Every Saturday night that Warrior quarterback Jimmy Coy is on the football field, he can look up to the stands and pick his father out of the crowd.

The elder Coy flies from Chicago to Los Angeles just to see his son play. This conjures images from “Rudy” except Coy has talent as well as heart.

Away from the cold and rainy weather of Chicago, Coy has not had any trouble playing in Torrance. Coy has had to make many decisions in the interim between playing in Chicago and playing at EC, but he does not regret coming to California and neither do the Warriors.

This season the Warriors have gone 9-1 and have earned a conference co-championship and spot in the playoffs with Coy leading the way.

Moving far from home can be lonely, but Coy hasn’t had time to stop and think about it.

“I’m hanging out with guys on the team. We have football and school constantly, so I really don’t have time to be lonely,” Coy said.

For a quarterback, Coy is laid-back and enthusiastic about the future and his prospects. Coy stands about 6 feet, has blond scruffy hair, and some stubble. He has a medium build and one can see how he may take rough punishment from a 200-to 300-pound defensive lineman.

Coy has completed 188 of 295 passes for 2,755 yards while throwing 14 touchdowns to only three interceptions.

Coy is enjoying the season but is not getting overconfident about the Warriors’ winning record. He realizes that there is still more work to be done.

“So far, so good. I’m really excited about it, it’s going fast, it’s going really fast,” said Coy. “I hope we just keep winning and make it more fun and I hope we get a (championship) ring.”

Coy started this season taking over for Boo Jackson, and has been very successful. While Jackson was leading the team last year, Coy was watching and learning. Jackson has since moved on to the University of Ohio where Coy still gets a chance to see him play on television, but the two quarterbacks are different when it comes to their style of play.

“I would have to say that (Jackson) was more agile. He was a better runner and he was more vocal,” Coy said. “As a quarterback, you kind of need to do that when things aren’t going well to get your team fired up and (Jackson) did a really good job of that last year. That’s something I still need to work on.”

Jackson also played on a team with a different dynamic, since about 30 players from last year have left to go to different colleges.

“(Jackson) had all the time in the world last year. He had a great line and he had protection for days and it seems like every now and then Jimmy’s getting blown up,” wide receiver Will Bullock said.

In Chicago, Coy loved playing catch with his dad when he was little and started playing Pop Warner at 8 years old. While playing in Pop Warner, he found his niche as a quarterback when he switched over from running back. It has been the same ever since.

Coy attended Maine South High School in Chicago. He is a Chicago Bears fan and grew up watching Northwestern College football.

In high school, his football coach had met some of the EC staff and coaches at a conference. Coy heard that the Warriors were interested in him, and he sent a highlight tape and eventually came out to visit the campus.

“I came out and visited and I liked it a lot. It really just all fell into place from there,” Coy said. “I learned a lot from these coaches, they are really good coaches, and the team is full of really good guys, so that’s basically how I ended up out here.”

In high school in Chicago, Coy’s freshman to junior year football teams made it to the state championship game all three years, but could not win the championship. His team went far, but had trouble finishing, Coy said. He played quarterback throughout high school except for his junior year when he played as a running back, cornerback, kick returner, and punt returner instead of quarterback. This made Coy eager to win in his junior college career at EC.

In his senior year, Coy hurt his lower back by taking more punishment from the opposing defense than his body could handle in a game against a team from Indianapolis.

The injury kept Coy out for two games and it continued to bother him throughout the remainder of the season. Coy believes this had an effect on his recruitment to other colleges.

However, he has no regrets about coming to EC, which is evident from his brimming enthusiasm about the Warriors’ chances this season.

Coach John Featherstone is also glad Coy came to play for the Warriors, coaching a solid team thus far.

“He’s done that at least a half a dozen times for us, he’s come up with the big play,” Featherstone said. “That’s what a quarterback has to do. A lot of times in those games you got to win with great defense and you’ve got to win with a quarterback that makes big plays and Jimmy’s done that.”

As a quarterback, Coy trusts his receivers and the offensive line that protect him. One receiver that Coy has a great dynamic with is Bullock. Many big plays that Coy has made often involved passes to Bullock.

For example, in the Warriors game against Chaffey, Coy completed a pass to Bullock for 46 yards which had EC supporters on their feet.

“We’re really good friends. I think he just trust my ability and what I can do,” Bullock said. “He knows I can get past those defensive backs.”

Another player on the offense that has inspired him this season is Kembrell Thompkins.

“(Thompkins) is one kid that works for everything he is getting right now,” Coy said. “He is having a really great season for his freshman year and he gets to come back for another year. He is finding ways to pick us up in the beginning of the games.”

While Coy did not get much playing time last year, it makes this season a little like a freshman year for him. There are still a few aspects of his game in which improvements can be made.

“(Coy’s) still learning the game, he’s still got a long way to go in terms of his progression on how to read the coverage and get the ball to the primary receivers, but overall he’s done a good solid job for us,” Featherstone said.

For now, Coy prefers not to think about his options after EC. He wants to focus on doing his best in the playoffs. There have not been many calls from recruiters, but that is normal for this time of the year, his coaches say, as colleges usually call later in the season.

“I’m really trying not to think about colleges too much because it’s almost a distraction at this point,” Coy said. “I’m just trying to worry about the season and trying to get as far as we can into the playoffs.”

Coy also does not know where his football career will end up in the long run.

“I guess every kid playing football dreams of going to the pros, in any sport you play,” Coy said. “That would be a great thing.”

Coy has not declared a major and while in college hopes to find out what career interests he may have other than football. However, at the present moment, Coy is focused on football and said there is nothing but good things ahead for the Warriors.

“Everyone has been really coming together as a team, everyone has been working hard in practice and I think it’s really shown on game days,” Coy said. “We’re getting wins.”