The Daniel and Michelle Larkin Family - Shane's 2008 Football Season
 
10/17/2008
Work horse 
By: BRENDAN O'MEARA , The Saratogian 
SCHUYLERVILLE - Senior place-kicker Dan Ladd warmed up by kicking footballs to the north end zone of the Schuylerville High School football team's home field.

Meanwhile, junior quarterback and linebacker Austin Bateman posed for his picture, running here and there, paying little attention to Ladd's kicks.

"While you're lookin' pretty," Ladd said, "why don't you grab my ball?"

Such comments were laced throughout the afternoon with whistles and hoots from Bateman's stretching teammates.

"It goes both ways," Bateman said. "They give me crap and I give them crap. It's fun."

Such is life for the three-year quarterback who has the touch to loft a pass over the fingertips of a defensive back and the brute aggression to lower his shoulder and bull over a defender. The latter gets credit for the tackle, but Bateman may as well get partial credit once the DB peels himself off the turf.

The Black Horses have been running over all teams in 2008 - outscoring the opposition 240-43 - and it has been Bateman leading the way in the shotgun with 10 rushing touchdowns.

"It's been fun for everyone," he said. "We're all family."

That family remains unbeaten at 6-0 and ranked No. 8 in the Class C state poll, their only test coming in a 22-21 win over Broadalbin-Perth, a Class B school.

During the past two and a half seasons, it has been Bateman under center and calling the shots. The southpaw has grown in that time from a raw quarterback to one who is seasoned with dozens of games and thousands of snaps.

"I'm just more confident and I know what I'm doing in the offense," Bateman said. "The more years you play, the easier and slower the game gets. I'm more comfortable."

From the eyes of head coach Greg O'Connor, he has not noticed much of a change in Bateman from Day 1 to now, only because he was ready to go without the normal set of apprehensions.

"He's a competitor," O'Connor said. "He's never backed down. He has no fear, from the first day of hitting to his first Saturday, he's been ready to go. He goes 1-on-1 with those guys. He doesn't back down, he never has, since his first day on the varsity practice field. He's a tough kid."

Bateman's approach in the past few seasons has not changed much either. So long as Schuylerville puts up one more point than the other team, he does not care about anything else.

In the offseason, he hit the weights and threw with Schuylerville assistant coach Marcus Labombard, simply threw.

"I go out and work hard," Bateman said, "I rely on the team and they rely on me to pull out the victory."

And that often means arcing passes to Brad Lyon, handing the ball off to Shane Larkin or just keeping it himself and breaking the plane. 

"I just do anything to get the job done," Bateman said. "I'll do anything I can to get the victory."

These days, his experience has translated into a greater understanding of the Black Horses' offense and of the game itself.

"As a freshman, he would just go out there and do what came naturally as an athlete," O'Connor said. "It's been a huge step for him this year. He understands what we want and gets guys and puts them in the right spot. He knows the routes and he's got a thorough knowledge of the offense now."

Mainly running out of the shotgun, Bateman puts many yards on his legs, leading his team in scoring. No matter the score, no matter the situation, he always scores and hands the ball to the referee and trots back to the sideline.

"I try to do it after Walter Payton," he said. "I used to watch his games with my dad. He's the reason I play football, how he played and how he worked at what he did."

Tonight, Bateman and the Black Horses will take on 4-2 Cambridge in a rematch of last year's Section II Class C Super Bowl, which the Indians won, 21-20. O'Connor figures Bateman to play a part, though no larger than the other 10 guys on the field.

"He's an important part, but he's just one of many who contribute," he said. "He's the quarterback. The other guys make him look good and he tries to make them look good. He couldn't do this by himself and he knows that as well as anybody."

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