BLOOMING PRAIRIE – A little confidence can go a long ways — especially on the football field.

The Blooming Prairie football team is getting big returns from the confidence they showed in sophomore starting quarterback Luc Zellmer as he has led the Awesome Blossoms (3-1 overall) to three straight victories after missing the opener with an injury.

Zellmer is already right at home in the BP offense, as he has thrown for 523 yards, eight touch downs and just two interceptions in his first three starts, which included wins over Mankato Loyola, Le Center and St. Peter.

“He’s been running our system for two years,” BP head coach Chad Gimbel said. “He’s got a good arm, but even more than that he has intelligence and he knows what’s going on. He’s a born leader and he exudes confidence. Those are qualities you look for in a quarterback.”

In the huddle, Zellmer has most of the offense figured out, but when in doubt, he turns to BP’s senior wideout Justen Ingvalson, who always has some good advice.

“He has it mostly figured out,” Ingvalson said. “Sometimes we can kind of see where he’s got a little confusion. We just tell him (what to do) and don’t make a big deal about it. He just goes along and does the job.”

The quarterback position at BP comes with expectations. The last two years BP compiled an 18-4 overall record and went on to play in the Section 1A title game both seasons. The Blossoms have always used the passing game as a primary way to attack defenses.

“It’s been tough. But it’s a learning experience,” Zellmer said. “There’s quite a bit of pressure, but it’s good pressure. It keeps you going and keeps you getting better.”

Nothing new

Fortunately for Zellmer, he’s not the first BP quarterback to be a first time starter as an underclassmen. The last three Blossoms’ quarterbacks entered the position as underclassmen. Craig Olson and Spencer Ohm, who is now the quarterback at Concordia University in St. Paul, both began their BP quarterback careers as sophomores. Austin Moe, who quarterbacked the Blossoms the last two seasons, started varsity as a freshman in Walker, Minn. before transferring to BP his junior year.

“We’ve been pretty blessed with some gifted quarterbacks,” Gimbel said. “Plus part of our philosophy has been to get a quarterback where we get to work with them for at least two years and maybe three years. We really try to groom them as freshman to get them ready to start for their sophomore year.”

Another advantage Zellmer has is he’s watched those quarterbacks play. His older brother Mark played with Ohm and his older brother Matt, who also played some QB himself last season, played with Moe.

“I actually played catch with Austin before the season and he shared some pointers. Matt also helped me a lot,” Zellmer said. “They told me to keep my composure and keep thinking I’m the best. Just have confidence and you’ll do pretty good.”

Other sophs in action

While Zellmer has provided a big boost, he’s not the only youngster to have an impact on BP this season. The Blossoms start two other sophomores — middle linebacker Luke Hueman and wide receiver Gabe Kartes.

Kartes was originally expected to be a running back, but after a hard offseason of workouts, Gimbel moved him to the outside.

“We felt he’d be a better fit with the sweep and he’d be a threat at wide receiver with his speed,” Gimbel said. “He worked hard on catching the football and that was our biggest concern with him. He’s also a big physical blocker on the outside.”

Hueman has given the team a physical player in the middle of the defense.

“It’s the hardest position to take on because he’s got a lot of reads and he’s got to take on offensive linemen,” Gimbel said. “Each week he’s getting better with his pursuit.”

Hueman has found football to be a little different at the varsity level.

“It’s a lot different than B-Squad,” Hueman said. “The guys are a lot bigger and getting off blocks is a lot harder. But it’s a lot more fun. It’s a lot bigger playing under the Friday night lights.”

Getting physical

Hueman, who also spends time at wide receiver, and Ingvalson have both led the way to getting the receivers more physical. Cooper Nelson has also had a physical presence in blocking.

“After our first game we really got after our wide receivers because they weren’t really doing what we expected of them at that position,” Gimbel said. “When they block better, our run game picks up. If they’re out there just to catch footballs, they’re not going to play for us.”

Ingvalson echoed his coach’s sentiments.

“When we actually get our blocking in, the running game really gets going. Everyone just needs to do their part and we can’t be lazy,” he said. “We’ve had a problem with receivers being lazy in the past, and now we’re trying to step it up and prove ourselves.”

Seniors rule

While the Blossoms have gotten big contributions from Zellmer, Kartes and Hueman, BP is still a senior dominated team as there are 11 seniors on the squad, including the main six offensive linemen.

But the fact that some youngsters are chipping in has not irked any of the upperclassmen.

“We don’t really pick anyone out. We just develop as a team and make sure we all get in sync and then we just go. We don’t care what grade you’re in,” Ingvalson said. “As long as our line keeps getting a push and as long as we all stay focused and don’t take a play off, we’ll be fine.”

Plus the sophomores know of the expectations for BP and they don’t want to be that group that comes up short.

“We don’t want to screw it up for the previous teams. We want to keep the tradition alive,” Hueman said.

BP will play at Medford Friday at 7 p.m.