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Quarterback Bowman sparks surging Ridgeland

By: Lindsey Young
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Mark Mariakis

When the subject of the recently crowned Georgia Region 6-AAA champion Ridgeland Panthers is brought up, the immediate reaction is to conjure up an image of Mike Bowman making another acrobatic catch or Terryl Freeman breaking tackles in another big run.

The team’s coaches give another name as the unquestioned leader of this surging 8-2 team, however.

“Without a doubt, Carlan is the guy who makes everything go,” head coach Mark Mariakis said, referring to senior quarterback Carlan Bowman. “He takes control of the huddle and everyone listens to him. Our offense just isn’t the same when he’s not in there.”

There is proof to that claim. The 6-foot, 190-pound quarterback missed most of the first three games with an ankle injury, and the Panthers went 1-2 and scored a combined 32 points. Since he returned to full-time action, the team is scoring over 33 points per game and has gone 7-0.

“He’s the spark that makes us go,” Mariakis said. “Everbody has full confidence him him. He’s just so smart. He knows where everybody is supposed to be lined up. He’s easily the coolest, most confident quarterback I’ve ever coached, and he believes so much in his ability to make every play that the other kids have more confidence when a play has to be made.”

Heading into tonight’s first-round playoff game against Carver of Atlanta, quarterback Bowman — who is being recruited by Eastern and Western Kentucky — is 49-for-76 passing (64 percent) for 1,110 yards and 11 touchdowns against three interceptions.

“It motivates me to prove to people that I’m better than most of the other quarterbacks around,” he said when asked about his relative lack of publicity. “I don’t really care what about what people say. I know what I can do on the field, so I let that take care of it. Plus, I know that I have a hand in what Mike and Terryl do, and the big thing is the team’s success.”

Freeman, who has battled his own injuries and defenses stacked against the run, is right at 1,000 yards rushing while Mike Bowman has 827 yards on 28 receptions (a 29.5 per-catch average). The Panthers as a team have amassed 3,664 yards and average 8.3 yards per play, numbers that have risen considerably in recent weeks.

Carlan Bowman’s run as a three-year starter had two early tests. The first came as a freshman when then Ridgeland star Nigel Nicholas de-cleated him during an early practice. Bowman jumped right back up, earning him immediate respect.

“He’s never been afraid to be hit,” Mariakis said. “That proved to everyone that he was tough.”

The other test came in Bowman’s first start his sophomore season, one in which coaches weren’t sure if he had what it took a that age to be the team’s leader.

“He had a bad first half against Gordon Lee, and we thought about replacing him,” Mariakis said, laughing. “Needless to say, we didn’t and I’m glad. He proved that day that he could handle adversity, and he’s been mentally tough ever since.”

That toughness will be tested again tonight as the Panthers try to earn the first playoff win in school history. But as region champs, they won’t be content with winning one game, Carlan said.

“This class of ’09 has done a lot of things no other class here has done,” he said, exuding the confidence his coach so admires, “and now we want to win the state. I really think we can do it.”

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