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After sitting out the first two games due to paperwork from his transfer from Los Angeles University High School being processed, Arroyo Valley quarterback Michael Yearwood is set to make his season debut Friday, as the Hawks play at Eisenhower.

"We are excited," Arroyo Valley coach Marcus Soward said after his team's 10-0 loss to Miller this past Friday. "I think we have a good team, but Michael is a special player that makes everyone better. I can't wait to put him out there."

Yearwood was a killer for Arroyo Valley as a dual-threat quarterback last year, combining for 36 touchdowns rushing and passing for an Arroyo Valley team that went 7-4 and lost in the first round of the playoffs. Yearwood originally moved from Los Angeles during his sophomore year, moved back during the spring to help with his ailing grandmother and moved back this summer after his grandmother had passed away.

The quarterback takes the reins of an offense that's struggled mightily in its first two games, scoring only three points in losses to Palm Springs and Miller. The Hawks only touchdown was a defensive one, as its shuffled three different guys at quarterback.

Yearwood was actually cleared right before the Miller game last Friday, but Soward held him out because he felt that he didn't have enough practice time.

"Michael was getting on me, yelling to get in the game because he's a competitor, but we didn't want to risk it," Soward said. "We wanted to get him some more practice time to knock off some rust."

Arroyo Valley football coach Marcus Soward was feeling pretty high on his team's chances a couple of weeks now. After star quarterback Michael Yearwood returned earlier this week, he's ecstatic.

"We are really excited to have Michael back," Soward said. "I thought we had a good team without him but when you can bring a guy like him back, it just opens up a lot of doors."

It's hard to blame Soward for being giddy. Yearwood was a force for Arroyo Valley last year as a junior transfer from Los Angeles University High School, passing for 2,306 yards and 20 touchdowns while running for another 1,127 yards and 16 scores. He transferred back to University in the spring to help attend to an ailing grandmother in Los Angeles before coming back.

Arroyo Valley got a huge addition to its team late last year, as standout quarterback Michael Yearwood rejoined the team after having transferred to Los Angeles University High School.

Yearwood, who threw for 2.306 yards and 20 touchdowns while rushing for 1,127 yards and another 16 scores last year for the Hawks, had moved back to Los Angeles because of an illness to his grandmother, who eventually passed away. But he had a change of heart and rejoined the Hawks late last week.

"It's big for us," Hawks coach Marcus Soward said. "Michael went back to help out his family, but his grandmother wanted him to keep doing what he was doing and wanted him to live his life. We heard last week and we are just happy. Michael is a great kid and a great football player."

Yearwood will be practicing with the Hawks this week and gives Arroyo Valley another weapon for a team that Soward thinks will be pretty good.

"I felt pretty good about what we had even without Michael," Soward said. "Having Michael back makes us that much better."

The 2007 season was a pretty darn good one for Arroyo Valley High School. The Hawks, led by smooth quarterback Robert Fuller and a bevy of quick, talented receivers, passed their way to a 7-3-1 record and advanced to the second round of the CIF-SS Central Division playoffs.

After a 4-6 hiccup with a young team a year ago, second-year Hawks coach Marcus Soward sees a lot of parallels between his 2009 squad and the team that was setting school records left and right two years before. And he's pretty sure that the end result will be just as good, if not better, than what the 2007 Hawks authored.