Seniors helping mold young roster as Blue Devils look to play with tempo, physicality

QUINCY — Rick Little isn’t kidding when he says this Quincy High School football team is unlike any he’s coached over the past 15 seasons.

There will be only three seniors starting on offense Friday night when the Blue Devils open their season at Flinn Stadium against Quincy Notre Dame — the first crosstown showdown in a lidlifter since the 1985 season.

At least three sophomores are penciled in as starters on each side of the ball, and the roster has more than a handful of freshmen.

So it might be the youngest team Little has coached, but the group has some spunk, solid senior leadership and the intangibles that should allow them to exceed expectations.

“It’s the oddest roster I’ve ever had, and I don’t say that discouraged in the least. I’m very encouraged by it,” said Little, who owns a 73-59 record at Quincy with eight playoff appearances. “I always like our senior leadership. We are always excited to see them lead. I always talk about forever this will be their team.

“I’m excited for those guys to have that opportunity to be leaders, but I also like our young talent. It’s about this year, but we also know the ceiling is high for the coming years. So it’s going to be fun each and every week watching guys grow, develop and compete.”

The way the upperclassmen set the standard and the underclassmen push the standard is generating a competitive dynamic.

“The burden is heavy on the upperclassmen to provide leadership,” senior defensive end Peyton Weech said. “We definitely have to set the tempo right out of the gate for all of the games and all of our practices.”

They have to do it the right way if the underclassmen are to follow.

“A big part for me is earning their respect first,” Weech said. “Once I earn their respect, they’ll follow me a little more. As long as I don’t step off the gas, they’ll come along.”

They may even push the pedal themselves.

“We try to show them what it’s like to be on the varsity team and have that varsity name,” senior wide receiver/defensive back Mahki Lewis said. “They are all really mature. They follow the lead. Sometimes they set the lead themselves. We all count on each other. We’re all out there for each other.”

It’s created an anything-is-possible vibe.

“Everyone’s firing as one,” Lewis said. “Everyone’s on go.”

The competitive nature of practice is not allowing anyone to slack, especially not with battles ongoing at key positions. Most notably, there is a three-way slugfest for snaps at quarterback.

Junior Brian Douglas, sophomore Adon Byquist and freshman Bradyn Little have shared reps in practice and all three could be at the helm at different times Friday night. There’s a battle at the receiver spots as well with sophomores Jack Mettemeyer and Camden Brown pushing the seniors.

“I know as a player competition in practice is never fun. It’s uncomfortable,” Rick Little said. “But it’s also something that makes you better. That’s something we’ve found with this group. It’s uncomfortable at practice because you can see guys growing and guys regressing and then coming back. It’s fun for me.”

Those on-going battles will lead to success on and off the gridiron.

“This is what life’s about,” Little said. “You compete, you battle, you continue to work hard every day. If you get comfortable, you’ll get exposed. That’s something we preach to our guys all the time.”

Staying consistent in energy and effort up front is the challenge.

The Blue Devils aren’t overly big along the line, but they are quick and mobile. Better yet, they are aggressive defensively.

“I like our physicality,” Weech said. “We have a lot more tempo, and we’re connecting really well which is good for that chemistry.”

The seniors feel it.

“We’re real physical and know how to play together,” kick returner/defensive back Shammy Gay said. “Hard-hitting, that’s how we’re going to play.”

After going 1-5 in the spring and 5-10 in the last two seasons combined, the Blue Devils want to change the trajectory. It’s possible if they stay committed to improving and committed to each other.

“A lot of effort has been put into this,” Lewis said. “It matters to us.”