Faith Lutheran QB Portaro making a splash on national circuit

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Tuesday, May 18, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.

Las Vegas area high schools haven't produced many Division I college football quarterback prospects over the years.

Jon Denton of Green Valley High played two years at UNLV in the mid-1990s and Andrew Hatch of Cimarron-Memorial saw action under center for parts of two seasons at LSU from 2007-08.

Faith Lutheran rising senior Joe Portaro is close to being in the position to add his name to the list.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Portaro has received interest from about 20 schools, but because of a thumb injury that sidelined him for six games last fall, he is still waiting for his first scholarship offer.

Several coaches have been in contact, all with a similar message: they'll wait to evaluate game film from his first few games next fall.

"I don't mind having to wait. I still have a lot to prove," Portaro said.

Portaro has taken matters into his own hands this offseason.

He was selected as one of the top three quarterbacks May 8 at the Steve Clarkson Dreammaker Quarterback Showcase in San Diego, shining against a field of 22 rising senior signal callers from the region in an event designed to promote undiscovered quarterbacks.

His performance in drills to test arm strength, accuracy and footwork elevated him to the program's next stage, May 29 and 30 in Santa Barbara, Calif. A duplicate performance would earn him a spot in the program's final seven, which will be contested in July in Maui, Hawaii, and televised.

NFL legends Joe Montana and Warren Moon are scheduled to be instructors in Hawaii.

"My strategy is just to work as hard as I can," he said. "I want to get my school on the (recruiting) map and let the (recruiters) know there is more to see in Las Vegas."

Portaro passed for 962 yards and 11 touchdowns in completing 65-of-143 passes last fall. He missed six games with the injury, but returned to pass for 581 and four touchdowns in the final two games, including a first half to remember against perennial power Palo Verde.

He had his cast removed one day before dissecting the Palo Verde secondary — he passed for 298 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone in putting himself on the recruiting map.

"I pretty much didn't miss a beat. I picked it right back up," Portaro said.

Without Portaro in the lineup, Faith Lutheran struggled to move the ball in finishing 1-8, including losses to Mojave and Boulder City — two teams it might have beaten with Portaro in the lineup.

"He is vital to what we are doing offensively," Kothe said. "He has a great understanding and grasp of what we are trying to do. Combine that with his talent, and he is just so valuable for us."

He has been in contact with the likes of Boise State, Colorado State, Oregon State, UCLA, UNLV and Utah.