For the second straight season, the Glacier Peak football team has competition at the most important position on the field.
A year ago, senior Branson Corwin and junior Brady Southard battled for the starting quarterback position, with Corwin eventually winning the job. Southard saw time behind center throughout the season, but Corwin took a majority of the snaps.
This year, Southard is the senior looking to fend off a junior challenger. Glacier Peak head coach Rory Rosenbach expects Devyn Rainbow, a transfer from Bothell, to give Southard competition at the position in training camp, which started Wednesday.
“I love it,” Rosenbach said. “Brady’s obviously a little bit of the incumbent because he’s just been here more, but Devyn has come in and really assimilated well with the kids. They’ve taken to him. He’s got a great outgoing personality and he’s a really hard worker, so that competition will make us better for sure.”
The addition of Rainbow gives the Grizzlies depth at a position that looked as though it might be thin this season.
Southard knows the offense, while Rainbow is still getting acclimated to the Grizzlies’ system, but both players are aggressively going after the job.
“Those guys are going to drive our offense, so they’re going to push the tempo because they’re busting their butts to prove that they want to be the guy,” Rosenbach said. “Even in this first day, you can tell that they’re doing a good job of assuming leadership roles and trying to take the bull by the horns and say, ‘Let’s go.’”
There are just over two weeks for either Southard or Rainbow to emerge as the team’s primary signal caller, but Rosenbach would like to know a little sooner. Glacier Peak opens the season Sept. 5 against crosstown rival Snohomish.
“I’d like one of them to win the job in the next week and a half,” Rosenbach said. “I’d like to know who my starter is by Labor Day.”
Rosenbach said he expects the competition to bring out the best in both quarterbacks.
“I know I’m going to get Brady’s best everyday now,” he said. “And I know I’m going to get Devyn’s best. That’s as good of a battle as we’ve got on the team right now.”
Head Coach: Rory Rosenbach (7th season)
Key Returners: Mosese Fifita, Sr., OL/DL; Spencer Pettit, Sr., K; Brandon Jensen Sr., OLB; Justin Guffey, Jr., WR/FS; Andrew McCoy, Jr., TE/OLB; Iain Black, Jr., RB/ILB.
Coach’s Quote: “I really like where we are as a team as far as the chemistry (the players) have developed starting in the winter, spring and summer. I think the seniors have done a great job of being inclusive with the other grades. Talent is great, but when you have a group that’s a cohesive unit that cares about each other and is one family and not a bunch of cliques then you have a chance to be pretty good. I don’t know where we are talent wise compared to other years, it’s early, but I know that right now the chemistry is really, really good. That, to me, is really encouraging, and I think it’s a great place to start.”
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