Why use one quarterback when you have two? That’s a question Rampart has lived by in 2022.

The Rams run a two-quarterback offense with senior Braden Sears and junior Haydn Benoit splitting snaps.

Their usage has been almost exactly even.

Sears has thrown for 236 yards and two touchdowns on 32 attempts while rushing for 189 yards and a touchdown. Benoit has logged 134 yards and a touchdown on 35 pass attempts and rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown.

“The best thing about them is they’ve shown a great ability to make mistakes and learn from them,” Rampart coach Rob Royer said. “That’s why they’ve had great growth.”

Sears and Benoit will tell you the same thing — this wasn’t their idea.

Sears started all 10 of Rampart’s games last year. But when Royer arrived at the school in the summer, he saw the benefit of using both signal callers.

Though a much different situation from last year, Sears has adjusted to the new style in stride.

“It speaks volumes about who he is as not only a football player but a person,” Royer said. “It’s been a competition all summer, it’s a competition now, and it’s made them better.”

Royer will be the first to admit Sears and Benoit play similar games. The coach said both quarterbacks “throw a great ball” and can run “very well.”

There is, however, a stark difference between the two: Sears is a righty; Benoit is a lefty.

The two admitted it took their receivers a while to adjust to their different dominant hands in practice. But overall, it has been more confusing for opposing defenses.

“When he rolls out right, they can expect that he can throw easier that way,” Benoit said. “When I come in, they don’t really expect which way I can roll out, so it confuses them a little bit.”

Sears added, “It definitely mixes them up a little bit.”

Rampart’s quarterback room has been a battle for playing time since summer and still is, midway through the season.

But the competition has been more friendly than fierce.

“We got really close over the summer, being right next to each other with all the reps and everything,” Sears said.

Benoit said, “We were already pretty close, and being beside each other in the locker room and office is pretty cool. We’ve definitely gotten closer.”

That has paid off for them. Sears and Benoit both said they’ve improved as quarterbacks as a result of their competition and shared reps.

“We kind of just build off each other,” Sears said. “We’ve been doing that since the start of summer, and it has worked.”

Benoit added, “If he does good, I want to go out there and do better. If he does something wrong, I go back out and try to pick up the team.”

Rampart is 2-4 overall and 0-1 in district play. The Rams will seek to win their first league game Friday against Cheyenne Mountain, which is 3-3.

As Rampart dives into the heart of its district season, Royer is leaning on his dueling-yet-supportive signal callers.

“Frankly, it’s made us better as a football team,” Royer said. “They’re just great kids.”