Story by DAVID LA Vaque • Photo by Aaron Lavinsky • Star Tribune
Football players first and foremost, JD Spielman, Isaac Collins and Phillip Howard are the athletes you pick for your team regardless of the sport. ¶ They make the plays — the runs, throws, catches and tackles — other guys don't. They are special because rather than specializing, they play multiple positions each game with aplomb. The teams' offensive and defensive coordinators arm-wrestle over these caliber of playmakers.
Eden Prairie's Spielman and Collins of Maple Grove shine as running backs, free safeties and kick and punt returners. Howard lines up at quarterback and free safety and returns punts. As for receiver, the position he figures to play in college for the Gophers, Howard, playing at Robbinsdale Cooper, also expects to catch some passes this fall.
The trio stands apart from a growing pack of playmakers at metro-area schools. More coaches, regardless of their program's depth, are finding the right space to maximize their multipurpose athletes. The sweet spot lies somewhere between more than select situation usage and not playing them both ways full time. At the same time, players' workloads must be monitored to avoid risk of repetitive hits and concussions.
"There's more pressure on being recruited so there are more kids doing more training on the side to get better and that makes kids more well-rounded," Maple Grove coach Matt Lombardi said. "On the other hand, you just get special athletes sometimes. Somehow, someway, they're going to be the best out there. They understand the sport and how to win."
Increased playing time brings more responsibility and pressure. More action means more wear and tear on the body. The thrill of making plays to inspire teammates and win games, however, trumps all.
"It's great because you're going to have the ball in your hands pretty much the entire game," Collins said. "You control most of the game. It's awesome scoring touchdowns, to make plays on defense and returning kicks.
"It's exhausting but it's really fun."
Strength and speed are important components in football. For those who shine brightest as playmakers, a sharp mind is critical, too.
Mixing and matching top athletes in key games has long benefited top programs, regardless of size. Ryan Iversen, typically a linebacker or safety, caught a handful of passes in Eden Prairie's offense in two years. Two of them provided the deciding points in the 1996 and 1997 title games.
Last fall, Totino-Grace gutted a solid Lakeville North defense en route to a 37-21 state tournament semifinal victory. The key: Ben Mezzenga, an All-Metro defensive back, moved to running back, producing 155 yards and four touchdowns.
"We talk about how most of the guys in the pros are physically good enough to be there," Eden Prairie coach Mike Grant said. "But the best ones, mentally, are top-notch."
Spielman, an agile runner with great balance, impresses Grant with his ability to "react quickly and think and make good decisions."
Collins, who boasts a 3.96 grade-point average, is a player "you can teach a lot of things because he learns it and picks it up really well," Lombardi said. When injury wiped out Lombardi's primary quarterback options, Collins stepped in as a sophomore. He mostly took direct snaps in the wildcat formation and ran the ball.
Howard made the huge jump from receiver to quarterback as a junior. He absorbed the multiple formations in the Hawks' zone-read spread offense and the duties of each offensive player through more time with video and the playbook.
Blazing speed — Howard ran the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds — and football sense means he is tough to track.
"He knows all the dynamics, all the angles," said Hawks coach Willie Howard, no relation.
Said Lombardi: "You really can't have multipurpose football players if they don't have some ability to think and comprehend on both sides of the ball. Those three kids have grown up with the sport and adapt really easily."
The trio held court during a recent photo shoot under the State Theatre marquee in downtown Minneapolis. Dressed in full uniform and largely unrecognized, they fielded unsolicited inquiries of passersby, showing enough maturity that one asked if they were college players.
Leading the way
Collins and Howard enter their third year of varsity competition while Spielman saw action as a freshman. While they do it in different ways, they are embracing leadership roles as seniors.
"As an athlete on the team playing all these different positions, your teammates look up to you," Phillip Howard said. "They want to see what you're going to do with your skill set, see how you're going to lead them but ultimately, they're going to help you lead them."
Showing maturity beyond his years, Howard opted to play receiver instead of quarterback as a sophomore to benefit the team.
If Collins, a captain, is a quiet leader, then Spielman is practically mute. Yet their playmaking skills roar.
When coach Mike Grant sprinkled Spielman into the offensive playbook, he emerged as the explosive element within a crowded, talented Eagles backfield. In the Class 6A state tournament quarterfinals last fall, Eden Prairie trailed East Ridge 14-0 until touchdowns from Spielman of 80 and 52 yards.
"With the coaches calling the right play and the help of my offensive line, I'll have a run that will go for 20 or 30 yards and possibly a touchdown," Spielman said. "That kind of lifts everyone up."
Lombardi said he reminds players such as Collins: "Hey, you're a leader and when you go out there, the whole group has to think we're OK."
Eden Prairie plays host to Maple Grove on Sept. 11, an early gauge for two powerful football programs with Prep Bowl championship aspirations. Two of the state's finest players, Spielman and Collins, once again will try to hurt the opposition in myriad ways.
"I think of playing somebody just like myself," Spielman said of Collins. "He's fast, tough, he can hit and he can run. You don't see too many of those players. When you're that player, it's a blessing."
