Area football squads build strength, trust in opening week of practice

CHEBOYGAN – If you’ve been walking around downtown Cheboygan over the last few days, you've probably heard it even from a few blocks away.

Whether it’s been coaches directing players, players yelling with excitement, or anything else, it’s been pretty vocal at the Western Avenue practice field.

This week, it’s been a joy for area coaches and players to be back in action as they prepare for competitive games, which begin about two weeks from now.

For the Chiefs, the energy has been there from the start as players went through conditioning and drills throughout their two sessions of Monday's opening practice.

Building endurance and strength has been key for the Chiefs, but what head coach Dave Schulz has been impressed with the most is his team’s sense of urgency as it enters a new campaign.

“We’re definitely working on building up their endurance and stamina, doing the conditioning, and I think right from the first meeting, there’s been a sense of urgency and being ready to come play football, for sure,” said Schulz, now in his eighth season. “I’d say (what’s stood out about the players is) just coming to practice and being ready to play. The kids are ready to go, they’re prepared, they’re on time, and I think their effort has been good each day, and I think those little things kind of stand out early on in camp so that we can accomplish everything that we want to do.”

About 35 minutes away, the same energy has been shown by the Onaway Cardinals, who opened practice with a Monday midnight session for a second year in a row.

“We did it last year just because the kids wanted to, and this year it’s kind of a tradition thing,” said Onaway coach Steve Klinge, who is heading in his fifth season. “We just go for two hours, get some conditioning, we just run through some basic plays and stuff like that, basic drill work on the field, under the lights, and it kind of gets them fired up.”

After going 2-7 last fall, the Cardinals have a group that’s highly motivated to right the ship. At Wednesday’s practice, the Cardinals worked on several offensive plays, but by the end of the session, players were encouraging each other during one final run around the field.

For Klinge, seeing that unity early on is a positive sign for a team looking to break through with a big campaign.

“The leadership,” Klinge said, touching on the difference between this season's Cardinals and last season’s Cardinals. “Last year, we had one senior, but these kids weren’t leaders last year. We were mostly sophomores even last year, so now they’re juniors. I think they kind of feel like, ‘I’m an upperclassman, I can take some charge here,’ and you saw it. There are people coming back and running with people. We didn’t have that stuff as much last year, and it’s been super positive. It’s been good.”

The Cardinals have held their practices in the morning, while rival and defending Ski Valley 8-Player champion Inland Lakes’ schedule has been one morning and one afternoon practice so far each day. In Pellston, the Hornets have practiced in the evening.

Each area team has set the tone so far in this opening week, but for Schulz, the first few days are vital in terms of building chemistry.

“I think you got to kind of build a relationship with each other, the teammates, but also between the coaches and the players,” Schulz said. “You’re establishing that trust and that reliability amongst each other. Each person is accountable so that when things get more challenging and you face a little adversity, the team can work through it together.”

Attention to detail has also been a huge point of emphasis, especially with games not too far away.

“I think it's essential really all the time, but when you’re trying to teach things and create a foundation with your offense and defense, you have to do all the little things right in order for the kids to be able to execute it when the games come,” Schulz said. “I think right now we’re highly focused on doing the little things correctly so when the big things come, we’ll be prepared and ready to go.”

With the tough days currently underway, it won’t be too long until the Cheboygan players get the action they crave. That will occur when the Chiefs host Charlevoix in a scrimmage at Western Avenue Field on Friday, Aug. 19.

“I think overall the kids are excited to play football,” Schulz said. “They’re happy that they get to be at practice and be part of the whole experience, and it’s shown with their effort and attitudes so far, it’s been great. We’re looking forward to building one good practice after another leading up to the scrimmage.”

This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Area football squads building strength, trust in opening week of practice