Quincy coaches remain coy about who starts at QB ahead of Friday’s showdown

QUINCY — The most asked question of the past two weeks still doesn’t have an answer.

Who is the starting quarterback?

Both Quincy High School football coach Rick Little and Quincy Notre Dame coach Jack Cornell have been steely in how they’ve addressed it. Even days before Friday night’s season opener at Flinn Stadium, neither would tip their hand.

“I think you could see all of them play at some point,” Little said. “They’ve all worked extremely hard.”

He has three choices — junior Brian Douglas, sophomore Adon Byquist and freshman Bradyn Little.

At QND, it’s been a two-man battle between senior Calvin Lavery and junior Jackson Stratton.

“We still have guys battling for spots. Still do. Still do. Still do,” Cornell said. “It’s going to be a game-time decision. I don’t know yet who it’s going to be.”

No matter which quarterback comes out ahead in these battles, it should be quite a debut as the starter. It should happen in front of a sizable crowd despite the ongoing battle with the coronavirus pandemic. Masks aren’t required at outdoor events, and tickets are available both online and at the gate.

WGEM is broadcasting the game live. Two radio stations will carry the action. Bragging rights are at stake.

It’s not just another game.

“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t different,” Little said. “We always tell our guys there are no redos. Every rep is important. There is no reset button. That will be the case on Friday for both teams. I know both teams will grow and get better throughout the season. This is the time of the year we’ve been looking forward to. I’m excited and I know they’re excited, too.”

This will be the first time the Quincy schools have kicked off a season against each other since 1985 and just the fifth meeting since then. The Blue Devils won four straight matchups from 2015-18. A shift in conference makeups forced the game to go on hiatus for one year, and the pandemic caused another delay last season.

“We approach it with a mentality that this is just like any other game,” QND senior linebacker Elliott Maas said. “We have to play our brand of football. We have to give them our best shot. We expect them to give us their best shot. We’re going to attack the day and hopefully come out with a win.”

Even with that said, Maas knows this game is different.

“There’s a rivalry with our dads playing against their dads,” Maas said. “So we want this.”

The Blue Devils feel the heightened atmosphere, too.

“There is a little bit more intensity,” QHS senior defensive end Peyton Weech said. “Hype is definitely the word I would use. We’re going to play our game, set the speed and show them what we have.”

All the while, they must keep the emotions in check.

“We’re focused on one thing at a time,” QHS senior wide receiver Mahki Lewis said. “It’s a game and there’s a lot of anticipation leading up to it. We all just have to leave it on the field.”