Things haven’t been easy for 2019 Golden Valley High graduate Zack Chevalier, but that hasn’t stopped him from pursuing his dreams.  The 6-foot-2 quarterback attended Santa Monica College upon graduating high school, only for the COVID-19 pandemic to put a wrench into those plans. He then tried playing at Los Angeles Valley College during the pandemic, a process that took about a year and a half before he ended up breaking his throwing wrist in his first game.  In 2022, Chevalier played at Iowa Wesleyan University, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics program, despite only two games under his belt at Valley College, but the university — yes, the whole institution — shut down following the 2022-23 academic year.  “There was definitely a lot of interesting conversations, a lot of emotions,” Chevalier said in a phone interview. “Even when the school got shut down, I just knew that my story wasn’t over. It just kind of felt like another hiccup.”  Little did he know, Chevalier was about to write his greatest chapter.  Moving across the state of Iowa to Morningside University in Sioux City, Chevalier was named the 2024 Great Plains Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year in his first year as the Mustangs’ starter. The junior leads all NAIA quarterbacks with 38 touchdowns and 353 passing yards per game, and his 3,883 total passing yards are the second-most of any player at a four-year college or university in the country, as of Nov. 20.  Golden Valley Senior Quarterback Chevalier lets loose a long pass in a scrimmage against Crescenta Valley at Harry Welch Stadium in 2018. Cory Rubin/ The Signal/File “It was pretty cool. I was glad that, one, I got to get the recognition for that, and two, that I got to share with all my teammates,” Chevalier said after seeing 18 of his teammates join him on the all-conference teams. “The fact that we had so many guys make the all-conference team made it really special.”  Chevalier’s exploits helped Morningside to an undefeated season in conference play and a 10-1 overall record. The Mustangs earned a bye in the first round of the NAIA playoffs and are set to host the Midamerica Nazarene Pioneers in the second round on Saturday.  His historic season comes in his second year at Morningside. Chevalier was part of a two-quarterback system in his first year, and never started a game, before being named the lone starter for the 2024 campaign.  The Mustangs have had to deal with some adversity, using their fourth-string running back for most of the year while Chevalier has been protected by two freshmen on the offensive line.  “It’s just a special group because not a lot of these guys had experience before, and they’re playing like they’re four-year starters,” Chevalier said.  Golden Valley head coach Dan Kelley said he isn’t surprised that his former signal-caller is lighting it up at the next level after watching him grow during his time with the Grizzlies.  “He was a very mature young man, even in high school,” Kelley said in a phone interview. “He was really into the position of quarterback. He was a great leader. He was a student of the game. And he just seems like he just keeps getting better and better.  Kelley himself tried to keep playing in junior college, but wasn’t able to make it at the next level. He said Chevalier’s determination to keep going is admirable and something for players in high school to learn from.  “It takes a lot of focus, determination. And to keep pushing forward, it’s not easy,” Kelley said.  Chevalier will look to keep pushing the Mustangs forward on Saturday when they host the Pioneers in Sioux City. Kickoff is scheduled for 10 a.m. PST and the game can be viewed at gpacnetwork.com/mside.  The post Golden Valley grad pushes through to make it at next level  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.