'Super competitive kid': Bay Port's new quarterback ready to lead the Pirates in the FRCC
SUAMICO – The Bay Port football team went a combined 22-3 the last two seasons and got to within one win of the WIAA Division 1 state title game in 2022.
One of the constants during that span ― along with a top-notch defense ― was the play of quarterback Cole Bensen. The former standout hurt teams with both his arm and legs, a dual threat that made him difficult to contain on most Thursday or Friday nights during the season.
Nobody likely can replace Bensen’s overall production, but perhaps senior Carter Kallies is best equipped to provide some of the things he did so well.
The 5-foot-10, 175-pound Kallies is a three-sport athlete who also excels in wrestling during winter and baseball in spring.
The moment won’t be too big for him. The pressure won’t be too intense.
“He’s a heady kid,” Bay Port coach Gary Westerman said. “He’s played a lot of sports his whole life. He’s thrown the football a lot. He will be really good.
“There is challenge involved. Our kids work at it in the offseason. They don’t just show up on Aug. 1 to play QB. He’s worked at it. He’s done a nice job. He’s a leader, super competitive kid. Really athletic. Throws the ball well. He will be different than Cole was, but I think he will excel at it.”
Carter Kallies will switch from wide receiver to quarterback
Kallies has experience under center after playing quarterback on junior varsity. But with Bensen entrenched as the starter going into last season, Kallies switched to wideout.
The move paid off for both Bay Port and Kallies, who along with former wideout Brett Shipley gave Bensen a few dangerous weapons to target.
Kallies had 24 catches for 473 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 19.7 yards per catch. He rushed 28 times for 323 yards and two scores and was an honorable mention selection on the Fox River Classic Conference-North all-conference team.
He won’t have Shipley to throw to, and he can’t throw to himself. But he’s not worried about breaking in some new wideouts, especially since a group of them are among his best friends.
There is a certain trust he has in all of them, that if he gets the ball anywhere near their hands, they will catch it.
“It doesn’t seem that different at all,” Kallies said of his position switch. “I feel like it’s helpful because I know everyone around. They all make me feel comfortable. They make me feel welcome at the position.
“There is a little bit (of pressure taking over for Bensen), but not really. Obviously, we have big shoes to fill. I don’t really feel much pressure, more just excitement to play.”
Some of Kallies’ biggest plays will come in the run game, just like Bensen.
Kallies is described as lightning in a bottle. Bensen wanted to run people over.
No matter the style, it keeps a tradition alive under Westerman of signal callers who also are vital in the run game.
Bay Port quarterbacks have finished either first or second on the team in rushing yards nine times in Westerman’s first 11 seasons with the Pirates, highlighted by the ridiculous 2,324 yards former star and current Miami Dolphins fullback Alec Ingold rushed for as a senior in 2014.
But it won’t be just on Kallies to move the offense.
Bay Port can lean on senior Blake Buchinger in several ways.
Buchinger was one of the best running backs in the FRCC as a junior last season when he rushed for 1,144 yards and 10 TDs on 185 carries while catching 21 passes for 197 yards and one score. He is expected to play more wideout this season.
Fellow senior Tevyn Montgomery didn’t factor in the backfield as much last season while concentrating more on his duties at linebacker, but he should be in line to receive more than the 40 carries he had in 2022, when he rushed for 258 yards and seven TDs and averaged 6.4 yards per carry.
“It’s about balancing touches,” Westerman said. “So, you have got to get the ball in your playmakers' hands. Tevyn being one of them. Blake being one of them. Carter being one of them. Just to name a few.
“But just spread that thing around.”
Bay Port defense hopes to remain a strength
The Pirates’ defense entered last season with arguably the best front seven in the state, and the unit didn’t disappoint playing under longtime coordinator John Krause.
Bay Port allowed 14 or fewer points 10 times, although it allowed a season-high 42 in a semifinal playoff loss to eventual state champion Kimberly. Of course, that was without former star linebacker and the state’s defensive player of the year in JoJo Azure, who missed most of the playoff run with an illness and now is preparing for his freshman season at North Dakota State.
There are holes to fill, and not just with the departure of Azure. Bay Port lost FRCC-North defensive lineman of the year Kaeden Lewis, defensive back of the year AJ Courchaine and all-conference selections in linemen Damon Grosskreutz and Vaughn Campbell, linebacker Tommy Hall and defensive backs Mason Clark and Drew Jacques.
The Pirates do welcome the return of two impact linebackers in University of Wisconsin recruit Landon Gauthier and Montgomery.
When healthy, they are one of the best duos in the FRCC.
“Everything is a work in progress, both sides of the ball,” Westerman said. “The goal is to just get a little bit better every day. That’s kind of what we have been working on, and the guys have embraced that.”
Bay Port has difficult nonconference schedule
The Pirates are one of the favorites to win a second consecutive FRCC-North championship, but they are going to be tested in a big way before the league season begins with a home game against rebuilding Green Bay Preble in Week 3.
Bay Port hosts Middleton in Week 1 before traveling to Kimberly in Week 2.
The Cardinals still are the favorites in the Big Eight Conference despite an offseason filled with distractions and the resignation of coach Jason Pertzborn, while the Papermakers remain the kings of the Fox Valley Association.
A couple different games might have provided a softer landing for Kallies and his teammates, but they aren’t looking for easy.
“I just like trying to prove who we are right away,” Kallies said. “Getting two tough opponents right away can really show ourselves to the whole state that we are business this year.”
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: New Bay Port quarterback Carter Kallies ready to lead the Pirates
