Adam Pederson is one of three Wildcat long snappers vying for playing time this season. He chose the UA over UTEP and Western New Mexico.

David Sanders / arizona daily star

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The Arizona Wildcats' three long snappers left Monday morning's practice to find the team bus had returned to campus without them.

Ricky Wolder, Jason Bertoni and Adam Pederson have been working overtime as part of the toughest position battle in training camp, and for good reason.

With 11 days remaining before the Wildcats' Aug. 30 opener against Idaho, the competition appears to be a dead heat.

The three snappers stayed 30 minutes after Monday's practice to work on technique. They'll spend even more time together starting next week, when special teams players begin their workouts inside Arizona Stadium while their teammates practice down the street.

"You'd think you'd see an emerging snapper, but I guess it's tough for (coaches) to decide who it's going to be since we're all the same caliber," Wolder said. "It's a good competition."

And a friendly one.

Wolder, Bertoni and Pederson say they have become close during the first two weeks of training camp. The three juniors all shared a suite at Fort Huachuca last week; Bertoni and Pederson will live together in an apartment this fall.

While special teams coach Jeff Hammerschmidt playfully dismissed the close relationship among his snappers — "You know the old saying: Keep your friends close and enemies closer," he cracked — it's hard to deny their camaraderie in camp.

Bertoni learned a week ago that he had the edge on field goals and PATs; Wolder was the first person to congratulate him.

"We're all buddies," Bertoni said. "It's a friendly competition, but we're pushing each other to be better. We all help each other out, give each other tips and that kind of stuff. It makes the competition fair."

Said Wolder: "We all basically have the same background. We're all Division I snappers."

Wolder is the senior member of the group in terms of college experience. He spent one year at Fullerton (Calif.) Junior College before joining the Wildcats as a recruited walk-on a year ago. He traveled with the team last season as a backup to starter Garon McHone, but did not play.

McHone graduated, leaving Wolder and Nebraska transfer Nathan McBride to battle for playing time during spring drills. Both snapped well, but McBride quit the team over the summer to focus on school. His departure opened roster spots for Bertoni and Pederson, both of whom were looking for bigger programs out of junior college.

Bertoni, a Los Angeles native, started at Central Michigan but lasted only a week before a pair of family deaths prompted him to move home and enroll at Santa Monica College. He considered offers from Portland and Alcorn State before choosing the UA.

Family was again a consideration.

"I have 22 cousins in Paradise Valley," he said. "It'll be good to be close to family."

Pederson attended Chandler Hamilton High School and Mesa Community College. He chose Arizona over UTEP and Western New Mexico, a Division II program in Silver City. Pederson arrived in Tucson three weeks ago, just in time to register for classes and join the team for training camp.

The three-man competition could make for high drama at arguably the most low-key position on the field.

Bertoni has been snapping on field goal and PAT attempts, while Wolder has the edge on punts. Pederson will provide some depth for now.

It's possible that all three could see playing time this fall.

"Really, anything can happen," Wolder said. "Nothing's for sure."