Six years ago, Bainbridge's football boasted one of the top offensive duos in West Sound as senior quarterback Gannon Winker and senior running back Max McLeod helped lead the Spartans to the playoffs in the Metro League 3A.
Piloting a run-heavy, triple-option offense under former Bainbridge head coach Jeff Rouser, Winker finished with 1,017 passing yards, 875 rushing yards and 29 combined touchdowns. McLeod earned the Metro's Valley Division MVP honors after rushing for 632 yards and nine touchdowns, catching 23 passes for 644 yards and 10 touchdowns, while adding two kickoff returns and one interception return for scores.
Both Winker and McLeod eventually landed opportunities to play at the NCAA Division 2 level. Winker started at quarterback in 2022-23 at Western Oregon, while McLeod became a first-team All-American as a senior last year at the Colorado School of Mines after setting single-season school records for receptions (115) and receiving yards (1,656). The yardage led all D-2 receivers.
Heading into the 2024 season, the Spartans again expect to rely on a talented senior backfield duo that is generating college interest: quarterback Jack Grant and running back/linebacker Garrett Goade.
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With Bainbridge dropping down from Class 3A to 2A, the team has its sights set on winning the Olympic League title and returning to the postseason. The Spartans finished 7-3 last season, ending its campaign with a 35-28 loss to Bonney Lake in a state play-in game held at South Kitsap High School.
"We are very excited," Goade said while participating in a 7-on-7 event at Klahowya Secondary School earlier this month. "We're going to give it our all. Everybody's putting in the work."
A starter at quarterback since his freshman year, Grant thrived in 2023 under first-year head coach Dan Schoonmaker. He completed 130 of 200 passes for 1,764 yards, 21 touchdowns and five interceptions. He rushed for 527 yards and eight scores while earning Olympic League offensive MVP honors.
Schoonmaker listed composure, athleticism and competitiveness as three of Grant's major strengths. The player also feels he's grown as a student of the game, becoming more comfortable with his decision-making and how to attack defenses through the years.
"When I first stepped on the field my freshman year, I couldn't tell you what a Cover-2 was," said Grant, who has attended numerous individual camps this fall, including ones held at Washington State and Eastern Washington. Grant also went to the Manning Passing Academy camp in Louisiana in June.
Grant, whose younger brother Matthew (6-4, 285-pound junior tackle) is also a college prospect and will be blocking Jack's blindside this fall, said his priority is seeing the Spartans succeed as a team. If that includes playing some defense, he's up for it. Serious talk about competing at the next level can wait.
"I definitely want to play college football," Grant said. "Whether that's quarterback or linebacker or somewhere else...."
Like Grant, Goade has been a frequent camp participant this summer, attending gatherings at Eastern Washington and Idaho, among others. He'll join his quarterback at a camp at Central Washington later in July.
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Goade was a two-way starter for the Spartans as a junior. He rushed 102 times for 618 yards and 10 touchdowns and caught eight passes for 48 yards and a score. As a linebacker, Goade had 78 tackles (9.5 for loss), two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Schoonmaker said Goade is a relentless player with an outstanding work ethic (he's also an Eagle scout and one of the school's top wrestlers) and enjoys rising to any challenge.
"I've got some individual goals," Goade said, "but I'm always thinking team-first."
Bainbridge's 2024 schedule sees the team taking on two of the top 2A schools in the state last year. In addition to hosting defending Olympic League champion North Kitsap on Oct. 13, the Spartans will travel to Tumwater for a nonleague tilt on Sept. 13. Tumwater knocked off North Kitsap in the state semifinals last fall before losing to eventual champion Anacortes in the 2A championship held at Husky Stadium.
Those two games should provide Grant, Goade and the rest of the Spartans a chance to see where they stand among the list of 2A contenders.
"We're definitely not going to back down from a challenge," Grant said.
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