Experience is a critical component of any sport.

That’s especially true of high school football — particularly at the quarterback position. We don’t have to look very far to figure that out.

The top three passers in Butler County at the midway point of this 2018 season are all returning starters: Zack Rocco of North Catholic, Gabe Lawson of Seneca Valley and Tyler Kowalkowski of Mars.

All three of those teams brought 4-1 records into this weekend’s action. That’s not by coincidence.

Rocco had thrown for 632 yards, Lawson for 554 and Kowalkowski for 540. The trio has combined to throw 26 touchdown passes and only seven interceptions.

Despite scoring just 14 points in its past two games — including a stunning 27-0 loss to Derry last week — North Catholic is averaging 28 points per game. Seneca Valley and Mars are both averaging 24 points per contest.

While all of these teams have solid running games to supplement the passing attack, having an experienced quarterback in the huddle — or running an up-tempo game from the line of scrimmage — is an obvious plus.

By the nature of the position, the quarterback is the leader on offense. Having a kid who’s been there, done that, circulates confidence throughout the unit.

When a team faces a point in a game when the offense needs to produce, an experienced QB can produce a calming effect on the field.

When a team begins August workouts already knowing who its quarterback is — and with that quarterback posting a good resume from the previous year — that team starts ahead of the game.

While it’s true that Karns City has a returning starting quarterback in Anthony Kamenski and the Gremlins are off to a 1-4 start, scoring points has not been their problem. KC is averaging 24 points per game.

Don’t bet against this team turning around its season.

Struggling high school football teams with a freshman, sophomore or junior behind center this season?

Good things may lie ahead.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle