Jeff Chaney
Sports Scene
Jason McIntyre is tired of walking around saying ‘This isn’t junior varsity football anymore!’
That’s what the Mount Pleasant football coach been barking at his team during camp this month in his own sarcastic way.
But there is a meaning behind it, because the Oilers will rely heavily on a junior class this year after losing 13 talented seniors off last year’s Division 3 state runner-up team.
“If we are going to find a way to be successful, we will need some young players to step up,” McIntyre said. “This might be a little unfair with the amount we are asking of our juniors, but that is what we have to do.
“We have a couple of older players that we will rely on, but we are pretty young, and we have a lot of little things at the varsity level that our young kids need to figure out,” he added. “We have some good football players, they just need to work on the details that make you a good team at the varsity level.”
Some of the older players, or players with varsity experience, that McIntyre and the Mount Pleasant coaching staff will lean on as the rest of the Oilers get up to varsity speed are senior defensive back Cory Williams, senior lineman Matt Keller, and junior running back Michael Tweh.
Williams, who played safety last year, but who may be asked to play quarterback, linebacker, or safety amongst other positions this season, knows that this year, especially early, may be a learning curve for some of his younger teammates.
“Camp is where everybody figures it out, but you don’t know what its like [to play varsity football] until that first snap [in the game,]” Williams said. “You aren’t ready for it until you get that first hit. Once you get your first play, drive, or series, you begin to figure it out and get comfortable throughout the year. That’s what I’m hoping for the juniors.
“I think we have the potential to very good,” he added. “We are just good right now, and we just need to keep working and do what coach McIntyre tells us to do and we can be very good.”
There is talent returning from a 13-1 team last year that lost to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s in the state final, the first ever state final for Mount Pleasant.
Tweh returns from a 2011 season where he rushed for 2,200 yards, and that running ability will be counted on heavily this year.
The good thing for Tweh is that three offensive lineman do return. Joining Keller are Erik Belco and Jaime Hoyt.
“Strengths early on are that we do return three offensive linemen, and it doesn’t take a genius to know that we will rely on our running game until we get comfortable,” said McIntyre, who is in his seventh year of leading the team. “The one thing I’m waiting to see us do, is if we can take what we do successful, and then make some big plays off of it. I want to see us make some big plays off of our run game.”
A strong run game will be needed to help keep an impressive streak going. Mount Pleasant has won three straight Saginaw Valley League championships and 32 straight games in the conference.
“We are marked men, but that is a sign of our success,” McIntyre said. “It may be unfair that all of our juniors will have to take this on, that we will have to take on everyone’s best. And our schedule sets up to be a big challenge. We will really have to make some big plays to get some confidence. This team has a different dynamic than the past ones, but there is potential there.”
Williams believes the Oilers will be ready.
“We have this tradition, everything to live up to,” Williams said. “Some of the pressure is on the juniors, but there is pressure on the seniors, too. We need to put them under our wing and show them what to do.”