MONTAGUE — New Montague coach Phil Koops has spent some time this summer installing a new veer-based offense, hoping to best utilize what he considers his team's biggest asset - a veteran offensive line.
With experienced returners Logan Hansen, Isaac French, Maverick Osborne and Eli Eilers clearing the way, Koops is excited for what a talented stable of skill players can do with the football in his first season. Landon Wood and Hunter Shook are in the mix to round out the front five at the right guard spot.
"You look at the history of this program, and they've been really, really good when they can run the football right at people," Koops said. "We're going to try to do some things schematically and formationally to try to get that running game going again. We feel like we've got some really good kids on the offensive line, so we're trying to lean on them a little bit."
Koops said he's been heartened by the community support he's already gotten, not just to make a tweak to the offense, but with help raising funds that helped the school purchase a new set of blocking sleds and attend a four-day veer camp at Montrose to get the players used to the new attack.
If all goes well, the Wildcats will come at opponents with a strong group of athletes. Devlin Dean, who ran for over 750 yards last season, and Fletcher Thommen are slated to make up the running back committee, and Montague also has returning quarterback Eli Petersen and Cooper Bradley and Cole Moss to show a passing threat.
"I was very excited to see, the first time he touched the ball, Cooper Bradley," Koops said. "I didn't know we had a kid that fast...Cole Moss has some different wiggle that we saw up at veer camp. I haven't coached a whole lot of kids that could wiggle like that. I'm excited to have some of those weapons and trying to figure out how to get those kids touches."
Life as a smaller school means most of those same guys will be the key pieces on the defensive side of the ball. Thommen was the team's leading tackler last year with 68 solo stops, and French and Bradley are among the returning leaders in that category as well.
Just as important as on-field development will be mental toughness, Koops said. There were a couple of games last year in which Koops felt the team let bad circumstances get the best of them, which resulted in lopsided defeats.
"You watched the film and they were in games, and then something bad happened, and as teenagers do, they got in their own heads and all of a sudden things snowballed quickly," Koops said. "I think some of those scores last year weren't really representative of how tight some of those games were until things unraveled."
Perhaps motivated by those games, Montague has lofty goals. Koops said the senior class has talked about ending their careers by bringing home a trophy - conference, district or even beyond.
They'll get a chance to see what they're made of quickly, opening up at home against Division 4 playoff team Forest Hills Eastern, which Koops is familiar with from his days at Hamilton. The remaining eight games are all against West Michigan Conference opposition, providing a steady supply of proud programs.
"Every week you're going to play a good team with a storied history," Koops said. "I grew up in the Holland area, and you always heard about those teams come playoff time. They were always making runs. It's a very tradition-rich conference."
What Koops wants to see more than anything as he starts the process of building Montague back up? Pride and competitiveness for 48 minutes.
"I want to see them play the best football they can play and fight their (butts) off for Montague every step of the way," Koops said. "I really appreciate how many kids here are playing multiple sports. They want to be out here with their buddies, and they want to compete and represent the town."
