Ashland senior quarterback Taylor Housewright has had a unique college experience.

In three varsity seasons at Ashland High School, he completed 479 passes for 6,582 yards and 67 touchdowns. He was one of the most highly sought after quarterbacks in Ohio, but chose to stay home to play for AU head coach Lee Owens.

“I really believe in (Owens) and he sold me on him,” Housewright said.

Heading into his fifth season, he does not regret the decision one bit. The 2012 season will be his third as a starter. He has gotten to play in front of the same fans that have followed him since he was a 15-year-old playing down the road at Community Stadium. He has also been able to share that experience with some of his best friends.

Housewright, kicker Gregg Berkshire, defensive back Logan Kerr and linebacker Tyler McFarlin all came in together from AHS. Berkshire and Kerr graduated in the spring, but McFarlin will return for a fifth year alongside his high school teammate.

“There’s not a lot of people that can say they played college football with their best friends in their hometown,” Housewright said.

After redshirting his first year at AU, he spent the next year backing up Ashland great Billy Cundiff. Cundiff was like an older brother to Housewright, who grew up with two sisters.

Cundiff’s tutelage paid off during Housewright’s first game as a starter.

Playing in front of a raucous home crowd against a Bloomsburg team that ended the season with a record of 10-3, he unleashed a 96-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Joe Horn on the way to a 24-14 victory.

As promising as that first game was, the next three were just as humbling. The Eagles lost close games to Indianapolis, Hillsdale and Northern Michigan. The losses were hard on Housewright, who placed much of the blame on his own shoulders. Any respect he had lost in the huddle was quickly gained back when he led AU to seven straight wins to finish the season, just missing the playoffs with an 8-3 record.

“By the end of the year, we were playing better than anybody in the country,” he said.

Unfortunately, the offense that was firing on all cylinders lost ten seniors between Housewright’s sophomore and junior seasons. The Eagles had to replace five receivers and five offensive linemen. Though they started the year 5-2, the inexperience took its toll.

In arguably their biggest win of the season over No. 6 Wayne State Oct. 15, Housewright rallied his team for 17 fourth quarter points. He was so beat up afterwards, however, that he was unable to play the next week at Saginaw Valley State. Ashland lost that game 27-6.

“I probably took too many shots that I shouldn’t have that I could have gotten out of, whether it be checking the ball down instead of running or getting out of bounds,” Housewright said.

This year he will be focused on making the smart play to preserve his body, even if it means giving up yards on early downs.

“Those kinds of things just come with experience,” Owens said. “It doesn’t mean you’re any less of a warrior.”

It also helps that the young players Housewright helped bring up last year are a year wiser. They are also hungry after the way last year finished. Losses to Ohio Dominican and Lake Erie in the final two games diminished any possibility of AU making the playoffs.

This will be Housewright’s second season as the captain of the offense. Only twice in 18 seasons of coaching college football has Owens entrusted that title to a junior. Even as a sophomore, Housewright earned the respect of his teammates. Heading into his senior season, it is clear the Eagles will go only as far as he takes them.

“It’s about as much his team as it can be,” Owens said.

One thing is clear: when the Eagles take Fred Martinelli Field Aug. 30 to play Indy, one player’s introduction will induce more noise than anyone else’s. That player will be Taylor Housewright. It will be his sixth season starting at quarterback in front of his hometown crowd.

That crowd will miss him when the season is over. He’ll be determined to give them a season to remember him by.