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http://www.pressboxdc.com/2014/10/29/q-a-oakland-mills-quarterback-david-pindell
Q&A: Oakland Mills Quarterback David Pindell
Posted on October 29, 2014 by Justin Silberman
Senior David Pindell has helped change the culture of the Oakland Mills football program with his standout play at quarterback during the last two seasons.
He threw for 1,566 yards and 13 touchdowns and rushed for 651 yards and eight touchdowns to lead the Scorpions to a 4-6 record in 2013 after the team won one game during the two previous seasons combined.
This season, Pindell has put Oakland Mills (7-1) in position to make a run at the Maryland Class 2A state title and capture its first state championship since winning the 1998 Class 1A title game.
Credit: Courtesy of David Pindell
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Pindell has completed 99 of 154 passing attempts for 1,609 yards, 15 touchdowns and four interceptions for a quarterback rating of 120.8. Meanwhile, he has continued to carry the load on the ground, rushing for a team-high 498 yards and 13 touchdowns on 97 carries.
A Syracuse commit, Pindell spoke with PressBoxDC about Oakland Mills' turnaround, his part in helping the Scorpions knock off four-time defending Class 2A champion River Hill and his passion for mathematics.
PressBox: What have you been able to do this season to help the team get off to a 7-1 start?
David Pindell: I think what is making us better this year is our coaching, the way we play and the way we perform in practice. Over the summer, we put in a lot of hard work. The players on this team are more dedicated. They just don't give up. They just keep pushing. They are really dedicated to the program this year. We have a lot better athletes this year.
PB: Entering the season, you stated that your goals were to throw for more than 2,000 yards, rush for 1,000-plus yards, get to the playoffs and make first-team all-county. Are you content with everything you've accomplished to this point?
DP: I think I've met a lot of my goals so far this season. A lot of my stats are better, and a lot of my numbers are better. I've had a lot of success staying in the pocket this year and throwing the ball more. I think that's because we have a bigger offensive line this year. I've been working with my receivers a lot, so I've been able to put the ball in certain spots, and I know they will get it. That's been big for me, because last year I couldn't do that. I couldn't throw the ball where I wanted to and depend on my receivers to get it. I've just slowed down the game and taken my time, which has really helped me this year.
PB: How were you able to have the type of success you did against previously undefeated River Hill (7-1), rushing for 220 yards and three touchdowns and completing 12-of-18 passes for 139 yards?
DP: In practice, we worked on keeping a fast-pace offense, like we've normally been doing to get [River Hill's] players to rest and not be ready when we were ready. Our defense worked on its gap assignments. In past years, that was a big thing. Our defense had trouble stopping [River Hill's] run game, so we worked on that. We just worked on a lot of simple, basic things. We had a mentality going into the game that we were going to come out prepared and win. We didn't doubt ourselves, like we did the past few years when we played against River Hill.
PB: As a dual-threat quarterback, do you consider yourself a pass-first quarterback, run-first quarterback or a combination of the two?
DP: I consider myself a pocket passer. But people who have seen my highlight clips and speed probably consider me a running quarterback, because when I need to run, I can make a lot of big plays when I run. I think of myself more as a pass-first quarterback, because I've already surpassed my passing yards total from last year. I have way more passing touchdowns, too, but I already have more rushing touchdowns this year than I did last year.
PB: How do you think your dual-threat abilities will help you play at Syracuse?
DP: I think it will help me at the next level, because I'll be able to break a lot of defenses down. If they think I'm going to be a threat on the ground, then that's when I can extend plays and throw the ball to my receivers when they try to back off in coverage.
The coaches will also be able to open me up to what they do in their offense at Syracuse, and they can use me in the read-option offense, Wildcat offense, or pro-style offense. I can do a lot of things an actual pro-type quarterback can do.
PB: In addition to learning the Orange's playbook, what do you plan to study in the classroom?
DP: I plan on majoring in accounting and mathematics. I haven't thought about an actual career I'd like to fall into yet. I just know accounting and math are two things I want to study in college, because I'm pretty good at them. That's just what I want to take up.
