MONTICELLO, Ill. (WCIA) -- The chance to become Monticello's starting quarterback has been years in the making for Colton Shubert
"All of my four years in this program, I've been a quarterback, and I've sat behind learning the playbooks and just stuff like that, and really developed," Shubert said.
The senior signal caller hoping to be a leader for a connected group of veterans.
"Just be a good role model, set good examples, and we've got a lot of good athletes," Shubert said. "We've been playing together this senior class for a long time in multiple sports, so I think our chemistry is really good, and I think we're going to go pretty far this season"
Similar to previous Sages QB's like Ike Young and Nolan Buehnerkemper, Shubert doesn't shy away from contact.
"The physical aspect, kind of like not afraid to put the shoulder down, and you don't see that a lot at the quarterback position, but I'm just a physical kid, and that's how I've played my whole life," Shubert said.
Starting linebacker and running back Maddox Utley also doesn't mind lowering a shoulder, finding the end zone in week one's 20-point win.
He's excited to face Unity in our Friday Football Fever Spotlight Game of the Week after the Rockets ended Monticello's season in last year's 3A playoffs.
"I love playing against them every single year," Utley said. "That loss against Unity, that one definitely hurt, but we're definitely ready to come back and get them this year." "It's one we've been waiting to get for a little while now."
Even though Unity graduated a big senior class, the Sages aren't taking their IPC rival lightly.
"Yeah, they lost a lot, but they have a lot coming back as well," head coach Culley Welter said. "They just kind of reload every year, so we know they have plenty of talent this year as usual, and we know it's going to be a huge challenge."
Monticello faces Unity at 7:00 p.m. on Friday in Tolono.
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