With a pair of D-I commits and more, Glacier Peak’s offense is loaded

SNOHOMISH — Will they run the ball?

Will they throw it deep?

Where is Trey Leckner?

Where is Cooper Jensen?

Who’s that other 6-foot-4 receiver making plays?

Those are among the myriad questions likely to go through opposing defensive coordinator’s heads when they run into the Glacier Peak High School football team this fall.

The Grizzlies enter this season as a popular pick to make a deep postseason run in Class 4A, and the Grizzlies’ talented group of returning playmakers on offense is where much of that hype comes from.

GP returns senior Pac-12 recruits Leckner and Jensen, second-year starting senior quarterback River Lien and impact seniors Logan Szarzec and Ryan King, to go alongside a solid junior class of playmakers ready to break out.

The Grizzlies have so many options on offense that it may even be a challenge for the team’s coaching staff to figure out who to give the ball to.

“That’s a legitimate question,” coach Shane Keck said when asked about how tough it will be to get everyone on offense touches. “But I think it’s also one of the things that makes us tough to defend. I think with Trey’s ability to move around and play running back, tight end and receiver, it really causes some problems. Cooper can play some receiver and play tight end. … We’ve got a couple other guys at running back and receivers. Trying to package it all together and make it all fit and make sure the right guys are getting touches, I think that’s the challenge for our offensive staff.”

Keck will take that challenge head on this season as he makes the move from calling plays on defense to offense. He said that move was made possible by the rehiring of former defensive coordinator Steve Hannan.

Keck, who called plays on offense during his time as the head coach at Cascade and as an offensive coordinator at Mercer Island, said the system remains the same for a team that averaged 39.9 points per game and reached the state playoffs for the first time in 4A.

“Ninety percent of everything is stuff we’ve already done in the past,” Keck said. “There’s a few tweaks here and there, but most of it is pretty much the same stuff.”

One of those tweaks is Leckner’s role on offense. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound playmaker led the team in rushing and receiving last season, racking up 1,550 yards from scrimmage and 23 touchdowns. He’s moving from running back to H-back and will be featured all over the field this season.

Leckner, a Washington State University commit and three-star recruit according to 247sports.com, said the tranistion into his new role has been seamless. That’s helped by his experience at receiver, which he played at Snohomish before transferring to GP last season.

“I’m really excited for that because I think I’m really going to be able to show off my versatility a little bit more,” Leckner said. “… I think it’s the best of both worlds.”

Jensen, a three-star Oregon State commit, returns after injuries limited his playing time as a junior. He still pulled in 23 receptions for 271 yards and two TDs, and is an imposing force at the line of scrimmage at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds.

“It feels great,” Jensen said of coming into the season healthy. “It’s just good to be out here again.”

Leckner and Jensen figure to garner a great deal of attention from defenses, which is where the Grizzlies’ depth comes into play.

Szarzec is a 6-foot-4 receiver who Keck said has a vertical jump of about 39 inches. He had 19 receptions for 336 yards and three touchdowns as a junior.

King ran for 466 yards and seven touchdowns during a productive junior year serving as Leckner’s backup. He’ll be on the field much more this season with Leckner moving around.

“Those guys should have a chance to make a lot of plays and make a lot of touchdowns,” Keck said.

Perhaps most importantly, the Grizzlies have a proven signal-caller ready to distribute the ball.

Lien, a two-star prospect with an offer from Linfield College, completed 62.4% of his passes for 1,663 yards and 19 TDs during his first year as the starter. He’s well aware of the firepower he has to work with.

“I think everybody being selfless and having all those guys to throw to obviously is very nice,” Lien said. “… I think there’s a lot of weapons to use and I think it’s going to be really hard for teams to account for.”

Lien spent time in the offseason training at Ford Sport Performance with legendary Seahawks quarterback Jim Zorn. He said that time greatly helped his ability to read defenses.

Keck has seen the fruits of that labor.

“I think all the reps and all the experience has started to come together,” Keck said. “He’s worked extremely hard to get himself ready to go and has been to every camp and every quarterback training and really is putting in all of the work it takes. I think he’s probably the hardest working quarterback that I’ve ever been around. … All of that together, I think he’s in line for a really good senior year.”

GP also returns starting offensive lineman Baxter Cox, Joe Johnson and Adam Troxel to help protect Lien and pave the way for the running game.

“We think this is the overall strongest line we’ve ever had here,” Keck said. “We’ve had some really good lines over the last couple years, but the quality of depth and experience, we feel really good about the offensive line.”

With all of the talent coming back on offense, the Grizzlies would be favored to win a conference title in most leagues around the state. But that’s not the case in Wesco 4A due to the presence of powerhouse Lake Stevens. The Vikings have won the past eight league titles, made it to the state championship game in 2021 and are favorite to win it all this year.

GP has given the Vikings a run for their money in recent years, losing by just three points in 2018 and six points last season. So, is this the year the Grizzlies can get it done?

“The last four years we feel like we’ve had a chance to win. We’ve just got to get it done,” Keck said. “… That’s the goal. We’re trying to beat them, we’re trying to win a league title and we’re trying to win a state championship. If you want to do all of those things, you’ve got to beat somebody. We don’t shy away from that, but until you get it done, it’s all just talk.”