Mountain View High's Judd Benedick is a flip-flopper.

Thankfully, he's running a football team and not a campaign.

Less than a month ago, the second-year head coach said he would have scoffed at the idea of having two quarterbacks lead his team.

Benedick is a changed man.

Senior and incumbent quarterback Zane Hibbard will start the Mavericks' season opener against Post Falls at Mountain View, but sophomore Tyson Percifield will see his fair share of time under center.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

"If you were to ask me before this situation unraveled, I would have said, 'No, you have to have one guy. This is the one position where you really need consistency,' " Benedick said. "But this has been a really unique situation and I thought one would rise above the other. They've both risen above the challenge, so we decided to play both and see how it works itself out."

While Hibbard and Percifield play the same position, they don't share the same attributes.

"What you get with Hibbard is experience, leadership and a calm demeanor. He's battle-tested," Benedick said. "(Percifield) has a lot of physical tools, but he doesn't have the experience. If you could combine the two, you could have the perfect guy."

The thought of a two-headed system often raises eyebrows. The position is seen as one of leadership, poise and continuity. Can two players do the job most often reserved for one?

Rest assured Mavericks fans, two-headed teams have succeeded in the past.

Florida won the 2006 BCS championship with savvy veteran Chris Leak and athletic freshman Tim Tebow sharing the load.

Ohio State successfully used the system throughout the 1990s - Kirk Herbstreit and Kent Graham in 1991 (8-4), Bobby Hoying and Bret Powers in 1993 (10-1-1) and Joe Germaine and Stanley Jackson in 1996 (11-1) and 1997 (10-3).

Hibbard and Percifield believe the system will work.

Hibbard helped guide the Mavericks to the playoffs last season, completing 83-of-151 passes for 1,112 yards and nine touchdowns during the regular season.

"It's exciting. I like it," Hibbard said. "I think it will help our team a lot. If it helps the team, it's a good thing. We have different strengths."

Percifield doesn't have any varsity playing experience, but joined the Mavericks for the playoffs last year as a backup. Hibbard said Percifield's scrambling ability will give the competition something else to worry about.

"I think this will help me become a better quarterback," Percifield said. "Competition is always good and I learn a lot from him every time I watch him take reps. It will be good. We are good friends on and off the field."

Neither player plays another position, but both star for other Mountain View teams. Hibbard is a first baseman and catcher for the baseball team, while Percifield is a star guard in basketball.

Benedick isn't worried about his signal-calling duo.

"It's really a delicate situation and one guy usually wants to be the guy," Benedick said. "But we just laid it out there and I've never seen two guys support each other more. It's turned into a nice situation."

Jesse Zentz: 377-6430

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