Syracuse Strong: Zavon Watkins (Player of the Game) Week 4 interview

In Week 4 the “next man up” mentality was in full effect. Here’s how Zavon Watkins led the Syracuse Strong to victory and here’s our full interview.

When a player is injured or unavailable, coaches always preach “next man up”. It’s a tired old football cliche, but it was 100 percent true in Week 4 of the Syracuse Strong season.

Star quarterback Jason Boltus was unavailable due to other commitments, so Syracuse had to count on someone else to step up to the plate: wide receiver Zavon Watkins?!

Yes, that’s right the reigning NFA Offensive MVP at wide receiver jumped over to the quarterback position.

"“The coaches always prepare us to be ready for anything and knowing multiple positions. This is semi-pro so you never know what’s going to happen to these guys. We’re always prepared to step up to the plate and do our jobs.”"

As Syracuse Strong Team President Khalid Bey mentioned in our previous interview, minor league players can’t be compensated by rule. So in other words, all of these practices and games are voluntary, players can frequently miss games.

Especially when you go on the road. In Week 4 of the 2019 season, the Strong went on a near three-hour road trip to Lockport to face the Wildcats. The responsibility falls on the players to find a way to the road venue.

This game, in particular, had some additional emotions more so than the normal game:

"“This was a big game for us. This was a rematch of the NFA Championship game from last yearMore from Inside the Loud HouseSyracuse Football: Cuse boils Purdue, turns attention to Army on SaturdaySyracuse football only team in country with top-5 scoring offense, defenseSyracuse Basketball: 4-star Elijah Moore not in top 100, and I don’t get thatSyracuse basketball 4-star west-coast recruit, in new rankings, into top 20Syracuse basketball is hitting D.C. market hard in pursuit of 4-stars, 5-starsso we knew we wanted to put our foot on their throats. I’m proud of my guys and how we played.”"

With that came a lot of trash talking from the other side and extracurricular antics (documented in full here):

"“A lot of trash talking out there, it’s a part of the game. You just have to stay mentally prepared and be focused on the task at hand. We’re just trying to have fun out there.”"

The players didn’t need any extra motivation in this one as they dominated throughout coming away with a 65-20 victory.

Zavon Watkins was a major reason for that contributing both through the air and on the ground:

• 9-of-12 from the field for 140 passing yards and three touchdowns through the air.
• He also contributed eight carries for 24 yards and another touchdown.

Despite someone else jumping in at quarterback, it was a seamless gameplan for the Strong. They adapted to the personnel on the field, not a ton of complicated throws, a few quarterback draws to maximize Zavon’s athleticism and a huge win in the books.

"“We definitely prepared for this game. Our preparation for this one was perfect and I think we executed exactly the way we wanted too.”"

Also, a 75 percent completion percentage isn’t too bad for a fill-in:

"“Being behind (Jason) Boltus, is good enough for me man. I’ve just been watching him and he’s been teaching me everything.”"

With a performance like that, does star Syracuse Strong quarterback Jason Boltus have to watch his back now for his starting job?

"“(Laughter) I think so after that performance. This is just a little bit of bragging rights for me to go back to Jason and show him what I did and what my teammates delivered on the scoreboard. He knows what is going on.”"

All quotes for this piece were via an interview with Zavon Watkins at the conclusion of the game on the field.