SANDY — On one hand, statistics could succinctly prove that Jordan quarterback Alex Hart is a phenomenal high school football player.
Heading into last weekend, Hart led the entire country in passing yards with 2,693 and was second in passing touchdowns with 28.
That's right — the entire country.
Considering Hart has been atop the leaderboard for passing yards throughout the season, it's conceivable he could finish as the nation's top passer by the time he's finished this fall.
But on the other hand, stats don't come close to fully measuring what Hart brings to the table. Indeed, as Jordan coach Eric Kjar pointed out, a much better way to evaluate Hart is to look at everything that can't be measured by stats.
"He has a lot more intangibles than a lot of people out there think he has," said Kjar. "I always get the question, 'Why aren't schools coming after him?' (But) his important traits, for me and for the quarterback position, are mostly intangible-type traits or traits that just are really tough to teach.
"He's got great poise. He'll hang in there with all kinds of crap breaking down and then deliver the ball while getting knocked on his face. He just does a great job that way."
Kjar, then Jordan's offensive coordinator, believed Hart could thrive in his sophisticated spread offense when Hart became Jordan's starting quarterback at the start of last year.
But even Kjar's been surprised by just how good Hart has become over the past year-and-a-half.
Hart and his teammates have worked extremely hard during that time period, and the results on the football field have been pretty spectacular.
"Sometimes I've moved too quick for him, but he's the one that's picked it up the best — by far — just from a mental standpoint of any of our quarterbacks," said Kjar. Former Jordan star QB "Sean Taylor was a first-team All-Stater, so that's sayin' something. Alex has really escalated."
In the beginning, Hart says, he felt extremely nervous in his role as a starting quarterback. As time has passed, though, he's clearly grown to become incredibly comfortable in Jordan's dynamic offense.
"There wasn't one point," Hart said when asked if there was a specific spot between last year and this year when he knew he had become comfortable. "I think it just kept building to the point where I don't even think about it and I know my receivers will catch it and run forever."
That they have been doing.
In Year 1, Hart benefited from playing behind one of the best offensive lines in the state. Four of those five linemen graduated, however, between last year and this year, and everyone — Hart and Kjar included — wondered how the new guys would fare.
As it's turned out, however, the line — all things considered — has been pretty stellar. All of the skill players around Hart have also been outstanding, and that's made the Beetdiggers' offensive attack extremely good.
And along the way, Hart has racked up Maddenlike numbers. Entering last Friday's showdown with Lone Peak, Hart was averaging 384.7 yards and four TDs per game.
Asked about the fact that he leads the nation in passing yards, Hart, who doesn't have scholarship offers yet but has drawn recruiting attention from Utah State, Wyoming, Southern Utah and Weber State, heaped praise on all of his other guys.
"I'm very proud of what I've done, but it's definitely a product of having good receivers and a good line and a good coach to teach me what to do," Hart said of his numbers. "I like what I've done, but it's definitely come from a lot of help from other people — a lot."
e-mail: drasmussen@desnews.com