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AIPROPX ReportYahoo Sports · 1h ago
Norwalk quarterback Easton Pace broke out last season. Now comes the next challenge.
Norwalk quarterback Easton Pace passes during the Grip It and Rip It football tournament at New Canaan High School on July 10, 2026. (Arnold Gold/Hearst Connecticut Media)
NORWALK - Easton Pace won't be sneaking up on opponents this season.
That is both the reward and the challenge facing Norwalk's junior quarterback following a breakout sophomore year. Pace will no longer surprise anyone, and both he and his coaches know it.
"I want to show that I get better every year," Pace said. "I want to show them how I can really be as a quarterback. I want to show them my journey and what I can really do."
Norwalk coach Mike Forget said adjusting to that heightened profile falls as much on the coaching staff as it does on Pace.
"Everyone knows who he is, and that's our job as coaches, to change things, to accommodate him, to be successful," Forget said. "Some of the stuff we were doing offensively last year, we're not doing this year because they caught up to us. But now they're going to have to catch up to him with the new stuff we're doing."
It's easy to understand why Pace has everyone's attention.
Last season, he led the Bears with 1,184 rushing yards - 131 per game - and 18 touchdowns while throwing for 1,337 yards and 17 more scores.
Both player and coach point to the same area of growth entering his second season as the starter: reading defenses instead of relying on instinct and athletic ability.
"The biggest leap is actually growing into reading a defense," Forget said. "He's got all the talent in the world. The ability to read and not just guess, that's been his biggest jump from last year to this year."
Pace agreed, crediting both film study and his ability to recognize coverages in real time.
"It's film, but it's also realization in real time," Pace said. "You can see people shifting and you're like, OK, they're in Cover 2, they're in disguise or something, so you drop to like Cover 6."
Forget said reading defenses is something Pace has developed through repetition, tracing the progression back to his freshman year.
"As a freshman, he didn't get taught that. Youth players are never taught that," Forget said. "As a sophomore, it was, 'Why do I need to do that when I can just run?' Then he figured out the game caught up to him. Now he's ahead of the game. 'You think I'm going to run? No, wait a minute, I'm going to pull up and throw this.'"
Norwalk's run-pass option scheme has become central to that development, and Pace pointed to trust as one of the biggest factors in making it work.
"I think the key is discipline, patience and trusting your teammates," Pace said. "If you think you can make a play, but your teammate's open, that's the right read. If you trust your teammates, they can probably make a bigger play than you."
The variety in Norwalk's scheme - the Bears run both double and triple RPOs - puts pressure on Pace to process what he's seeing quickly.
"We're doing a lot of RPOs just to get him to read and make adjustments," Forget said. "It develops with repetition. You've got to see it, you've got to react, and every defense isn't going to do the same thing."
Protection up front should also give Pace more time to let plays develop. Norwalk returns an experienced offensive line, with seniors at left tackle, left guard and right tackle and juniors at center and right guard.
"It starts with the line, man," Pace said. "I try to be nice to them as much as I can. If they protect me, then I'm going to be good."
Forget said improved protection could make a significant difference in Pace's development as a passer.
"That was a lot of it last year. He'd get the ball, and two seconds later he's got to react," Forget said. "This year he's got three to four seconds. That extra second and a half, two seconds, makes a huge deal."
One of Pace's most trusted targets is 6-foot-4 junior tight end Rhys Peterson, a friend since well before they became high school teammates.
"We actually grew up together and both played flag football together," Pace said. "That definitely helped in the long run."
Forget, who praised Peterson's size and instincts, called it one of the Bears' most reliable connections heading into the season.
Pace's development hasn't been limited to reading defenses.
He said one of his biggest areas of growth has been finding his voice and becoming more vocal with teammates, particularly during practice.
"I would say definitely being more vocal, mostly during practice," Pace said. "And I think building confidence for my teammates around me."
That maturity also extends to how Pace handles mistakes. Forget said the quarterback has become his own toughest critic.
"He's the hardest on himself," Forget said. "When he screws up, he's like, 'Yeah, I know, coach.' You don't even have to say it."
While Pace has become more vocal, Forget said he remains a naturally quiet player who often leads through his actions.
That includes understanding that his hopes of playing college football depend on more than what he does on Friday nights.
"It starts with grades," Pace said. "Grades, film. Grades, film. You never know when a scout comes, so you always got to be prepared."
Forget echoed that sentiment.
"He's a good kid, a good student and just one of the nicest kids in the world," Forget said. "He knows if he wants to play in the future, that needs to be part of what he's doing. He's a very talented quarterback. If he wants to play in college as a quarterback, he'll do that very well."
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