CHAMPAIGN — High school football in Champaign is going to look different this year.

At least when it comes to who’s going to take snaps from under center for the two biggest programs in town, that is.

No Kellen Davis at Centennial. No George Rouse at Champaign Central. Both were three-year starters at quarterback, and as tough as it was to see them go, it’s time to get to know the players who will be taking over their respective offenses this fall.

Folks should already be a little familiar with the Maroons’ new signal-caller, if you can call him new anymore.

Senior Mark Johnson started Central’s last seven games of the 2024 season after Rouse tore his right ACL late in the first quarter of the Maroons’ Week 2 Centennial game. Ever since that moment, Johnson had to be the guy.

“It was crazy,” Johnson said. “I remember standing on the sideline watching George get out of the pocket and take off running. Everyone started freaking out because George wasn’t getting up. I had people coming up to me and saying, ‘You’re about to go in. Get ready.’ It was nerve-wracking, for sure, because it’s the biggest game of the year.”

The injury of their captain sucked all the energy and momentum out of the Maroons, and they went on to lose 39-15 to their crosstown rival. Rouse had a successful recovery and committed to play football at Wofford College in February before throwing one last touchdown pass in a Maroon helmet during the Illinois High School Shrine Game last month.

Meanwhile, Johnson continued to gain experience and improve throughout his junior campaign, averaging more than 125 passing yards per game while tossing eight touchdowns.

“The beauty of the experience he got last year was how to see certain things,” Central coach Matt Leskis said. “It might have taken him a few games, but he’d come off the field and say, ‘I saw the leverage of the cornerback and outside linebacker.’ Or, if he felt like he was getting too antsy or jittery in the pocket, he’d tell me before I could say anything. Just being more mature and reading the defense and controlling his own ability, he got better throughout the year.”

And that confidence has only grown during the course of the offseason to a point where Johnson doesn’t feel the pressure of replacing a three-year starter.

“I’m a lot more confident going into this season than I was getting thrown in last year,” Johnson said. “We’ve got a good group of guys who are going to help us win games. I knew the role I’d have to play coming in. As long as we have success throughout the season, we’ll be fine.”

While Johnson prepares to be a first-time season-opening starter for Central’s Week 1 game against Springfield on Aug. 28 at Tommy Stewart Field, the choice at Centennial is a little less clear-cut.

“That’s a good question,” Charger coach Kyle Jackson said with a laugh of who his starting quarterback will be for Week 1 against Peoria.

Junior Ty Hunt and sophomore Shameer Clark have been competing for that spot all summer, and Jackson said he might have to wait until kickoff on Aug. 29 to make that decision, adding that there’s also a possibility that both get snaps under center. Hunt, also a baseball player, has been in the program one year longer, so his confidence and knowledge of the system is a little more advanced. Clark plays basketball in the winter and runs track in the spring, and he’s a bigger threat to run the ball.

Whoever earns the job, they’ll have big shoes to fill. Davis, a 2025 Centennial graduate who is preparing for his freshman year at North Central College, was one of the area’s best athletes from the moment he stepped on the field, and he went on to become the Chargers’ all-time leading scorer.

“I don’t know if scary is the right word, but the uncertainty of it is a little intimidating,” Jackson said. “There’s also an element of flying under the radar. People might say, ‘Kellen’s gone, so they’re going to suck.’ There’s that expectation from others in the conference that allows you to catch some people by surprise. The good news is they’re both athletes, so whoever wins the quarterback job, the other will get on the field somewhere.”

While the quarterbacks will be different, the rivalry atmosphere between the Maroons and Chargers will remain when they meet up on Sept. 5 at Tommy Stewart Field for their Week 2 matchup.

“We’ll see what happens,” Jackson said. “We still have to figure out who our quarterback is going to be. We’ll see what shakes out with what they put on the field. We’re working on putting our best on the field, so we’ll see what happens in Week 2 when it comes down to it.”