Don't be surprised if you see Coe quarterback Gavin Glenn whisper in his center's ear before the Kohawks run a play in shotgun formation this season.

Glenn, a transfer from Minnesota-Duluth, is batting incumbent Josh Rekers for the starting job in practice and Glenn wants to make sure there are no problems with the snap.

Glenn stands 6-feet tall, but Rekers is a strapping 6-foot-6.

"Sometimes I go up to the center before the play and tell him I'm the shorter quarterback so I don't get a ball over my head," Glenn claimed during Media Day activities Monday at Clark Field.

Coe Coach Steve Staker has no trouble telling them apart, but he's having a little trouble separating them on the depth chart. That's good news, because both quarterbacks have looked good in practice.

"There's a pretty good battle between those two right now," said Staker. "They're pretty close. Each one has their strengths."

Rekers might be a little more effective on long passes with his strong arm, but Glenn also has a nice zip on the ball. Glenn is the better runner, but Rekers also moves well.

Staker said he might use both of them in games.

"Right now that's a possibility," he said. "I don't know if one has separated himself from the other one. I think they're both pretty even."

Rekers passed for 1,872 yards and 14 touchdowns as a sophomore at Coe last season. Glenn never threw a pass at Minnesota-Duluth in two years (he was redshirted one year) and decided to transfer from the NCAA Division II school after the new coach installed a run-oriented offense in 2013.

Glenn was recruited by Coe when he was at ADM High School in Adel. "When I decided I was going to transfer, they were the first ones I re-contacted," he said.

Rekers, from Dike-New Hartford, is determined to hang onto his starting job.

"Definitely. I want to be the guy," he said. "I feel I have the best grasp of the offense coming back. Getting that experience last year helped a lot."

Linn-Mar graduate Mark Atwater, the backup quarterback at Coe last season, has switched to linebacker this year. He excelled as a quarterback and linebacker during his career at Linn-Mar and is looking good at his new spot with the Kohawks.

Atwater spent two years at quarterback for the Kohawks but never won the starting job.

"He wanted to try quarterback," said Staker. "His dad (Coe assistant coach Larry Atwater) was a quarterback here. I think he wanted to give it a shot, but man, I like him at linebacker. He is really good.

"He's fast, he's got some savvy to him, he's smart, he understands our system."

Staker has compiled a 46-18 record at Coe in six years, including a 35-11 mark in Iowa Conference games and three trips to the NCAA Division III playoffs. He expects to have another strong team, but graduation took a toll.

"We have some question marks, but it's not like we're young," he said. "I've got a lot of seniors coming back on offense. I've got a few ondefense as well.

"We lost a lot of kids. Twenty-five kids, and the majority were starters. But it's not like we're trying to teach a lot of young guys new tricks.It's old guys that know the tricks.

"They just haven't had an opportunity to perform," he said. "Now they've got it, so here we go."

Staker said he has three "excellent" running backs in Sam Lahr (West Delaware), Colton Storla (Marion) and Colin Ferring (Waukon).

"Those three are going to be carrying the load when it comes to running the football," Staker said. "I'm excited about those guys. They're good, hard runners and all three of them have experience."

Staker thinks the Kohawks will have a strong defense this season.

"Our defense looks pretty good," he said. "I think we play really fast, and in this league we have to play fast. That's what I've seen out of us."

Staker said the defense is a step ahead of the offense, due to a relatively inexperienced offensive line. His major concern right now is the lack of returning starters as the Kohawks prepare for the season opener Sept. 6 at 24th-ranked Wheaton.

"That would be the big question mark," he said. "How will these guys perform under pressure?"

2014 SCHEDULE

Saturday, Sept. 6 - at Wheaton, 1 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 13 - at Cornell, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 20 - Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 1 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 4 - Loras, 1 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 11 - Wartburg, 1 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 18 - at Simpson, 1 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 25 - Central, 1 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 1 - at Luther, 1 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 8 - at Dubuque, 1 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 15 - Buena Vista, noon