MSSU duo looks to carry over high school success
The friendship started years ago just up the road from Missouri Southern in Webb City.
Collin Howard and Landon Zerkel formed a friendship that started in pee-wee football and continues to this day as Missouri Southern Lion football players.
More than 100 players, including Howard and Zerkel, reported for the opening of two-a-day practice, which officially began the 2009 season.
This year, Howard enters as the starting quarterback, while Zerkel will get his first crack at playing collegiate football after being injured last year. Expect the two to get back in form, a form that led their high school team to a state championship as seniors in 2006.
Zerkel and Howard showed some of the familiarity with each other back in the spring scrimmage, as the two led the offense for the only score of the day, getting a touchdown pass on the last play of the Green-and-Gold scrimmage.
“Me and him (Collin) are on the same page and we have played in a lot of important games together,” Zerkel said.
“It is pretty exciting to get to play with Landon again, we talked about it some in high school and hope we would be as successful in college,” Howard said. “I am very confident throwing to him.”
Zerkel
Only once in his life has Zerkel missed anytime for football season, that was when he cracked his knee cap playing pee-wee football and missed the year-end Super Bowl, which coincidentally, is held at MSSU.
An All-State performer in football and a standout in basketball as well in high school, Zerkel struggled sitting out last year with a torn labrum, which he had to have surgery on to fix.
“It was tough sitting out a sport last year,” said Zerkel, a sophomore undecided major. “I haven’t had to do that since I was young.”
Zerkel hasn’t taken a snap yet in an official college game, but has already seen some of the differences between college and the prep level.
“Playing in the spring definitely helped,” Zerkel said. “Football is a whole different speed, I noticed that the first day of spring ball. Everything is a lot quicker and a lot better defensive players.”
In preparation for the season, the Lions went through 7-on-7 drills.
Howard
Howard got some snaps in last year while splitting time with graduated quarterback Adam Hinspeter. He essentially was a “wildcat” quarterback that came in when the Lions needed some critical yards on the ground. He finished third on the team in rushing yards.
“I was definitely nervous at the time I went out there, but I got a few snaps and I was better,” said Howard, a junior physics major. “I am nervous at the beginning of every game.”
This year, Howard is the starting quarterback in the spring, and will be the starting quarterback when the season starts.
Howard, who redshirted as a freshman, noted he is much more familiar with the Southern offense now then when he arrived.
“It’s exciting to open up as the starter and I will have to work hard to keep my job and lead the team.”
Howard added: “I got some personal goals and one of them is to be the starting quarterback.”
