Brennan High School football coach Steve Basore never thought he would move a freshman up to the varsity during the regular season.
Then he saw Da'Shawn Key play quarterback for the Bears' freshman team in 2011.
"I'm the type that thought that freshmen could never play varsity football, but he was really the first one to change my mind," Basore said this week. "We saw him play on the freshman level and he was just so dominant. It was like, gosh, I think he could do this on varsity.
"Obviously, it's a big step and all that, but we felt he could be a solid, solid backup. He was definitely better than our varsity backup was at that time. We thought he would learn a whole lot more football and get a lot more experience if we moved him up."
So that's what Basore did, promoting Key to the varsity after he played only one game with the freshman squad. It didn't take long for Basore's decision to pay dividends.
After Brennan lost starting quarterback Dillon Gatian to a broken collarbone in the ninth game of the 2011 regular season, Key helped lead Brennan to a win over Medina Valley in his first varsity start the next week.
Key has started every game for the Bears since then, going 30-3. All three losses have come in the postseason, including last year's Class 4A Division I state final.
Now a senior who turns 18 on Friday, Key sparked Brennan to a 30-7 victory against 13-6A preseason favorite Leander Rouse in their opener last week. A prolific dual-threat quarterback, Key had nearly 300 yards of total offense, passed for two touchdowns and ran for another TD.
Brennan, which moved up to 6A this season, takes on traditional power Smithson Valley at 7 p.m. Thursday at Farris Stadium. The Rangers are coming off a 33-26 double-overtime loss to Midland in their season opener.
"They've been to the state championship multiple times and came up short like us," Basore said. "They're still a great program. Very well coached. We have the utmost respect for them.
"We know they executive well and play very hard, so we better be ready. We're looking forward to the matchup. We understand they're a very good team. We'll have to play great to win."
Brennan has won 24 consecutive regular-season games since losing to Kerrville Tivy on Oct. 8, 2011. The Bears are 36-6 since finishing 0-10 in their first varsity season in 2010, the year Brennan opened, and have gone 28-2 the previous two seasons.
"For me, personally, I want to be the best quarterback I can be for my team," said Key, who is 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds. "That's what always has motivated me. I wanted our program to be the best."
The Bears will face one of the state's most consistent winners in Smithson Valley, which has lost in the state finals three times.
"It's an honor to go up against a program like that," Key said. "We're looking forward to the challenge. People talked about us when we were in 4A and wondered what we could do in the largest class.
"Now that we've stepped up to 6A, we can prove what we've got and how hard we've been working. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to play a team like Smithson Valley. Their defense plays extremely hard."
Brennan played its first four seasons in the University Interscholastic League's second-largest classification, which was 4A until the UIL renumbered its classes earlier this year. Class 5A became 6A, 4A became 5A, 3A became 4A, etc.
Rouse led the Bears 7-0 after one quarter last week, but Brennan outscored the Raiders 27-0 in the second period to take command.
"Rouse had eight defensive starters back," Basore said. "They had a good defense. I knew that was going to be a grinder game. Da'Shawn didn't get gaudy stats, but he still did a real good job of running the offense."
Key has piled up nearly 6,500 yards of total offense
Key was still coolly efficient, completing 7 of 11 passes for 153 yards and two TDs and running for 138 yards and one TD on 19 carries.
"That tells you about his balance, his ability to run and pass," Basore said. "We want to take advantage of that."
Key, who was born in Long Beach, Calif., was only 15 when he played in his first varsity game in 2011. He played the entire second half in a loss to Sam Houston in the third game of the season after Gatian rolled an ankle.
"It was scary, crazy feeling," Key said what it was like to start at quarterback as a freshman. "It was bittersweet because I got separated from my class and I got put with the older guys, but they really accepted me as a young starter. They kind of motivated me and trusted me to lead the team. They helped shape me into the player I am now."
Key has been one of the most prolific quarterbacks in South Texas since his freshman season, piling up 6,482 total yards, passing for 45 TDs and running for 57 TDs. He has passed for 3,422 yards and thrown only nine interceptions – with five coming his freshman year – and rushed for 3,060 yards.
Besides his skill set, Key has two important qualities that all outstanding quarterbacks have at every level.
"He's just naturally competitive, and he's got natural leadership," Basore said. "And those are two outstanding qualities for any athlete, regardless of sport. But as a quarterback specifically, those are two good attributes to have."
Key already has gotten a scholarship offer from UTSA. More offers are sure to come if he has the kind of season he had last year, when he passed for 1,809 yards and 22 TDs and ran for 2,002 yards and 35 TDs.
"I actually enjoy UTSA and I like the campus," Key said. "I think that they've got a great program and it's growing. It would be cool to be part of that, and I kind of like being close to my family and friends."
