Their friendship was born on the Parklane Academy baseball diamond and put to the test on the school’s football field.
Senior Brandon Austin and sophomore Zac Stutzman have been buddies for just about a year now, but the two have been at opposite ends for the past few days.
No, this isn’t anything that will tear apart their friendship. The two are, however, battling for the Parklane starting quarterback job for the upcoming season.
Austin and Stutzman say they’ll remain friends no matter who earns the job. With their efforts in practice this week, though, it’s become evident that each of them wants the position.
“We’re both playing really good right now,” Austin said. “We both want to be the quarterback.”
“We’re both competitive from playing sports,” Stutzman said.
The two were left to battle for the Pioneers’ starting quarterback job after last season’s starter Steven Swindle transferred to Oak Grove.
Swindle’s sudden departure came after his father, Mark, resigned as the head women’s basketball coach at Southwest Mississippi Community College and accepted the girls’ coaching job at Oak Grove.
Over the past year, Austin and Stutzman have gotten to spend plenty of time together. The two have occasionally gone swimming in the Amite River. They also play cards at a friend’s house every Wednesday night.
“We hang out all the time,” Austin said of his younger teammate. “He’s quiet. He’s not going to say anything to make you mad.”
“We were roommates for a week at baseball camp in Memphis back in May,” Stutzman said.
Neither Austin nor Stutzman has played quarterback at the varsity level.
Stutzman is the only one of the pair with any experience under center. He played quarterback for the Pioneers’ junior varsity team last season.
The lack of experience, however, has done little to diminish the optimism of Pioneers’ head coach Bo Milton.
“Both of them have done exactly what we’ve asked of them — they’ve gotten better every day,” Milton said. “We’re three weeks away from the start of the season and this team has rallied around these two kids. They’ve dealt with this extremely well.”
Austin and Stutzman showed off their arms during the Pioneers’ Friday morning practice with Brookhaven Academy. Both threw the ball well, completing middle- and long-range passes over defenders.
“They’re getting more consistent,” Milton said. “We expected them to come in and step up, and that’s what they’ve both done.”
Austin said he and Stutzman bring something different to the Parklane table.
“I think he’s a little better at passing. I’m a little better at running,” Austin said. “We run a lot of options, and I’m one of the faster kids on the team.”
As the shortstop on the Parklane baseball team, Austin also has garnered experience as a leader. That, he said, also suits him well.
“At quarterback, you’ve got to make sure everyone’s doing their job,” he said.
Stutzman said he’s expecting his friend to win the starting job. If that does indeed occur, Stutzman said he’s prepared to be one of Austin’s receiving targets.
“I expect him to be the starting quarterback,” Stutzman said. “I was going to be the backup anyway.”
Regardless of who comes out of preseason as the Pioneers’ starting signal-caller, Austin said he and Stutzman will remain close friends.
“I don’t think it matters (who is quarterback),” he said. “We’re not disappointed in who gets the job because we’ll always be friends. Whoever gets the job, it’s good with us.”
