Many football players have lofty expectations for themselves throughout their careers.
Pinnacle senior quarterback Spencer Rattler is no different. Except for the fact that his goals are about as large as they can get.
He wants to win the Heisman Trophy and go on to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft.
Rattler is the top Arizona player in his class in both the 247sports composite rankings and the ESPN 300 rankings. 247sports rates the Pinnacle senior as a 5-star recruit — the only in Arizona — and the No. 25 player in the country. He ranks No. 16 among the top 2019 recruits in the country per ESPN 300.
To reach this point, Rattler has excelled over the last three years leading Pinnacle’s offense. Entering the 2018 season, the quarterback has 9,220 career passing yards and 93 passing touchdowns. That includes last year, when he passed for 3,946 yards and 45 touchdowns while leading Pinnacle to the quarterfinals of the 6A Conference playoffs.
“I feel like I’m just comfortable,” Rattler said. “I play confident and I play with swagger and I just have fun, really.”
Rattler’s success on Friday nights spawns from the work he puts in, including during the offseason. The Pinnacle senior has worked with Mike Giovando of the Elev8 Academy, a quarterback camp that works with some of the best quarterbacks in Arizona.
“He was born with some special talent, especially when it comes to throwing the ball,” Giovando said. “I think that kind of God-given talent comes in some of us. He’s got the gift of the arm, for sure. …
“At this point in high school, I’ve never coached anybody better. He’s definitely the top.”
With three years of experience at Pinnacle, Rattler and the Pioneers are poised to have another big season as the senior quarterback concludes his high school career. Pinnacle opens its campaign with a home game against Perry on Aug. 17. Fans can watch Rattler and the Pioneers on YurView and YurView.com when they host Liberty on Oct. 12.
Next year, Rattler’s career will continue at Oklahoma, one of the elite college football programs in the nation. The Sooners have won 10 or more games in seven of the last eight seasons and have made the College Football Playoff twice since the system was implemented for the 2014 season, including last year.
It will be exciting to see where Rattler’s career goes after leaving Pinnacle. And perhaps, one day, he’ll be hoisting a Heisman Trophy and walking across the stage at the NFL draft.
But first, high school football fans should enjoy watching Rattler air it out in Arizona for one more year.
