West Ranch freshman football head coach Jan Miller said his team has 85 kids out for it this season.

There’s only one problem.

“Out of 85 kids, none of them have played quarterback before,” he said.

Therefore, if the Wildcats want to repeat as freshman league champions, they must first find a signal-caller.

Miller said that Bryton Plush and Daniel Judy are in competition for the starting quarterback job. He said Plush has better footwork and ball control, while Judy has a better arm.

“We won’t do quarterbacks by committee,” Miller said. “When we play Nordhoff in our first game, one of them will have the job.”

Whoever wins the job will have some small but capable weapons. Miller said running back Malik Townsend has good speed and isn’t afraid of contact, and Townsend will play a key role as the Wildcats will be a run-oriented team once again this fall.

On the outside, Isaiah Guzman and J.K. Torres provide good athletes at the receiver positions, and Miller said they will both start in the secondary as well.

The defense as a whole won’t have the size it had last year, but Miller is still confident. The unit will be led by linebackers Patrick McGoldrick, Jon Sayer and Trevor Aleshire.

“Our linebacking corps is solid and our defensive line again is medium-to-big,” Miller said. “They range anywhere from 150 to 180 pounds. They’re a work in progress.”

West Ranch’s football program as a whole has shown progress over the past year, with league titles at the freshman and junior varsity level as evidence.

Miller is happy with the way things are developing.

“The terminology used at the varsity level is used at the freshman and JV level,” he said. “(The other coaches) do give me lateral movement to do different things as far as where our strengths are.”