West squad practices for the Robeson East-West All-Star Football Classic have barely begun and there is already one player who qualifies as most versatile.

That would be Sussex Tech’s Brian Gruber.

When Morristown-Beard quarterback Ryan Novak couldn’t make the game, Gruber was summoned. He said he’d come under one condition: That he play some running back, too.

So Gruber will play quarterback AND running back for the West in the game, which will be played at Paul Robeson Stadium in East Orange Tuesday night at 7.

The game will be simulcast by Big State Sports on You Tube.

“I reached out to him,” said Lakeland coach Ryan McCarney, who will coach the West. “When he was nominated, his coach (Brian Stellingwerf) nominated him as quarterback-running back. And then (Gruber) said, ‘Coach, I’m more of a runner.”

So the physical 6-1, 190-pound Gruber will move around in McCarney’s Multiple Spread offense.

“He’s a tough runner,” McCarney said.

There is no doubt that the Kean-bound Gruber knows what to do when he has the ball in his hands. The last two years, he rushed for 2,310 yards and scored 30 touchdowns in Stellingwerf’s run-heavy offense at Sussex Tech, where he has been one of the best players in school history. 

“We have a couple of packages for him,” McCarney said.

He also punted for a 39-yard average and will placekick for the West.

McCarney and the squad began working on May 27 and have met three times thus far. The West consists of players from Morris, Sussex, and Passaic counties. The East will be comprised of players from Hudson, Union and Essex.

“I love being with the kids, they’re a great group,” McCarney said. “They come from good programs, they’re respectful, and they’re welcoming to one another. I was a little concerned about how the personalities would mix. It was a little challenging getting everyone together last week because of the baseball and lacrosse playoffs and proms and we didn’t have a full team but we are starting to get everyone now.”

There is a lot of talent with which to work. Lakeland quarterback Collin Sabric, who had a great career for McCarney at Lakeland and will play at Susquehanna in the fall, will quarterback the West team.

The team has many standouts from the Morris-Sussex area on both sides of the ball.

Two of the main offensive linemen will be guards Greydon Carcich (Morristown) and Ryan Jaick (High Point).

“They look good,” McCarney said. “They’re physical and athletic and we’ll pull our guards quite a bit. Both have shown they are strong and physical with good feet.”

One of the anchors of the O-Line will be Morris Catholic tackle Reed Oliver.

“He has some size to him,” McCarney said of the 6-3, 255-pounder. “He is athletic and strong and you could tell he is the head coach’s son (Rae Oliver coached Morris Catholic last year). He is very respectful. He couldn’t get a ride to our first practice, so he Ubered to practice. You gotta love a kid who does that.”

The backfield will have a Morris County feel to it with the likes of Pequannock’s Angelo Cundiff and Morris Knolls’ Jayden Koger.

“Cundiff looks good,” McCarney said. “He is only 5-7 but slapped together and he has great vision. We will run a downhill gap scheme and he has good vision and he hits the hole. He is slippery inside.”

Whippany Park’s Dylan Morgenroth, Madison’s Johnathan Erickson, and Montville’s Corey Wang will be among the receivers.

“Erickson is big (6-3, 200 pounds) but he flies, so he’ll be a matchup problem,” McCarney said. “He will play in the slot and we’ll put him out wide and we’ll try and get him the ball. Morgenroth is the prototypical kid on the outside. He is not fast but he is a good route runner and has good hands. We like what we have seen of Wang, so we have some good kids to throw the ball to.”

The defense is loaded with standouts all over the field, but Mount Olive’s Lincoln Youtz has really caught the attention of the coaching staff.

“He looks like a grown man,” McCarney said. “He will be the center piece of the defense. He makes the calls and is a smart kid.”

Youtz is surrounded by Montville’s Michael Vespi and Hanover Park’s Hector Lopez, both of whom had stellar high school careers.

“Vespi jumps out to us,” McCarney said. “He is aggressive, has a nose for the ball, is good in space, and is good in coverage. He can defend Jet Sweep or a Bubble Pass. I texted the coaches when I saw Vespi play on film, ‘You’re gonna love coaching the Vespi kid.’

“Lopez is undersized (5-9, 195) but has a real good understanding of the game and a nose for the football.”

Pequannock’s Justin Gryszkin, who had a brilliant career on both lines, will head up the defensive front for the West.

“He was Morris County’s Defensive Player of the Year,” McCarney said. “He is a big, physical kid with good hands. We are excited to see him play. Justin stands out and is very explosive.”

High Point’s Don Weiss and Butler’s Luca Toriello will be part of the rotation up front. Both were difference-makers for defenses that were terrific last fall. The same can be said for Madison’s Aaron Leak, who is “strong, physical and tough to move,” according to McCarney.

Two of the secondary leaders come from the Morris-Sussex area.

Zach Clarken, who starred at quarterback for Wallkill Valley, will play at safety. Another defensive back to keep an eye on is Dover’s Emilio Mendez.

“Zach is a smart kid and we feel good with him back there,” McCarney said. “Emilio plays in the same league (SFC-Patriot Red) as us and he was the best player on the field for them. He had an INT against us. He plays the ball really well.”