Edmonds-Woodway keeping busy

The work has just begun for the Edmonds-Woodway football team.

The Warriors wrapped up a busy June by attending the Central Washington team camp, which followed three weeks of practice at the high school.

“We have a lot of things we still need to work on,” said Edmonds-Woodway coach John Gradwohl. “I felt that in spring football and (the Central Washington) football camp we accomplished a lot towards those goals.”

Edmonds-Woodway will have a new starting quarterback in the fall following the graduation of Andy Willcock. Four candidates have emerged and will battle it out for the starting job later this summer when practices commence.

“It’s a big position,” Gradwohl said. “It’ll be a new challenge … I’ve been pretty fortunate over the years to have good kids. I think we will again this year. It’s just a matter of one of them coming out and taking the job. It’s neat that more than one guy can do it.”

The four include Robbie Willcock (Andy’s younger brother), Tyler Brudevold, Zach Glover-Smith and Lee Anderson.

“I felt good on how they all progressed over camp,” Gradwohl said.

Whoever the new starting quarterback is will have some talented teammates to work in the backfield. Senior-to-be Zach Berg likely will be an important element in the offense. Berg earned second-team, all-league defensive honors.

“Zach is a key piece of what we’re doing on both sides of the ball,” Gradwohl said. “He’s a leader. He’s wearing a lot of hats.”

Also back is senior-to-be Gus Carstens, who also is a key defender. Some other younger players also should see action in the backfield.

“They’re going to do a great job,” Gradwohl said of his running backs.

New faces will pop up on the offensive line and in the secondary, which both were hit hard by graduation.

The spring/summer practices and team were important not just in terms of evaluating talent but in establishing chemistry.

“Anytime you’re replacing a lot of guys, it’s more than just finding players,” Gradwohl said. “It’s coming together as a unit.

“I thought (the secondary and offensive line) got a lot out of spring camp. They progressed. … They got better every day. That’s all you can ask for.”

After being a perennial playoff team, Edmonds-Woodway finished 3-3 in the league and out of the playoffs in 2009. It was a good lesson for the Warriors to learn. Many players assumed Edmonds-Woodway would be in the postseason.

Gradwohl sees a renewed commitment among the players to achieve that goal as they prepare for the 2010 season.

“We’ve had a great offseason,” he said. “They’re working hard in the weight room. They understand that they’ve got to work hard all year. They’ve done a great job. It starts in the offseason.”