Eagles QB Smith is living the dream

The thought of suiting up for George Washington entered Tony Smith's mind long before he had any inkling that that was where he would spend his senior year.

For Smith and his new receivers at Washington, the what-ifs started when the three were placed together on the Eastern Pennsylvania team at the Badger Sport Elite 7-on-7 Camp in February.

"It just clicked right away," Smith said. "They're awesome players. It was everything a quarterback wants."

The camp, held at Rutgers University in Piscataway, N.J., is a nationally recognized showcase of the nation's best high school football players.

It also gives the players in attendance - in this case, dozens of athletes from 12 Northeast states - a chance to team up with other elite football players in a 7-on-7 tournament.

Smith went to the camp fresh off two years at Father Judge in which he threw for 2,838 yards and 26 touchdowns. He was teamed with Washington receivers Daquan Cooper and Nate Smith.

Like most quarterbacks that weekend, Smith spent his time envisioning the damage he could do on a high school football field with the receivers who were catching nearly every pass that left his hand.

Something struck Cooper about those two days, too.

"The Badger was a great time," said Cooper, a receiver/defensive back entering his senior year at Washington. "You just notice right away that he's a great quarterback. But I had no idea it was coming."

Six months later, it's here.

What was a fantasy team at the Badger is now reality.

Tony Smith is under center at George Washington, having transferred for financial reasons.

And the combination that made a name for itself on a national stage at the Badger is ready to show its home state what all the hype was about.

"Our goal is definitely to win a state championship," Smith said. "I keep telling all the players that all I want to do is take that next step. And for this team, that's the only step left to take."

Smith's transfer to Washington instantly turned the buzz surrounding the school from talk of four-peating in the Public League - a lofty goal in itself - to talk of a state title.

With the hype and expectations growing, Washington coach Ron Cohen gave the matter perspective.

After the graduation of Aaron Wilmer, Cohen maintains that he would have been perfectly comfortable with senior Jamear Seals as his starting quarterback this season.

It's hard to argue with the coach's point. The Eagles have had a knack for regenerating over the years.

Washington has won 12 league titles in Cohen's 25 years at the school.

A week into camp, Cohen insisted there was still a "friendly" quarterback battle on his team and he was just as quick to point out the struggles the Eagles face trying to replace every starter on their offensive line from last season.

Still, Cohen couldn't help but express his own excitement after meeting Smith.

"The thing that impressed me was that he didn't come in here as a hotshot," Cohen said. "He came in and just did his job. He's such a level-headed kid."

Smith's primary targets this season are all Division I recruits. Cooper and senior tight end Brandon Chudnoff have committed to Temple, and Nate Smith, a junior, is committed to South Carolina.

Though Tony Smith says he's taking nothing for granted this season, just like at the Badger, he can't help but smile every time he thinks about his senior year.

"Obviously, I'm going to miss Judge," Smith said. "But it's just exciting knowing I'm getting the chance to play football at George Washington.

"They have great players here, a great reputation, and the kids here, all they want to do is play football. So I'm just really looking forward to the season."