Ripon Christian QB Marr ready to take flight for North in Rotary All-Star Game

Billy Marr will take his game to new heights in the fall.

The strong-armed quarterback from Ripon Christian High School, molded by a former NFL quarterback, is headed to Western State Colorado University on scholarship.

There, Marr literally will throw passes from a peak in the Rocky Mountains. The Mountaineer Bowl in Gunnison, Colo., is the highest football stadium (elevation 7,769 feet) in the world.

Just one loose end needs to be tied up before he leaves the Valley floor for the thin mountain air: the North/South Rotary All-Star Football Game on Friday evening, a battle for California’s middle ground.

The 30th annual game will pit the North, a collection of the top talent from Ripon to Le Grand, against the Central Section’s best representing the South at Golden Valley’s Veterans Stadium.

Marr is one of two quarterbacks for the North, coached by Pacheco’s David Snapp. He’ll split snaps this week with former Enochs playmaker Shawn Munoz. Snapp, who has turned Pacheco into a Western Athletic Conference contender in only four seasons, hopes the quarterbacks’ contrasting styles will keep the South on its toes.

Marr is a pure pocket passer and should pair nicely with vertical threats Damarrio Hammonds of Patterson (65 catches, 1,164 yards, 18 touchdowns last season) and Jadin Battles of Mariposa (88 catches, 1,146 yards, eight touchdowns). Hammonds had seven catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns in the Lions All-Star Football Game in Tracy two weeks ago.

Munoz will operate mostly out of the shotgun. Snapp also plans to put him on the edge, where he’s a threat to run or pass. Last year, the 6-foot-1 All-Modesto Metro Conference first-team pick accounted for 2,268 yards and 24 touchdowns, including 10 on the ground. He was the Eagles’ second-leading rusher with 722 yards.

“We have a couple of things in mind just for Munoz’s athletic ability,” Snapp said. “We want to get him in space, around the end and use his athletic ability.”

Either way, from the pocket or on the go, the North intends to fill the air with footballs. Snapp expects to challenge the 35 points scored by the North in last year’s 35-13 victory.

“We want to keep (the South) honest. People want to see a show, so they want to see the ball up in the air,” Snapp said. “We’re looking to put some points on the board.”

Snapp has simplified his offensive schemes because of the short week – the teams will practice only through Wednesday – and much of the focus will be on establishing a rhythm in the passing game. To create more reps for Marr and Munoz, Snapp has limited the number of run plays to six.

Marr grins at that news. He wants the ball in his hands … always has. Fearing he might be under-utilized and lost in Escalon’s vaunted Wing-T offense, Marr transferred to Ripon Christian before his sophomore season. There, he developed under the close watch of Randy Fasani, a former Stanford and Carolina Panthers quarterback.

Fasani coached Marr first as an offensive coordinator and later as his head coach, leading Ripon Christian to the brink of its first Sac-Joaquin Section championship in 2013. He eventually left the small private school to take a coaching position at his alma mater, Del Oro.

“Randy taught me so much. He taught me about mechanics, everything about being a quarterback,” Marr said. “To the point that when he left my senior year, I felt prepared to face the team and lead it. I was confident with my abilities by the time he left. It worked out really nice.”

Marr earned his second All-Southern League selection after guiding the Knights to a 9-3 record and a Division VI semifinal appearance last season.

In parts of three seasons, the last two of which he started every game at quarterback, Marr passed for 3,666 yards and 33 touchdowns.

Snapp doesn’t know Marr well, but he knows enough to be excited about his potential. Pacheco tried to disrupt and deny Marr two years ago during a camp at Orestimba, “so we’re a little familiar with what Ripon Christian tries to do,” Snapp said.

“He’s a big kid. Word on the street is that he isn’t very mobile, but we’re not looking for him to run,” he added. “We want him to sit back and sling the ball to our wide receivers. When he’s in there, we want him to get rid of the ball and let the playmakers make the plays.”

For Marr, the Rotary experience is driven by two factors.

For starters, he says he’s playing for every small-school player who has been overlooked or dismissed.

“I’m representing Ripon Christian and every small school,” Marr said. “I’m hoping I can show them that (playing Division VI) is not what everyone makes it out to be. We can play. We have talent.”

Lastly, it likely will be his last live action for a year. Marr will redshirt his freshman season at Western State Colorado.

With the caliber of players promised on each roster, Marr believes this week’s preparation and Friday’s game will give him a small taste of the collegiate game.

“I’m excited because there are some really high-quality athletes in the area. These are the guys I saw during 7-on-7s in the summer,” he said. “When you play at the D-VI level, you don’t get a lot of the 4.3s (seconds in the 40-yard dash) and the 3-foot verticals. You get just a little less. This is the competition I’ll see in college, and I’m hoping this could be a springboard.”

This story was originally published June 23, 2015 at 5:23 PM with the headline "Ripon Christian QB Marr ready to take flight for North in Rotary All-Star Game."