Waiting game over for Deer Lakes’ Bender

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, August 13, 2017 | 11:06 PM

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Ethan Bender sat behind a pair of quarterbacks the last two years at Deer Lakes and picked up as much knowledge as he could.

As a freshman, he studied under Scott Kelly, who along with a stout offensive line and running back Hunter Burns, led the Lancers to a playoff berth for the second time in school history.

Last year, Bender learned from David Fleming, who threw for more than 1,000 yards and was the main focal point of the offense.

Now it’s Bender’s turn, and he’s ready to take the reins.

“Freshman year, I played behind Scott Kelly and went to playoffs,” Bender said. “That was a good experience. Last year, I played behind (Fleming), but I was in the offense a little bit more (as a wide receiver) and learned a lot from him. Dave taught me a lot and kind of handed down the torch to me.”

Bender will be part of a large junior class that will make up most of the Lancers roster this season. With only three seniors, Deer Lakes coach Steve Sciullo is looking for Bender and junior tight end/defensive lineman Colin Kadlick to have a commanding presence in the offensive huddle.

“They have the opportunity to lead,” Sciullo said. “We have only three seniors on the roster, and that gives room for younger guys to step up. It’s a challenge to step in and fill that void. It’s not an easy thing to do leading a group of young men, but I think they’ll be up for it.”

Kadlick has been one of Bender’s best friends since elementary school. Bender and Kadlick have played football together since they were 6, when they tossed a Nerf football around the street. The pair is looking forward to taking that longstanding connection under the Friday night lights.

“Whenever we were little kids, we always dreamed about it,” Kadlick said. “Even when we were playing peewee football, we used to say one day we’d be under the Friday night lights playing football, and who knew it would get here this quick? Time goes by fast.”

“We’re already here,” Bender said. “Hopefully, we can take things to the next level.”

They’ve spent the summer working on getting on the same page. Bender said the 7-on-7 competitions Deer Lakes played in during the summer helped him get back to feeling comfortable at quarterback.

“We just work on chemistry every day, like routes and timing,” Bender said. “I feel pretty good with the quarterback/tight end combination with Colin.”

Bender and Kadlick both represent Deer Lakes with pride. Having spirit in supporting the hometown is something Sciullo takes seriously and tries to instill in his players.

Before Sciullo played in the NFL for three different teams, he played for Shaler and said it is important to savor the moments made in high school.

“What I always tell these kids is you really only have three or four years to play with your friends,” Sciullo said. “This is the backbone of your community. The core group of friends you have now tend to be the same group you hang out with later in life. This is the last time you have the opportunity to be with them in a competitive environment representing your hometown. I think that’s a cool thing and I hope they think it is too.”

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer.

Tags: Deer Lakes