MARYSVILLE — At the start of year No. 5 at Marysville Getchell, head football coach Davis Lura said the program is headed into “Phase Two” of its development.
Lura and the Chargers hope to compete in every game as the program continues to progress and improve.
This year’s team features the second group of kids to go through the program all four years, albeit it’s a small group of “about five” seniors, Lura said.
So, once again, Marysville Getchell will be looking to its younger kids and its strong class of juniors.
“The junior class we have is phenomenal. Very talented,” Lura said. “A lot of them got to play a lot of significant time on varsity last year. We’re expecting big things out of that class.”
“Some of these guys have been playing together since the seventh grade, so we’re pretty close,” junior wide receiver/defensive back Kyle Pinca said. “I’m really excited. This year we have a goal of just trying to make a legacy. We want to get after that as soon as possible.”
The top junior is star running back Collin Montez, who ran for more than 2,000 yards last season. Lura continues to praise Montez for his demeanor both on and off the field.
“He is a phenom,” Lura said. “And I don’t say that just because of his athletic ability. He’s the most humble kid I’ve ever coached. We’ve taken him out of games and taken his helmet from him so he won’t try to go back in. But he’s there cheering his backup on. We’ve got it on film, where one of the kids broke for a big play and Collin’s running stride-for-stride with him down the sidelines cheering him on. And he’s just played an entire game and he handled the ball a lot last year.”
Montez said the Chargers are eager to get their 2015 season underway.
“We’ve been together pretty much the whole spring and summer. We’re all excited. There’s a lot of energy,” Montez said. “We’re a little undersized, but with our intensity and heart that we have, we’ll be fine.”
“This whole summer we’ve all just been grinding and trying to be the best us we can possibly be,” added junior full back Gabe Thomas. “We’re kind of a young team and we’re just trying to get better and better every year.”
Marysville Getchell faced its first challenge of the season before it even started. Chargers senior quarterback Taylor Koellmer broke his foot playing basketball, leaving a competition in camp to see who will be behind center for Marysville Getchell.
Koellmer, meanwhile, is coaching up the Chargers’ young quarterbacks at practice.
“He’s now Coach Koellmer,” Lura said. “If anybody here knows the offense better than me, it’s him. He loves the game and he’s out here helping. He could be a full-paid coach on my staff right now, that’s how good he is.”
Marysville Getchell Chargers
Head coach: Davis Lura (fifth season)
Key returners: Collin Montez, RB/DB, Jr.; Kyle Pinca, WR/DB, Jr.; Gage Thomas, FB/LB, Jr.; Michael Stewart, WR/LB, Jr.; Zack Townsend WR/LB, Jr.
Coach’s quote: “Right now, we’re where we want to be in the program moving it forward. I call it, ‘Phase Two.’ We’ve established some traditions and now we want to move to get the program to compete with everybody, getting to the point where any team we face, we’re going to compete. I think this group has bought into that. That’s what they’re expecting to do.”
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