Junior Xavier Levine is entering his first season as Sanford’s full-time starting quarterback. The versatile athlete will also play safety and placekicker for the Spartans this year. ED PIERCE/Journal Tribune
SANFORD — If a quarterback’s best friend is a coach that believes in him, Sanford’s signal caller this season, Xavier Levine, has the full measure of support of longtime Spartans coach Mike Fallon.
Fallon said Levine, a junior, has all of the tools needed to lead Sanford to a state championship and despite this only being his first year as a full-time starter at quarterback, he’s confident his quarterback is bound to make good things happen on the gridiron this season.
“We have very high expectations from Xavier this season,” Fallon said. “He is very athletic and throws the ball well.”
Standing 6 foot 2 and weighing 172, Levine is going to be a go-to player and crucial component of the Spartans offensive attack and he’s also going to play safety on defense and serve as Sanford’s placekicker in 2018.
“We lost our kicker coming into this year and I’m just happened to be kicking after practice and I hit a 40-year field goal,” he said. “The next thing I know, I’m the team’s kicker. I really don’t feel any pressure when I’m doing that on top of all of my other responsibilities for this team. I just try to line it up and block everything else out and make a good kick.”
He says the best athletic advice anybody’s ever given him is really pretty simple.
“Be coachable,” Levine said. “I try to listen and learn.”
Leading the 2018 Spartans is a duty Levine has taken to heart.
“The best thing about playing football to me is that this team truly feels like a family,” Levine said. “Being around these kids is a good time and exceptionally good for me.”
Having overcome challenges in his personal life, playing sports is an outlet for Levine to showcase his talent.
“I grew up in a broken home and I am so fortunate to have an outlet to compete,” Levine said. “I also love playing basketball. I’m a shooting guard on our team and run hurdles during track season.”
Levine has devoted a good chunk of his summer to studying the Spartans playbook and despite his athleticism, he admits the complexity of playing quarterback is an immense challenge.
“The toughest play so far for me to master is our vertical read,” he said. “I have to read the safetys and how to find the open people. There’s certainly a lot of thinking involved in that play and it’s not as easy as it looks.”
As far as school goes, Levine said he’s discussed with his mother about possibly becoming a hypnotherapist for a career and what it would take for him to accomplish that goal.
But Levine’s immediate sights are set on leading Sanford to a state title.
“I see us as a state championship contender,” he said. “We have great athletes at every position this year and our chemistry is insane. I feel good about our chances and we’re all doing what it takes to put us in a position to be right there at the end of the year.”
Fallon said Levine and his teammates have all the essential qualities it would take to bring home the Class A trophy.
“The best thing about this group is their energy,” he said. “They love the game and play it with enthusiasm. It’s fun to watch them play.”
Both Levine and Fallon say that members of the community are going to be amazed on opening night on Friday, Aug. 31 as Sanford hosts defending state champion Scarborough, the team that eliminated the Spartans last November in the Class A semifinals. The Spartans will play their first game ever at the new 2,000-seat Alumni Stadium, leaving behind decades of cherished memories at the old Cobb Stadium.
“Everyone who comes out that night is going to feel a tremendous sense of pride when they walk through those gates into the new facility,” Fallon said. “It’s really beautiful and uplifting for our fans and the community.”
As Sanford prepares to make a run at winning a second title for Fallon during his 23 years as coach of the Spartans, Levine is optimistic about what the team can achieve this season.
“I have a great feeling about where we’re headed,” he said. “I believe in this team.”
— Executive Editor Ed Pierce can be reached at 282-1535 ext. 326 or by email at editor@journaltribune.com
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