Great Bend High School head coach Bo Black and his football staff genuinely entertained the prospect of having a two-platoon system at quarterback with Mitch Kottas and Matt Marshall.
After a knee injury to Ethan Henderson during Saturday’s scrimmage, it necessitated moving Marshall to the starting strong safety position in an inexperienced secondary.
As a result, Kottas takes over as the starting quarterback for the Panthers, who open their season on Sept. 2 with a road trip to Overland Park to play St. Thomas Aquinas. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., just like it will be in every game for the Panthers this season.
“The plan always has been that we’re going to get both of those guys on the field,” Black said. “Before the injury (to Henderson), we were really kind of thinking about playing two quarterbacks.
“It’s still a possibility and we still want him to work out as our No. 2 quarterback and also give him the opportunity to start at strong safety. We feel it will be a good position for him. We were real impressed with the way Matt played last season as an outside linebacker on the junior-varsity level.”
The bottom line is that it’s a silver lining to have two quarterbacks capable of running the Panthers offense.
“Both have been doing a really good job and it really was quite even,” Black said of the battle. “With the injury, which is unfortunate, it gives us the opportunity to get both of them on the field.”