Ann Arbor Skyline's Askaree Crawford, left, escapes the Ypsilanti Lincoln defensive line for a first down

Joseph Tobianski | AnnArbor.com file photo

Lee Arthur first met Askaree Crawford on the basketball court in the winter of the 2011-12 school year. But he knew immediately he was looking at his future quarterback.

Arthur, Skyline’s varsity football and freshman basketball coach, met Crawford shortly after the student moved from Louisiana to Ann Arbor as a freshman.

He had started as a freshman on varsity at his school in Louisiana in 2011, and when his dad’s job took him to the Ann Arbor area, he gravitated towards Skyline because of its pass-heavy attack.

Askaree Crawford

After winning the starting job as a sophomore, Crawford passed plenty, finishing with more than 1,500 yards passing and 12 touchdowns last year.

Arthur expects Crawford to be even better with a year under his belt.

"Unlimited potential," Arthur said. “He knows the offense, that’s the main thing from last year. Last year he was learning the offense, so I had to slow the offense down from where we ended with Andrew Copp.”

Copp is the former Skyline All-State quarterback who piloted the Eagles in the program’s first two varsity seasons.

The program moved from two years of Copp to likely three of Crawford, a rare junior able to boast two years of varsity experience.

“I’ve learned how to become more of a leader, how to ask more of my players, and just how to get better each year,” Crawford said.

His top two receiving targets from last year, Jack Clark and Percell Franklin, have both graduated. But Crawford said the Eagles’ receiving group as a whole has improved.

“The good thing this year is it feels like instead of just a few good players, it feels like everybody’s getting way better,” Crawford said. “I can spread the field, I can throw it to whoever I want to and count on them to do something with the ball.”

Included in that group is Kornelius Saxton, a transfer from Eastern Washtenaw Multicultural Academy who sat out last year, and Tristan Wilson, the 6-foot-7 basketball player.

“Last year, I spent a lot of time trying to get certain people open,” Arthur said. “This year I can call certain plays and just go through the progression, and whoever’s open, I’m confident.”

Kyle Austin covers sports for AnnArbor.com.