MARYSVILLE — Marysville-Pilchuck football coach Brandon Carson is all caution as he talks about the upcoming football season.

His biggest concern?

“We’ve definitely got a lot of question marks. We don’t have a lot of starters back,” he said.

It’s a fact easily hidden in the shadow of one of the Tomahawks’ five returners from their 9-0 season last fall — senior running back Austin Denton, one of the state’s leading rushers in his breakout junior season. But with only two more returning starters on offense and two on defense, Carson is counting on some leadership to emerge from group of players.

“We’re going to have to rely on some inexperienced players to get where we need to be,” he added.

One guy who has been working throughout the offseason to get ready for this fall has been senior Zack Hanson. As a junior, he was a back-up to quarterbacks Devin Peterson and Nick Forsythe. But the team is behind him, electing him a co-captain at the end of last season.

Carson said he likes what he’s seeing from his starting quarterback.

“He had a great summer, a great camp. Right now, he’s our guy,” he said.

Hanson will join returners Denton and senior offensive lineman Brett Parsons as team captains. The team will likely elect a fourth captain during fall practice.

Hanson said he is very aware of the target on the Tomahawks’ back as defending Wesco North champions.

“Everybody is working hard and everything is starting to come together nicely,” Hanson said after the first week of practice. “We will definitely need to keep up the hard work since we will be coming into the ‘09 season as defending champs.”

Joining the veteran starters defensive end Brennen Steinbaugh, defensive back Chris Larson and tight end Jarrett Finau, Carson said he has identified a few players who have the potential to make an impact early in the season for M-P. Senior A.J. Kvangnes could make an impact on both sides of the ball, joining Denton in the backfield as part of the Tomahawk ground game and at outside linebacker on defense. Senior guard Kyle Bossom will help fill a place on the offensive line that graduated multiple all-league players. And though he wasn’t a full-time starter, Tomahawk senior Danny Stokes got honorable mention props from the league. Carson counts him as a probable wide receiver this fall.

Finau may play both sides of the ball as a junior, joining Steinbaugh at defensive end, and senior Blake McGrew could be another receiver for M-P.

The Tomahawks won’t have a lot of room for error in their schedule this fall. They start with road games at Shore-crest and Snohomish, the latter a perennially tough league opponent and fellow state tournament team. In the home opener, they’ll face Vancouver-area Skyview High in non-conference action before hosting Stanwood and visiting Arlington, two league rivals with a lot of returning starters.

Another question mark for the Tommies is how the team will be impacted by the elimination of the sophomore team. In the past, Tomahawk football had varsity, junior varsity, sophomore and freshman teams. Now, the sophomores will be absorbed into the no-cut varsity and junior varsity teams. Theoretically, more players competing for limited playing time should produce better results. Which squad will be more affected remains in question.

“I don’t foresee any (sophomores on varsity) yet,” Carson said. “A lot of times when the pads go on, they start to separate from the competition.”

Hanson’s perspective on the season is that every game is a big game.

“We cannot be looking past any team. The Snohomish game on Sept. 11 will be an especially important game for us. This game will set the tone for our season,” he said. “I hope to contribute to another great season.”

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