SLIPPERY ROCK — Jono Powell is unique.

He stands 5-feet-8 in spikes and weighs 165 pounds in full pads soaking wet. But on the football field, he plays like a giant.

One man cannot tackle the Slippery Rock High senior quarterback. He rarely is driven back on a run and the football shoots out of his hand as if propelled from a hot dog and T-shirt launcher at PNC Park.

Powell is many things to the Rockets: gritty, gutsy, shifty and smart.

But unique sums him up the best.

The proof? With 17 rushing touchdowns, one TD on an interception return and 102 points scored in the first nine regular season games, Powell became the first quarterback to capture the Butler Eagle Scoring Trophy since its inception in 1990.

"Being the first quarterback to win it is definitely a big accomplishment," Powell said. "I'm proud of that."

Powell had a lot to be proud of this season.

He rushed for 1,247 yards, threw for 1,188 and led his team to the District 10 Class AA title game.

Powell's desperately wanted to return to the playoffs after leading the Rockets there during his junior season.

Slippery Rock lost to GeneralMcLane last November in the opening round of the District 10 Class AAA playoffs.Powell played that game with a separated shoulder and played part of this season with a similar injury.

The injury this season, which happened on a hard tackle at Titusville Oct. 3, threatened to upend his run to the scoring trophy.

"When I went down, I was pretty worried," Powell said. "I went through the same thing last year, but this year the pain was much worse. When I went down, I thought it was going to be a big, long-term injury."

Powell was preparing for weeks in a sling and on the sideline. But less than a week after the injury, his shoulder felt good enough to do light drills in practice.

He was limited in the game against Meadville, carrying 11 times for 47 yards, and he didn't play many snaps on defense, but he was on the field and on the mend.

By the end of the season, Powell said he was nearly 100 percent and terrorizing opposing defenses.

His toughness allowed him to accomplish the one individual goal he did set for himself: becoming a rare 1,000-1,000 man.

"At the beginning of the season, I told a lot of people I wanted to get over 1,000 in both categories," Powell said.

Not bad for a quarterback whose only job in his first few starts as a sophomore was to hand off and get out of the way.

Even when he was playing youth football, he wasn't a runner.

It wasn't until late in his first season as the starter that be began to scratch the surface on what he could do as a runner and a passer.

By last season, Powell established himself of a dual threat, passing for more than 1,000 yards and rushing for more than 700.

"I used to look at other quarterbacks running for 100 yards a game and wonder how they did that," Powell said. "I never thought I would be one of them someday."

His worth went beyond statistics. Powell had the power to change plays and even call some of his own.

"It's been a gradual process," Powell said. "As I've matured, coach (Clyde Conti) has given me more and more responsibility. It's an honor that he trusts me so much."

Because of his athletic ability and football smarts, Powell is getting some college interest.

Still unsure of what he wants to do after high school, Powell has not ruled out continuing his playing career at the next level.

"Every week after the game, depending how I did, it changed things," Powell said. "I would definitely love to play football, but if that's not available, I won't be too disappointed."

Division III schools, such as Washington & Jefferson, have contacted Powell.

The one thing Powell can't control could determine his college prospects: his size.

One college coach said if Powell was at least three inches taller, he would be a Division I prospect.

Powell merely shrugs.

"I realize because of my size playing quarterback is not going to happen in college," Powell said. "I wish I could have some of the size of some of my friends. It kind of gets me down sometimes. There's really nothing you can do about it."

Powell, though, doesn't plan to be out of football. He wants to be a high school coach.

Perhaps in 18 years, he will coach a Butler County Scoring Trophy winner. He just hopes it will be as a part of a winning team.

"In the future, it will mean a lot to me being the first quarterback to win the scoring trophy," Powell said. "But it will mean a lot more to me winning and having playoff success. It's not always about the individual. I get a lot of credit for how the team does, but it's everyone that makes a success."