When Martin Long steps on the field Friday night in North Catholic High School's opening football game at Springdale, he will be one of the few athletes on the high school level who can say he has started every game of his high school career.

On this Trojans' team, though, Long has some company. The quarterback/free safety shares that distinction with three classmates: tight end/defensive end Phil Jandrokovic and two-way linemen Jesse Mahon and Nick Cullo.

But it is clear that the Trojans' fortunes rise and fall in the spread offense with this 18-year-old from Etna who has taken every snap since he set foot on Troy Hill back in 2007 and whose father, Marty, played for the Trojans in the mid-1970s.

"I was told we needed a quarterback after Aaron Smetanka graduated (in 2007)," Long said as he warmed up on a sultry Monday afternoon at Gardner Field, the Trojans' practice facility a block from the school's campus. "I've been playing quarterback since I was in seventh grade."

And doing it well, too. Last season, Long, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound senior, completed 57 percent of his passes for 1,249 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has also started all four seasons at free safety for the Trojans.

"A four-year starter is very rare," fifth-year North Catholic coach Bob Ravenstahl said. "He's an exceptional athlete, and that's why he's started for four years. It's special for us."

Ravenstahl isn't sure that Long views his task as being pressure-filled.

"As a four-year starter, he's matured over the years, and I don't think there's any challenge that he can't overcome," he said.

Ravenstahl lauds Long's ability under pressure.

"Over the years, he's gotten the experience to pick up and read defenses and make the correct throw," he said.

As a safety, Long brings a special talent to the position, Ravenstahl believes.

"He's like the quarterback on defense," the coach said. "He's the last defender, and he always seems to make the tackle when we need it."

Each position helps the other, Long said.

"It's like playing against myself," he said. "When you are dropping back [as a quarterback], the person you are looking at is the free safety. You're seeing where the safety drops, and as a free safety, I can see when the quarterback looks me off and where I need to go and how to read it."

In a scrimmage at Stone Field in North Park this past Saturday against Frazier, Long was restricted to playing quarterback only.

"We missed him [at free safety], but we wanted to see what the younger kids could do," Ravenstahl said.

Long is missing a couple of familiar faces in the backfield this season. One running back, Matt Fedzen, graduated. Julian Durden, the other running standout from 2009, transferred to Montour. But Ravenstahl believes Long and the backfield will find its rhythm because of the offensive line.

"That's going to be one of our positive points this year," he said. "The offensive line has looked strong, but we've only seen vanilla defenses in scrimmages. The teams we play are going to come after us. But it's been good over the years."

Long, who would like to play in college on the Division II level ideally at a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference school, has had the time to make the throws in the wide-open offense. But with Fedzen and Durden no longer in the Trojans' backfield, Long expects to run the ball, too.

"Julian Durden was an elusive back with speed and power," Long said. "We do have two running backs this year, but they are power backs that you'd want with third and a yard. So, I'm going to have to be the elusive runner this year and get the 10-yard runs."

Durden's departure wasn't a total surprise, Long said.

"There were rumors that he was moving, and I heard once that he was moving to Texas," he said. "But when we found out that he was moving to Montour, there was nothing you could do. It hurts to lose him, but we have to work hard to have a running game and a passing game."

Ravenstahl said that playing the Dynamos will be a test for the Trojans.

"As a coach, I've never won out there," he said. "It's going to be a challenge because Springdale is very competitive and well-coached."

Long is focused on the Dynamos and legendary coach Chuck Wagner.

"He's known all over the WPIAL as a good coach, and he's always preparing his kids to go for a long season in the playoffs," he said. "We played there [two years ago], and it's a tough place to play. Their crowd backs up the team."

But Long can't be blamed for focusing on long-term goals, which the Trojans have surpassed in his first three seasons.

After first- and second-round appearances in his first two seasons, North Catholic reached the WPIAL semifinals in 2009.

"We came up short, and we lost a good amount of seniors from that team," Long said.

But he's not disheartened.

"We have a solid eight that's had a lot of playing time since our freshmen year and have the varsity experience to lead a team," he said.

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