Best friend helps Memorial win a Sectional Title after starting quarterback injured

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - It certainly wasn’t something Memorial expected to happen, but after Starting Quarterback Matthew Fisher went down with an injury early on in the season, everyone had to adjust, including Fisher himself.

“I think I just had to flip a switch pretty quickly,” said Fisher, “and realize that I had to take on a new role, and that’s vocal leader.”

And when junior Wide Receiver Luke Ellspermann approached Head Coach John Hurley about taking over the starting QB role, Coach Hurley needed to adjust as well.

“Here’s the thing to take into consideration, Luke thinks he can do everything,” Coach Hurley said with a smile.

“He was like, ‘no,’” said Ellspermann. “He’s seen me throw, my throwing motion was terrible at the start, and he didn’t think there was any way that was going to happen.”

Even Matthew Fisher, one of Luke’s childhood best friends, was taken aback by the idea.

“I’ve never seen Luke play quarterback, except maybe when we were in the backyard. But, Luke was in my ear a lot about trying to get me to help him out,” said Fisher.

And once Coach gave Ellspermann the green light to start at quarterback, Fisher knew he had to help his buddy out.

“He definitely made fun of me, he has a pretty perfect throwing motion, and mine is not the best, so he still makes fun of me to this day,” said Ellspermann.

So, Matthew had to give some pointers.

“You look so stiff, you need to loosen up, don’t be so tight, just relax. There you go,” said Fisher as he coached up his friend.

While he may take the occasional jab at his throwing mechanics, Fischer helped Luke out the most with the mental side of being a starting quarterback.

“Staying calm and realizing that you’re in charge of the offense,” said Ellspermann. “That’s the biggest thing for me, it’s never really been the physical part, it’s been the mental, and he’s really helped me out with that.”

And now, after suffering a devastating setback for the team in losing Fisher, the Tigers are now gearing up for a regional championship, in part thanks to an incredible play against Reitz. A 70-yard touchdown that started with a pass from Ellspermann, certainly cause for celebration.

“We bumped helmets and we were getting pretty pumped up,” said Ellspermann.

So after the big win, perhaps it was time for Ellspermann to get a new evaluation from his best friend.

“Well, he’s taking care of the ball, he’s winning, and he’s putting up points, so those are the three most important things as quarterback, so, I’ll give him an A.”

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