rae studies the responsibilities of every offensive position, not just his own.
“You won’t see another person at his age that can do what he does,” Torrence said. “He sparks the team when it needs to be sparked. He walks the talk.”
Rae responded to Brown and the coaching staff’s trust with a Class A state Championship in 2021. He also utilized his mobility as a dual-threat, scoring seven rushing touchdowns.
Unlike his sophomore season, Rae struggled midway through CBA’s fall 2021 campaign. In a 51-30 loss to Indian River, Rae threw his first interception of his varsity career. A week later, the Brothers lost to West Genesee 21-0. After a third-straight loss to Fayetteville-Manlius, they eventually rebounded.
But Rae described himself as a “resilient” player that will “push for what’s best,” and after CBA reached the state championship game, Rae delivered a near-perfect performance. He threw for 276 passing yards and three touchdowns in CBA’s narrow 32-31 win over Somers.
To achieve the same success as last season, Rae said the Brothers need to take their 2022 campaign “one game at a time,” maintaining the same chemistry as its previous squad. Rae has continued to work on his game, but he’s spent most of this senior season helping out the next generation of CBA’s offense.
Rae gives reps to the younger backup quarterbacks in practice, who Battaglia said could be ready to start now because of Rae’s help. Brown said that Rae has “become an assistant coach” with not only his play on the field, but his coaching off of it.
“He’s become a true leader in the community,” Brown said. “He understands that there are younger players watching and now are trying to emulate him.”
