Griffins’ QB Dickinson looking forward to senior season

SPRINGVILLE –– Starting quarterback Bill Dickinson has been there for all of the Springville-Griffith Institute football program’s recent improvements.

Dickinson has played as quarterback in the Springville program since seventh grade. He returns this year as a starter, to help lead the Griffins to what he said he feels will be another successful season.

Dickinson added that he is hoping to exact some revenge for the Griffins, this year.

“We’re going to do what we have to do to make it a great season,” said Dickinson, who will replace last year’s starting quarterback Matt Wolcott.

On the radar screen is Eden, whom S-GI will face in week two of the regular season. With a playoff berth in Class B on the line, host Eden handed Springville a 40 – 6 loss in cold, windy and rainy conditions.

“We have got to get back at them,” Dickinson said, adding that Springville’s loss last year to Eden was a “tough pill to swallow. We just weren’t ready to play, when we played them.”

Other upcoming games Dickinson called “important” include rival Salamanca and Class B South Division champion Pioneer. The latter matchup will be Springville’s homecoming game.

Dickinson said that he and his teammates will be considering every game equally important, especially when it comes to making their coach proud.

Dickinson said he has thrived in Sopko’s run-first offense, which incorporates the triple option. “He’s a great coach, who teaches us a lot of things,” Dickinson said.

This year’s starting team quarterback said he believes the Griffins are focused and on track. As a team captain, he called it “an honor” to help steer his team in the right direction.

He said the coaching staff has implemented some changes for the upcoming season, including incorporating a few surprises for their opponents. “But I don’t want to give any of that away,” he said, with a laugh.

As a senior, Dickinson said he has been thinking a lot about his future, and noted that football may not fit into the equation.

“I’ll play baseball, I think,” he said. “I’ve always loved baseball.”