Unfortunately for local football fans, high-profile quarterbacks Marshall Lobbestael and Jake Gelakoska never went head-to-head in high school.
But now it’s official: The senior QBs’ paths could very well intersect in college.
Lobbestael of Oak Harbor High School and Gelakoska of Jackson High, who starred in opposite divisions of the Western Conference, each signed up Wednesday for a chance to play in the Pacific-10 Conference.
On the first day that prep football players could send in an NCAA National Letter of Intent, Lobbestael signed with Washington State University and Gelakoska signed with Oregon State University.
The letter of intent is a binding agreement that says a student-athlete agrees to attend a school and receive athletic financial aid. The regular football signing period runs through April 1.
Both QBs faxed their paperwork Wednesday morning and said they can’t wait to join their respective Division I-A teams this summer.
Lobbestael, who helped lead Oak Harbor to the Class 4A state championship, said he looks forward to “going (to Pullman) and getting exposed to everything … and starting to work out and stuff. It’s weird thinking about it now, but it will kick in once I get over there.”
In a press conference, Washington State head coach Bill Doba said Lobbestael is “a good blue-collar kid that we’re really excited about.”
Lobbestael, The Herald’s 2006 All-Area Offensive Football Player of the Year, set single-season school passing records with 2,783 yards and 34 touchdowns. The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder impressed WSU with his quick release, accuracy and leadership, Doba said.
WSU’s only other QB recruit is a local product, J.T. Levenseller of Pullman High. (Cougars recruit Eric Block played QB and defensive back at Bellevue High, but is expected to be a DB in college.)
Meanwhile, Gelakoska was the only quarterback listed in Oregon State’s recruiting class.
“I’m excited I’m headed there,” said Gelakoska (6-3, 206 pounds). “It’s a great place for me.”
Ranked the 17th-best QB in the country by Rivals.com and the fourth-best overall prospect in Washington, Gelakoska had a frustrating senior season in which his offensive statistics tumbled. After passing for 1,938 yards and rushing for 400 yards as a junior, Gelakoska passed for 1,148 as a senior; Jackson High went 4-6 and missed the playoffs. Still, he’s aiming for a strong career at OSU.
Danny Langsdorf, OSU’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, said in a press conference that Gelakoska can attack a defense with his legs and his throwing arm.
“He’s a very good runner and he’s got a big, strong arm,” Langsdorf said.
Langsdorf worked with Gelakoska at an OSU camp last summer and had a chance to evaluate him up close. Gelakoska is a dual-threat guy with a lot of potential, Langsdorf said.
The other local D-I football signee was Eric Greenwood, a 6-6, 196-pound receiver from Edmonds-Woodway High, who signed with Idaho. Greenwood caught 44 passes for 838 yards and 14 TDs as a senior. He was one of three prep receivers who signed with Idaho.
Four local student-athletes signed with Western Washington University: Casey Hamlett, tight end, Edmonds-Woodway High; David Lipinski, offensive tackle, Stanwood High; David McMurray, wide receiver/defensive back, Lake Stevens High; and David Sinex, offensive guard/center, Archbishop Murphy High.
Kalani Zoller, a defensive end who played for Marysville-Pilchuck High in 2004, signed with Western Oregon University.
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