Marian coach pleasantly 
surprised by duo’s play

Marian Central seniors Colton Wenstrom (left) and Riley Balduf (right) have showed marked improvement in summer practice and could start at wide receiver this season. Marian Central went 9-3 last season losing to Montini in the quarterfinals. (Danielle Guerra – dguerra@nwherald.com)

E-mail this story

Print this story

Share

WOODSTOCK – In between humid, sticky moments during Marian Central’s summer football camp, Ed Brucker has seen flashes of skill he wasn’t anticipating.

Although last year’s starting quarterback, Ben Krol, was out of practice as he recovers from a knee injury suffered during the basketball season, two seniors, Riley Balduf and Colton Wenstrom, were having breakthrough reps.

Brucker expects surprises each year when the Hurricanes start their summer camp and begin running drills in preparation for the upcoming season.

The veteran coach just conditions himself not to expect too many pleasant ones. So when he started to notice Balduf’s and Wenstrom’s improvements, Brucker realized he might have more options offensively and defensively than he had planned.

“These are the kind of surprises that make coaches feel good about things,” Brucker said. “... That’s why you coach high school football.”

A determination to make a difference this year fueled both players’ offseason routines.

Balduf tore his right meniscus after the third game of the season, he said, and watched most of the Hurricanes’ 9-3 season go by wishing he could help.

Balduf was taking reps on offense and defense last season before he got hurt, and although he came back for practices after about three weeks, he never was 100 percent. Brucker had hoped Balduf would be able to start both ways last season and the injury whet Balduf’s appetite to make that happen this year.

Summer practices can make or break players, and Wenstrom and Balduf are cognizant of that.

“I’ve taken things a lot further this year than I did last year,” said Balduf, who could start at wide receiver and cornerback for the ‘Canes. “I didn’t do a whole lot last season to get in shape, but now I feel like I’m in much better shape.”

Wenstrom, meanwhile, has been the leader in the weight room this offseason. He was the ‘Canes kicker last season and expects to kick again this year, but he wanted more responsibility and has been sharpening his skills at wide receiver and cornerback, too.

It’s a workload that couldn’t be handled without increased speed and agility training as well as a huge dedication to improvement. Brucker has seen that.

Wenstrom wasted no time between the end of last season and this summer getting into shape.

“I think he looked at last year and saw that he had a real opportunity this year if he wanted to work for it,” Brucker said. “They’ve both worked very hard. They’re smarter, too. They’re not making mistakes in patterns ... [and] they’ve both been very steady.”

Wenstrom, like Balduf, experienced a profound moment during his junior career that inspired him to take his game to a different level.

The upcoming season will be Wenstrom’s last. He had to make it count.

“I want to play,” Wenstrom said. “I thought I’d see if I can get on the field more. If [Brucker] is giving me a shot to play, if he gives me a chance, I’m going to make the most of it.”