With improved passing game, Raidon Kuroda hopes to be a dominant force for Yough

By: Ted Sarneso
Thursday, August 22, 2024 | 11:01 AM

The football hung in the air for about three seconds. It was thrown without too much arc and wasn’t a bullet pass. It was on a perfect line.

Off of play action, the receiver broke away from his defender at the 50-yard line, caught the ball in stride and coasted for an 80-yard touchdown.

“There we go!” exclaimed Yough coach Ben Hoffer.

Senior quarterback Raidon Kuroda closed the Aug. 15 practice with his best throw of the day.

That’s not to say Kuroda’s other throws were bad. Throughout the day, he hit his receivers either in the numbers with the pass or placed it only where they could catch it.

“It’s his third year in the offense, so he knows it very well,” said offensive coordinator Casey Teagarden. “If he can make the type of throws I’m asking him to make this season, then the sky’s the limit.”

What Kuroda showed on that humid August morning was the payoff for all the hard work he did in the offseason to better what “was a weak point in my game.”

“In the past couple of years, I felt uncomfortable throwing the ball or trusting where it would go,” Kuroda said. “But this year I’ve worked on my footwork and this is the most comfortable I’ve felt throwing a football.”

“He’s made huge strides in a year in getting his shoulders in line with his target and throwing the ball on time,” said Teagarden.

Last year, Kuroda threw for 688 yards, ran for another 689 and scored a total of 11 touchdowns. This year, he is striving for 1,000 yards each.

Playing behind a veteran offensive line that has played together since they were freshmen and a possessing a deeply talented receiving core, Kuroda should reach the heights everyone expects him to hit.

“Everyone knows what Raidon can do,” said Hoffer. “He can run, he can throw, and his IQ is amazing. His duality makes him difficult for defensive coordinators to scheme around him. He’s the focal point of the offense. We go as he goes.”

Where Kuroda wants to go, and where he wants to take the Cougars, is to the playoffs, which also means securing a winning record. Yough hasn’t accomplished either since 2013 when it finished with a 6-5 record and made the postseason.

“The mentality around Yough is that we were going to come in get our two wins and end with another losing record,” Kuroda said. “We need to change that mentality and if we do, we can change the hearts of the students and the fans and get more people out to support us during games.”

As the team’s quarterback, Kuroda is fully aware he will be looked upon to lead the Cougars to their goals.

“I’ve been playing quarterback my whole life, so, no, I don’t really feel any added pressure,” Kuroda said. “It’s kind of been my calling. I’ve always wanted it. I’m always studying and working hard to be a leader. I’m looking to take some of the burden off my teammates.”

Kuroda is also a two-way player, starring on defense for the Cougars. In most cases, the quarterback tends to play safety on the defensive side, but Kuroda has been a force at middle linebacker.

Knowing how rigorous playing both positions can be, Kuroda spent his offseason improving his diet and going harder in the weight room, which helped him pack on 15 pounds of muscle.

At 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, he is a force no team wants to see bearing down on them on either side of the ball.

“Personally, I would not want to face this kid coming at me in a hole 15 or 16 times a game,” said Teagarden. “He runs behind his pads and doesn’t avoid contact.”

“He also looks faster,” added defensive coordinator Devin Owens. “From what I saw on last year’s film to what I’m seeing on the field this summer, his progression and growth is amazing. He’s everything you want in a leader.”

Kuroda’s goals defensively are to duplicate, or best, his 100-plus total tackles from last year and force more turnovers.

“He’s reads plays and gets to his spot before the blockers can get there,” said Hoffer. “He just has a knack for finding the ball that no one in my years of coaching has had. He avoids blocks when he can and blows up plays in the backfield.”

Being the focal point on offense and a tackling machine on defense could be too much for some to bear, but Kuroda has remained even-keeled throughout the offseason and is ready to show off what he’s learned and be the catalyst the Cougars need him to be.

“My time’s come and I’m trying to leave a legacy here and revitalize the Yough football program,” Kuroda said. “I believe we’re going to go far and do some great things this year.”

Tags: Yough