By Matt Palmer

Staff Writer



WAUKOMIS — From the first week of preseason practice, the Pioneer coaches knew they had a great athlete at quarterback.

Now 10 games into the season with a Class B quarterfinals game at Cashion looming Friday, the Mustangs know they have a great quarterback.

Garrett Diel has played well all season, but during last week’s 44-40 thriller against Alex in the first round of the playoffs, the senior may have come of age.

He rushed for 89 yards and a touchdown, passed for a career-high 265 yards and two touchdowns, completing 16 of 28 passes, and led the Mustangs on two late touchdown drives of 97 and 98 yards into a stiff wind to advance.

“I can’t remember ever throwing 28 passes,” Diel said.

Meanwhile most people would have a hard time remembering the last time a team racked up 195 yards in the final three minutes to come from a 10-point deficit and win.

On the first late drive, Diel scrambled out of the pocket and completed passes of 48 yards to Jordan Tate and 49 yards to Jacob Mack to cut Alex’s lead to 40-38. Then Diel capped the winning drive with a 43-yard touchdown run with 16.9 seconds to play.

“It makes it more comfortable for a coach when Garrett’s the guy out there running the show,” said Pioneer coach Jon Claborn.

Diel has come a long way in a short period of time.

A backup quarterback the past two years, the 6-foot-2, 170-pound Diel started his first game at the position against Community Christian Aug. 31.

The Mustangs (8-2) won that game 44-32, with Diel rushing for 57 yards and getting another 115 on 4 of 8 passing.

But then Claborn and his staff still were being cautious with Diel.

“Earlier in the year, we were so adamant about him staying in the pocket, being tall and delivering the football that we would take unnecessary sacks,” Claborn said. “Now we are letting him use his athleticism a little bit more, let him break pocket and go find somebody, which is what he did pretty much on both those big plays to Jordan and Jacob (last week).”

On both late drives last week, the Mustangs basically put the game in Diel’s hands, running four wide-receiver sets they practice every week but had only used in one game this season — an 8-6 loss at Laverne in Week 2.

The result: Diel went over the 1,000-yard mark with 1,257 passing yards this season, adding 11 touchdowns and only two interceptions.

He also has rushed for 591 yards and 13 scores.

Claborn said Diel probably is the best overall athlete on the team, adding if the team were to enter a combine like college players do before the NFL draft, Diel would come out on top in most of the drills.

But what impresses Claborn and his staff most about Diel, who also plays point guard for the basketball team, is his leadership.

“Nobody runs sprints harder than Garrett Diel. Nobody lifts harder than Garrett Diel. Nobody jumps rope more often than Garrett Diel,” Claborn said. “But at the same time, I’ve seen him grab people by the facemask in the huddle and straighten them out and tell them what we’re going to do here to win this game.

“As a coach whose coached 10 years now, there’s not too many of those guys out there.”

NOTES: Claborn said he thinks the success Pioneer had passing last week will force Cashion to respect the Mustangs’ aerial attack because he gave Cashion the Alex game film. ... Claborn said Friday’s game could involve as much as 70 percent rushing from both teams. ...