Last season was a great one for Ironwood. A state championship appearance and one of the best seasons in recent memory. 

A lot of this was due to the play of Will Haskell, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound quarterback who is now going to Mountain West program San Diego State University to be the Aztecs new signal caller.

This is obviously a huge loss for the Ironwood football program, but the future remains bright.

In comes Connor Monahan, a 6-foot-6, 190-pound quarterback going into his junior season. 

This Eagles team has high expectations for Monahan, who head coach Christopher Rizzo says has all the “measurables, work ethic and attitude” to be successful.

Monahan backed up Haskell on varsity all last season, where he says he learned a lot.

“Working behind Will has helped me tremendously with my mental side of the game and how he handles tough situations,” says Monahan. “That is going to benefit me a lot this season.”

With this starting spot opening up for Monahan to have an opportunity to showcase his talent, it also brings a certain level of pressure. 

Coming off a season where the Eagles made the state championship game with great performances from Haskell, this pressure is to be expected.

“There is a little bit of pressure but the more I work with my coaches and players, the more we gain trust for each other, [I feel] there won’t be any pressure in the equation,” said Monahan.

Monahan is poised and ready to take on any challenge, and his peers have taken notice.

Eagles offensive coordinator Jordan Light had a lot of praise for Monahan when asked about his talents.

“Connor is a naturally real hard working kid. When I joined the program last season and had a chance to coach Connor, the first thing I noticed was his work ethic and interest in studying his offensive assignments,” says Light, adding “he asked a lot of good questions as a sophomore, not just of the coaches, but Will Haskell too.”

Monahan’s learning experience behind Haskell and his intangibles such as work ethic and commitment will be huge in terms of his development into a successful varsity QB.

Monahan’s play in game action is what everyone is most excited to see, though.

The Eagles' offense may look a little different this upcoming season, as Monahan and Haskell are two different types of quarterbacks.

Monahan described his QB style to be “mainly pocket passer but can get out and escape pressure if needed.” He can bring a whole new dynamic to the Eagles offense that his teammates and coaches are excited to see.

Senior running back Elias Hernandez played with Haskell last season and gets to play with Monahan this season.

Hernandez has taken note of Monahan’s strengths during practice this season, saying “Connor’s throwing ability and his arm strength have stood out to me.”

Monahan seems to have it all, both on and off the field in order to succeed as a quarterback. He has the size, work ethic, motivation and talent to be a great player for the Eagles.

The only thing Connor has left to gain is the trust of his coaches and teammates that he’s able to do all he has displayed in practice in game action. Once he gains that, he will have everything Ironwood is looking for in their QB.

“Seeing Will and Coach Rizzo have trust on another level was amazing for me to see,” said Monahan. “So I plan to gain that same type of trust with all of my offensive coaches this year, which will help contribute to our journey back to state.”