Mendota’s Justin Randolph, Braiden Freeman look to build on strong connection

Last fall, Justin Randolph became the Mendota football team’s starting quarterback after getting some limited playing time as a sophomore, while Braiden Freeman made his varsity debut as a receiver and defensive back.

In their first full varsity seasons, Randolph and Freeman had a strong connection, hooking up for 32 receptions, 651 yards and four touchdowns.

“It was just chemistry,” said Randolph, who finished his junior season with 1,472 yards and 11 touchdowns on 89-of-169 passing in eight games last fall. “We practice a lot after practice, before practice and a lot in the offseason, and we just got that chemistry down before the season even started.”

With a season under their belts and another offseason working together, the pair hopes to be even better this season.

Throughout the spring and summer, Randolph and Freeman got together at Mendota’s field to sharpen their connection.

“We just worked on catching the ball, throwing the ball,” Freeman said. “We just keep on working every single day. Before practice, after practice, during practice. All the time.”

Sometimes the pair went to the field alone and occasionally, coach Keegan Hill joined them to instruct them on routes.

“We’ve just been running the routes, getting used to each other, and he’s been getting used to seeing the ball out of my hand,” Randolph said. “It’s helped us with our timing, so he understands where I want to throw the ball and where he should be going into the open space.”

Entering his second year as the starting quarterback, Randolph said he’s more comfortable with his pre-snap responsibilities.

“We’ve just been running the routes, getting used to each other and he’s been getting used to seeing the ball out of my hand. It’s helped us with our timing, so he understands where I want to throw the ball and where he should be going into the open space.”

—  Justin Randolph, Mendota quarterback

“Learning what to do before the snap, doing pre-snap reads and learning what the defense is trying to accomplish against us,” Randolph said about what he can take away from his junior season.

Hill expects Randolph to have a stronger grasp of the offense with the ability to take charge on the field and call audibles if necessary.

“Just awareness of what’s going on on the field,” Hill said about what he expects of Randolph in his second season as the starter. “Like why we are calling what we’re calling, this is what the defense is presenting and this is why coach is doing what he’s doing. I want to see him take ownership of that, so there’s the potential to get us in a better play. I trust his awareness to do that. I think that’s going to make us even better on offense because he’s on the field and I’m not. If he could do that, that’s going to give us an edge.”

Hill also expects Randolph to show improvement with his accuracy, especially in the short and intermediate passing game.

“His arm strength is pretty good,” Hill said. “He’s accurate. We want to be able to have a variety in our passing game as opposed to just hitting a couple deep balls per game. Being accurate in the short game is something he was OK at last year and something I expect him to be better at this year. He’s capable.”

Hill said Freeman had a really good offseason and the sixth-year coach expects big things from the junior.

“He’s had the best summer he’s had,” Hill said. “This summer has been excellent, getting stronger and getting faster. His rapport with Justin as far as putting in time during camp has been really good. Growing into his body and growing into a leadership role. He has a chance to contribute on both sides of the ball. He’ll be a key player for us.”