RED LODGE — Red Lodge senior quarterback Thomas Buchanan has some choices to make coming up.
No, we aren’t talking about hitting the defense over the top or checking it down, but rather his future. He may have a spot at family-run Buchanan Capital in Billings, so that’s in play, as is this profession.
“My uncle and grandpa are both dentists, so that intrigues me a lot," Buchanan said. "I love medical stuff. I've always been intrigued by that. I've watched my uncle and shadowed my uncle and grandpa watching them do their jobs before, and it just intrigues me. I'm not really afraid of the hard work, so I'm not too nervous about the workload because I know I'll be able to handle it. Definitely something that's always been a part of my life."
Buchanan has the brains to match his prowess as a quarterback, but handling advanced classes, as well as a complex offense has kept his schedule pretty full.
“I've always heard from friends if you want something done ask a busy person," Red Lodge head coach John Fitzgerald said. "Thomas is a very busy person. He's involved in a lot of organizations outside of school and just does a lot of things for the kids in the district and the community."
“It definitely takes some work just memorizing everything and making sure everyone is where they need to be," Buchanan said. "Academics are really big for me, so I always take my time and get my homework done so I don't have anything missing. I'll stay up late to get things done whether it's football, school — I love hunting, so I've got to research that, too."
Between the lines, everything seems to be coming together for Buchanan and the Rams this year, as they feature an explosive offense with wildly talented skill guys.
“They need to understand and wrap their head around what the coverage concepts are and what his pre-snap read and post-snap reads are going to be and just kind of figure out the progressions from there," Fitzgerald said. "Thomas has really put the time in over the summer and developed that skill from a quarterback standpoint."
The No. 5 Rams will visit No. 8 Malta this weekend before firing up conference play.
