By Michael Kinney

Transcript Sports Writer

At first glance, Cynthia Circle looks like any other Norman cul-de-sac. It has spacious, neatly kept homes, large University of Oklahoma banners flapping in the wind and basketball goals in driveways.

The area could be taken from a Norman Rockwell painting.

But there is one claim to fame this cul-de-sac has that possibly no other street in the city can boast. In a span of 11 years, five Norman High School quarterbacks have grown up on this street.

With more than half the houses in the circle not having any children whatsoever, the fact that five basically came from a few homes still astounds the residents.

"We just found it the weirdest thing," said Julie Taylor, the mother of former Tigers Zac and Press Taylor. "Half the houses on the street don't have kids."

But the story of Cynthia Circle is more than just how a group of kids turned themselves into high school quarterbacks and college athletes. It really harkens back to the old days of how a community took part in raising each other's children.

When Zac leads his Nebraska Cornhuskers' squad down the field for a touchdown, it's not just his parents and siblings beaming with pride. Neighbors who watched him grow up sport wide smiles on their faces.

"It is just so fun," said Nancy Noles, the mother of another Cynthia Circle quarterback, Jade Noles. "When I see Zac on TV I swell up. And Danny (Noles) said, 'Well, it takes a village.' We all kind of take pride when we see Zac out there."

While Zac may be the most well-known and athletically accomplished of the group, he was not the first. That honor goes to Jade. The line of succession then fell to Brian Hartsock, Zac, Press and, finally, Sam Tullius, the current NHS signal caller.

Noles, now a land developer in Edmond, was a starting cornerback on the 1992 NHS state title team. He didn't get his chance to take the quarterback reigns until his senior season in 1994. Yet he set off a string of playcallers that had their own unique talents and style of play.

"You could always tell they were good athletes," Noles said. "Jake Hartsock, who is my cousin, and I would be outside everyday playing catch. We had so many kids growing up on our block. I just remember us being out there running routes and playing catch. Then all of sudden all the kids in the neighborhood would be out there and a game would break out."

While Noles' success could have sparked the others to follow his path, their parents felt it was in their genes.

"We knew Sam and Press would be quarterbacks," Julie said. "They were just waiting in line. We just kind of always knew. They played quarterback all the way through. It wasn't a shock they are quarterbacks. The weird thing is they all came from the same cul-de-sac."