Hermon’s Ethan Curtis has played quarterback for nearly his entire life.
“Since he was in diapers,” Hermon head coach Kyle Gallant joked. “Since he was just a kid.”
“I’ve been playing quarterback since the third grade,” the senior Curtis said. “All the way up through the youth leagues.”
Quarterback is the position Curtis has always known. So, three weeks ago, when Gallant asked Curtis if he’d be willing to split snaps with junior Griffin Dunton heading into the Class C playoffs, one might expect a hesitant response from the senior.
But that’s just not who Curtis is.
“Whatever I’ve got to do to help the team out and go get us a win, I’m always willing to do it,” Curtis said. “Our main goal is to get a Gold Ball. I’m happy to do anything in my power to make that happen.”
“Ethan Curtis is probably the most humble, wholesome human being that I have ever coached in my life,” Gallant said. “When I approached him and told him what I was thinking, his immediate response was, ‘Coach, I’ll do whatever you need me to do to win us a Gold Ball.”
Curtis, a 1,000-yard passer and all-conference QB in 2026, has played great this season, Gallant reiterated. But after back-to-back close losses to Class C powers Greely and Leavitt late in the year, Gallant wanted to try something new to take pressure off his senior’s shoulders.
The idea? Let Curtis split snaps with Dunton, who Gallant called an “incredible” athlete.
“Ethan’s an incredible quarterback; that decision had nothing to do with him. He’s played great football for us this year,” Gallant said. “Ethan is just more of a pocket passer, and teams had started keying in on our RB Sam Hopkins.
“We can throw Griffin in there on some plays, and he has the speed with his legs that keeps teams honest and makes them decide to either commit to [pursuing] Sam or Griffin. It makes it harder on defenses having to make that decision.”
Dunton is a speedy, 6-foot wide receiver who can make defenders miss with the ball in his hands. Gallant wanted to see him get more touches each game. Splitting time with Curtis — a talented pocket passer — and Dunton out of the wildcat formation has proved a successful formula for Hermon the past two weeks.
When Curtis is in at quarterback, Dunton lines up at wide receiver. When Dunton is playing quarterback, Curtis does the same. Both players are skilled at each position.
“We can both play QB, and we can both catch,” Dunton said. “It’s something that’s hard to plan against.”
“The cool thing about it is that I started my freshman season here playing a little bit of wide receiver when we had a more experienced starting QB,” Curtis said. “So it’s something I’m familiar with and something I can bring to the table.”
On Oct. 30, in the Hawks’ regular-season finale against York, Curtis made the most of his fewer snaps, completing seven of nine passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns. The following week, in the Class C state quarterfinal win over Nokomis, Dunton shouldered the load. He rushed nine times from under center for nearly 150 yards and a score.
Dunton realized how well Hermon’s new split-snap game plan was working quickly in last Friday’s matchup against Nokomis.
“Well, [Nokomis] had to call a timeout pretty early in the first quarter because of how we were moving the ball,” Dunton said. “I kind of realized at that point, ‘OK, they may not know what to do with both of us.”
Curtis and Dunton will take the new split-snap QB system into this Friday’s Class C semifinal matchup at Greely. The Hawks fell 28-14 to the defending state champions on Oct. 16, but there’s a sense of rejuvenation about the team heading into the matchup.
“It’s all about the will and the want with this team,” Dunton said. “I think all 40 guys are willing to put in the work and have the belief that we can win a Gold Ball. Everybody has a role, and they’re all bought into whatever role will help us achieve that goal.”
Hermon will take on Greely in the Class C state semifinals Friday at Greely High School in Cumberland Center. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.