High school football playoffs: Brunswick's Anthony Gamboa demonstrates strength in versatility

Versatility has been the name of the game among Medina County football teams this season. Wide receiver/running back Kellen Price's return to part-time quarterback saved Cloverleaf. Running back/wide receiver Hunter Varney filling in for injured starter Dom Bell at quarterback kept Black River afloat. Highland's Anthony DePompei has rotated between wide receiver and Wildcat quarterback — the same went for Medina's Cooper Sokolowski — and Braydan Todd's switch from wide receiver to running back has turned out to be huge after Wadsworth was hit by injuries. No one has done more from the start, however, than Brunswick's Anthony Gamboa, whose breakout season is a major reason why the Blue Devils (6-4) are having their best offensive output in more than a decade heading into a Division I, Region 1 first-round game tonight at Canton McKinley (7-3). The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder already has produced one of the most prolific pass-catching seasons in school history with 61 receptions for 889 yards and nine touchdowns. He's also rushed 62 times for 212 yards and three scores as a running back and even completed a 30-yard trick play to Adin Evert for a touchdown. "What excited me most was the opportunity to play wherever," Gamboa said of first-year coach James Boyeas' spread scheme. "I could go in the backfield, I could line up on the left, I could line up on the right. All of the options we have in place, the adjustments that we have walking up to the line of scrimmage, a lot of things complement each other. "We have a good, disguised offense, and that just leads to opportunities to make plays." Spending most of his time at slot receiver but also in the backfield depending on the game plan, lining up all over the field is nothing new to No. 4. He played both positions as well as quarterback growing up, though he grins now and points out the latter was just another excuse for him to run outside. When Boyeas took over in February, he quickly saw potential. Gamboa, who had 19 catches for 212 yards as a sophomore, was a natural fit to fill the multi-faceted role in Boyeas' offense that was previously held by Revere's Matt Buser (John Carroll), North Olmsted's Jared Kelley (Kent State) and Lorain's Jairo Williams (Edinboro). Gamboa made a statement with 10 carries for 24 yards and 11 catches for 91 yards in a wild 47-42 season-opening win at Berea-Midpark. He hasn't slowed down. "He's super competitive. Specifically when we're locked in at practice and doing competition drills, he's really competitive," Boyeas said. "He's a competitor on Friday nights, but I also like how laid back he is. He's the type of kid I know that we could have some fun during practice, but when it's time to lock in, he can lock in and compete." Gamboa simply is the perfect talent for the spread-offense revolution. Twenty years ago, he would have been an I-formation tailback or wing-T buck sweep/counter guru at a smaller school. At a D-I program like Brunswick, he would have been primarily a jet sweep guy. With the running back background and a much thicker frame than a year ago, Gamboa can cut between the tackles and still chug forward for extra yardage. Those abilities make him even more dangerous in the slot, where he makes defensive backs miss open-field tackles. Gamboa has been consistent, too, with an averages of 40.2 rushing yards and 102.5 receiving yards on 13.5 touches in the Blue Devils' six victories. "(Starting as a sophomore) was definitely huge. I think it's a reason why I've had a lot of the success this year," he said. "This wasn't a brand-new thing for me. I've been on the field and going against these seniors from other schools who played last year as juniors." The return of quarterback Connor Jamison from Holy Name also has been a major storyline as Brunswick is on pace to boast the most prolific passing attack in school history with a 265.2 average. The Blue Devils' 343.6 yards total offense is their highest since 2014 (368.8), while their 27.4 scoring average ranks just outside of their all-time top 10. With Jamison slinging to Gamboa, Evert (43 catches, 711 yards, 6 TDs), Maxx Eicher (27, 365, 6), Jake Tamosiunas (17, 293, 2), Tyler Burk (17, 274, 2) and Gavin Ballok (13, 109, 3), Brunswick will no doubt be looking to air it out tonight at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. "Connor's obviously played a huge role. He's the type of quarterback that can put the ball anywhere on the field," Gamboa said. "He reads the defense really well, so him coming back helped a lot. "But then, we have other guys that help space out the defense like Adin Evert. I think me and him complement each other really well because he's more of a deep threat. Even guys like Maxx Eicher, who's a freshman, he's got a lot of speed to get around the corner on jets and things like that. Burk offers great blocking ability but, not only that, he can break one loose like he did against Riverside. (Tamosiunas) had a huge game against Berea-Midpark. All of us mix together well because we can all do different things, and I think that's what helps our offense the most." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.