Editor’s note: During the two weeks leading up to Week 1 of the  high school football season, VarsityWA is traveling around the state and  visiting preseason camps to catch up with some of Washington’s best  football programs. Follow along for updates throughout camp.

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RICHLAND,  Wash. — Returning quarterback Jackson Woodard’s presence with the  Richland football team isn’t defined by speeches or screaming. It’s felt  in a quieter sense.

And it’s needed if the Bombers — the Class 4A  favorites in the Mid-Columbia Conference — want to fish in deeper  waters in the upcoming postseason.

Richland might be inexperienced  in its perimeter skill-position corps — and in general with only five  returning starters on the offensive side of the ball — but Woodard helps  shorten the growth gap with his ability to be the reliable dual-threat  playmaker he is, putting passes right where they need to be from the  pocket or on the move.

RICHLAND'S JACKSON WOODARD TALKS ABOUT HIS SENIOR YEAR

“He made a lot of receivers look better  than they were today (first day of preseason camp Wednesday),” Richland  coach Josh Jelinek said. “He is a field general. He’s a coach on the  field.”

Like a few other quarterbacks in eastern Washington, Woodard focused heavily on AAU basketball this summer. Coming off a WIAA championship last winter, that is his first love.

Jelinek  wasn’t certain what to expect from his multi-sport standout when  preseason camp opened Wednesday at Fran Rish Stadium. Woodard had only  participated with the football team for three days since the middle of  June.

“We just had to trust … the Woodard mentality,” Jelinek said. “He never lets us down.”

On his own, Woodard said he got enough football work in to be sharp once camp opened this week.

“We go from one (sport) to the other,” Woodard said. “But I prioritized football this summer getting ready for the season.”

Even  by his standards, if he has an average season, Woodard should own the  majority of program career passing marks — many of which are held by his  older brother, Josh.

“We always have a little argument in the house on who is better,” Woodard said. “He knows I am coming after him.”