The first thing that flashed through East Ridge senior Cedric Tomes’ thoughts after his left index finger bent sideways after a helmet hit on the first drive of the football season was thankfully it wasn’t his shooting hand.

The 6-1, 180-pound quarterback with arguably the best three-point shooting stroke in the state of Minnesota has a future playing point guard for new Gophers basketball coach Niko Medved.

Still, not long after starting his recovery, Tomes could think only about returning to the gridiron.

His dedication to teammates and football resulted in Tomes playing well enough late in the season to help the Raptors (5-4) advance to Friday’s Class 6A playoff game against top-seeded defending state champion Maple Grove.

“This is exactly what I came back for right here,” said Tomes, who combined for 260 yards and four touchdowns in last week’s 28-20 win against Andover. “Moments like these and building it with these guys. This is a family right here, and I love these guys. We’re so tight, and it’s an amazing feeling.”

This time next year, Tomes will be on the University of Minnesota campus getting ready for his debut with the Gophers basketball team. Right now, he’s inspiring East Ridge’s football team.

“He’s just a special human being who lifts everyone up around him no matter what he’s doing,” East Ridge football coach Dan Fritze said. “He’s also a true competitor. And competitors don’t back down. There was a time we thought he was out for the season, but he wanted to fight his way back.”

The week after a 41-0 loss in that season opener Aug. 28 at Minnetonka, Tomes had surgery on his left finger and was given a timetable of six to eight weeks for recovery. The overriding speculation was that he’d just focus on healing before East Ridge’s basketball season. Tomes averaged 27 points as a junior last season and was the first in-state commitment this spring for Medved as the new Gophers basketball coach.

“Ultimately, I’m a competitor and I want to be out there no matter what sport it is,” Tomes said. “Coach Medved and the whole staff really values multisport athletes and just competitors. I knew that’s why they supported if I wanted to keep playing football, and I’m super grateful.”

About a month after surgery, Tomes could be seen getting up shots at the gym with his cast off and even tossing footballs to teammates at practice.

“I knew he was going to want to get back if he could and they weren’t going to risk anything,” East Ridge basketball coach Josh Peltier said. “He’s got a special joy when he’s playing football. I think it’s lost now with so many kids specializing in one sport.”

The Raptors won three straight games without Tomes, but they could’ve used him in losses to Mounds View and Forest Lake by a combined score of 49-7.

Tomes looked good enough to play vs. Forest Lake, but he made his return a week later and threw for a career-high 204 yards, to go with two touchdowns, in a 21-13 win vs. Stillwater on Oct. 10.

He had a career night with his legs in a 24-15 loss to Woodbury that ended the regular season, rushing for 133 yards, but his three interceptions provided motivation for the playoffs.

Last Friday, in his only home game as a senior, Tomes outdueled talented Andover QB Joseph Mapson, highlighted by three touchdowns before halftime.

In the first half, East Ridge twice converted on fourth down with pinpoint passes from Tomes to Akeed Ali, including an 18-yard opening touchdown and a 47-yard completion that set up a 21-0 lead in the second quarter.

No player was happier to have his starting QB return than Ali, who had 11 catches for 142 yards vs. Stillwater.

“I love Cedric. He’s been such a great teammate,” Ali said. “I had no doubt that he was going to be back.”

Despite playing only three football games this year, and even though the opponent Friday is undefeated Maple Grove, Tomes’ confidence is as high as if he were drilling jump shots from NBA range in basketball.

“I had a lot of people telling me don’t stress,” Tomes said. “Don’t feel pressured to make up for the whole season. I was looking at that as a challenge. I knew what I could do, and the injury wasn’t holding me back much. I knew I was a good quarterback and went out there with stuff to prove.”