Between Week 1 and Week 2, the Hampton-Dumont-CAL football team made a notable change on offense. Sophomore Blaek Burmester took over as the starting quarterback, and senior Ryder Strother went from quarterback to Z receiver. Head Coach Cole Miller says Burmester impressed in his first varsity start at quarterback.
“He did really well, was composed in the big moments, made some big throws, allowed his playmakers to make some plays, and helped us be multi-dimensional,” Miller says. “And towards the end of the game when we needed to ice the clock, it’s hard to practice that where you’re trying to run that four-minute offense. It’s hard to get that game-like experience during the week in practice. And he handled it really well. He controlled the play clock. He let it get under 10. And he rarely ever snapped it above five seconds. So he did a great job.”
In the 7-6 win over Clarion-Goldfield-Dows, Burmester was 9/12 passing for 98 yards.
Midseason position changes often come with some degree of difficulty, but Miller says Strother handled the change in the best way possible.
“He made the move to Z receiver and did really well. And he was the one that blocked the edge that gave us the long touchdown runs that Powers was able to bounce. There’s a lot of situations where kids get moved and things don’t go the right way, but Ryder handled it. There’s a reason he’s a captain on this football team, and he’s willing to put the team above himself and he played his heart out too. And Ryder does some really good stuff on defense and offense for us.”
Strother didn’t record any receptions, but had six tackles on defense, including one for loss.
The Bulldogs (1-1) will close non-district play Friday at Iowa Falls-Alden on 104.9 KLMJ.
