Kansas Pregame Feature: Bubba's Back
By: Robert Falkoff
Kansas Pregame.com
Posted: October 14, 2009 - 6:56 PM

EUDORA – Memo to all the Kansas 5A football teams that have aspirations of going all the way in the 2009 playoffs: Bubba's back.

With the return of heralded junior quarterback Bubba Starling from a separated left shoulder, Gardner-Edgerton looks to be firmly in the mix for November glory. Starling sat out a couple of weeks following the injury to his non-throwing shoulder and then shook off some rust on Oct. 9 when he threw two touchdown passes in a 26-0 victory at Eudora.

Starling, who ran for 189, 130 and 225 yards in Gardner-Edgerton's opening three games, was under instructions not to take off with the ball under his arm at Eudora.

“We thought we could play him without getting him hit,” Trailblazers coach Marvin Diener said. “He didn't get hit once.”

Starling was content to hand the ball off in the first half before providing a glimpse of his talented right arm in the second half. He threw touchdown passes to Tyler Stubler and Justice Berry as Gardner-Edgerton eventually pulled away after the pesky Cardinals hung within 7-0 at the half.

Gardner-Edgerton accomplished the mission of easing Starling back into the lineup without a high risk of aggravating the left shoulder. By the time Gardner-Edgerton collides with St. Thomas Aquinas in a Kansas City-area 5A showdown on Oct. 23, Starling should have the the green light to use his legs as well as his rocket-like right arm.

“I was a little sore, but I wanted to come out and see what I had,” Starling said moments after the Eudora game. “We were slow the first half, but we looked better in the second half.”

Starling, who stands 6-foot-5 and figures to pack considerably more weight on his now-slender, 190-pound frame, has been positioning himself to be a prize recruit.

“He's got a big-time arm,” Diener said. “He made some plays that really made a difference in the second half.”

Starling is a three-sport man for all season. When he's through running and throwing the football through the fall, he's a wing man on the Gardner-Edgerton basketball team and then a star pitcher on the baseball team in the spring. Starling's fastball as a sophomore was clocked at 93 miles per hour.

“Whatever sport is in season, I'm loving it,” Starling said.

Asked which sport he envisions himself playing in college, Starling reflected on the possibilities.

“I would say either football or baseball,” Starling said. “Whatever works out. We'll just have to wait and see.”

There's a chance, of course, that Starling could double as a football/baseball athlete at the next level.

“I'd be sweet,” Starling said. “I bet it would be pretty tough, but yeah, I'd like it.”

For now, Starling is just focused on helping Gardner-Edgerton finish the '09 football season with a bang. The win over Eudora lifted the Trailblazers to a 6-0 record. Last year, the Blazers finished 10-2.

“Our offense is better than last year,” Starling said. “We've got a lot of tools.”

Those tools were certainly on display at Eudora. Junior Brett Jensen, a bruising 209-pound running back, rumbled for 150 yards on 17 carries while carrying the load on a night when Starling wasn't available as a runner.

Tight end Alex Knoor made a highlight reel diving catch to set up a touchdown and the 6-foot-2 Berry got behind the defense for a 31-yard touchdown strike from Starling to finish the Gardner-Edgerton scoring.

“Berry is an unbelievable receiver,” Starling said. “Whenever I can throw to him it's great because he can really make plays.”

A six-yard touchdown catch by Stubler and a 33-yard touchdown run by Ryan Weber illustrated the plethora of offensive weapons that the Blazers have. But the key to making it all work in the big games will be Starling.

After going just 1-for-2 through the air in the first half at Eudora, Starling finished 10-for-15.

“We didn't have enough plays to throw the ball like we wanted in the first half,” Diener said. “We knew we had to come out early in the second half and spread the ball around the field. Being able to throw really made a difference.”

As his left shoulder slowly mends, Starling figures to be at his best for the playoffs.

Around Kansas 5A football, the news has spread that Bubba's back. A healthy Starling translates to healthy respect for Gardner-Edgerton's playoff chances.