Crist Shows Crispness of a Veteran

North Hollywood High quarterback Jimmie Crist epitomizes his team’s surprising 3-0 start.

Before the Huskies’ opener, few thought much of North Hollywood or its quarterback.

But three weeks into the season the Huskies are surging and Crist has thrown more touchdown passes than any other City Section quarterback in the area.

Crist, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound senior, threw six touchdown passes last week against visiting Verdugo Hills to pace the Huskies’ 41-18 rout. He completed nine of 13 passes for 184 yards. At one point, Crist threw four consecutive passes for touchdowns; a fifth was dropped in the end zone.

An improbable feat for an unlikely quarterback.

Only two years ago, Crist was the B team’s starting linebacker and tight end. He belonged anywhere but in the pocket, according to North Hollywood Coach Gary Gray, who coached Crist on the B team in 1990.

“We tried him at quarterback and he was horrible,” Gray said.

Crist agrees--somewhat. As an eighth- and ninth-grader, Crist said, he could throw the ball 70 yards on the money. Crist might have measured things differently before high school because a year later he couldn’t hit a parked car from 20 yards.

“I don’t know exactly how to explain it,” Crist said. “But it’s the truth.”

Despite his shortcomings, Crist made his varsity debut at quarterback three games into the 1991 season. He replaced starter Chris O’Connor in the fourth quarter against Grant and completed the lone pass he threw in that game--for zero yards.

But it was enough for Crist to win the starting position for the final seven games. He completed 31 of 97 for 315 yards and one touchdown--the only touchdown winless North Hollywood scored last year.

It was athleticism--not statistics--that convinced Gray to keep Crist at quarterback. However, Crist’s performances continue to surprise Gray.

“It’s something we had not expected,” Gray said. “This year, it’s all coming together for him. He’s really unleashing the ball.”

Crist, who lives in Sylmar but attends North Hollywood because of its curriculum, has completed 17 of 36 for 330 yards and already has surpassed last year’s totals for yardage and touchdowns.

For the most part, Crist credits his linemen who have given him more time to throw. “In the first game, I was out of rhythm because I had so much time,” he said.

Time was something Crist lacked last year. Not surprisingly, he developed nervous feet and fled the pocket at the first sign of pressure. One year of experience has changed Crist’s outlook and his tendency to run from trouble.

“I’m going to take the hit anyway,” Crist said. “So I figured it would be a lot better if I completed the pass.”

Of his six touchdown passes, Crist saw only three.

He was on the bottom of a pile for the other three, and he relied on his ears instead of his eyes.

“I would just listen to the crowd,” Crist said. “I knew by the way they went wild that it was a touchdown.”