LA CENTER — Some college coaches were caught off guard when getting an introduction to La Center senior Wyatt Eiesland during a high school football camp last summer.
To start, players were told to split up into position groups based on where they played the prior season.
Eiesland, La Center’s starting quarterback, was the Wildcats’ center last season as a junior. So, the 6-foot-2, 212-pound speedster joined the linemen group and conspicuously stood out among the bigger, slower players around him.
“They don’t expect it,” Eiesland said. “I definitely caught a couple coaches’ heads.”
It’s commonplace in small-school football to see players occupy an array of positions over their high school careers that best suit the team.
Eiesland fits that mold to a tee at Class 1A La Center, but forgive coaches for doing a double take on his unusual path. He came into high school as a quarterback, moved to H-back and slot receiver as a sophomore, took over at center as a junior before returning to signal-caller this year, all while being a star middle linebacker each year.
A three-sport standout who also wrestles and plays baseball, Eiesland has the athleticism to play just about anywhere on a football field. Yet what puts him in elite company, according to longtime La Center coach John Lambert, is his willingness to accept any role given to him and put in the work to be successful.
“I don’t know how many quarterbacks in our league right now would willingly move to center,” Lambert said. “But I knew he’s that type of kid. He’s dedicated to the team, he’ll do whatever is best for the team. He didn’t complain.
“With his leadership, his toughness — he’s got that wrestler mentality — and a competitive streak that I knew he’d be a great choice. No one can question his toughness and his work ethic, his dedication to team (and) leadership. That sounds like a pretty good position for a quarterback.”
Lambert approached Eiesland about taking the reins as La Center’s quarterback after the Wildcats’ season ended in the first round of the 1A state playoffs last November.
The decision was an interesting dilemma for La Center coaches. For most of the 2023 season, Houston Coyle filled in at quarterback for injured senior Garrett Maunu, while Eiesland played center.
But going into 2024, coaches liked the idea of moving Coyle, a dynamic receiver, back outside with fellow receiver Parker McKinney. They’d even considered putting Eiesland at QB sooner, but the puzzle pieces didn’t quite fit.
“I was thinking, ‘who’s going to snap the ball?’ ” Lambert said. “Hindsight is always 20/20.”
Transitioning from offensive line to quarterback, a position Eiesland played throughout middle school and as a freshman, required shaking off some rust. But he was eager to learn.
Eiesland credited Coyle with helping him master his reads and footwork, while assistant coach Tom Lambert has helped him polish his passing skills.
“It was a lot more running,” Eiesland said with a laugh. “It was a lot more plays. … We still have some key plays for linemen, but going from, ‘hey, just block left or block right,’ to read the defense, see what they’re doing … I had to up my film (study) to two hours to probably like five hours a week.”
Entering Friday’s game against Trico League foe Kalama, Eiesland’s impact has been felt on both sides of the ball during La Center’s 7-0 start. The senior has thrown for 690 yards, six touchdowns and completed 72 percent of his passes, in addition to 10 rushing touchdowns. At linebacker, the reigning Trico League Defensive Player of the Year leads a defense allowing an average of three points a game with four shutouts.
Between quarterback, center and linebacker, there’s a common thread in nearly every position Eiesland plays — he’s in the middle of the field tasked with reading an opponent pre-snap and being a key communicator to his teammates. That theme can also be extended to baseball, where he plays catcher on La Center’s baseball team.
As it pertains to football, Eiesland’s playing experience from different vantage points on the field has given him a holistic understanding of the game.
“Now I know what the line is doing as a quarterback, because I played it last year,” Eiesland said. “Going from middle linebacker position, I know what the quarterback is (doing) so I can know his tells. It’s easier to look at where he’s going to throw. And playing that center position last year really helped me on defense, because I’m definitely more physical going up to the linemen.”
In John Lambert’s 26 years as La Center’s coach, there was only one other instance, in 2008, when the Wildcats turned to a former center to play quarterback.
So, yeah, Eiesland’s accomplishments this season are rare. The senior has made it feel like a natural fit because of all the special traits he brings to the team.
“His competitiveness is off the charts, his intangibles are off the charts, which you want from your linebacker, which you want from the leader of your line, which you want from your quarterback,” Lambert said.
“Nothing is mutually exclusive in high school football with leadership. Because if you’re a great leader on offense, you’re going to be a great leader on defense and vice versa. That’s what made this decision easy when we moved him.”
