By BUTCH HARMON
The 2011 season was one to remember for the Pewamo-Westphalia Pirates.
From beginning to end, the Pirates took their fans on a memorable ride that ended with a berth in the Division 7 state championship game against Nouvel Catholic Central. While the Pirates dropped a 56-26 decision, the loss could not dampen what was an amazing season.
The Pirates turned in a perfect 9-0 regular season, as they scored four or more touchdowns in eight of nine games. The lone game that the Pirates did not score at least 28 points was a thrilling 15-14 win against Fowler in the annual rivalry game between the two Central Michigan Athletic Conference (CMAC) powerhouses.
Pewamo-Westphalia continued their sizzling success in the playoffs, with wins over Ravenna and Saranac to win the district title. The Pirates then defeated Watervliet in a dramatic regional title game and then stunned previously unbeaten Hudson in the state semifinal to advance to Ford Field.
This season, the Pirates are setting their sights on another run at the CMAC title and another long postseason run. While the team suffered some heavy graduation losses, enough talent returns to build a solid squad. The strength of this year’s team will be in the defensive line and the secondary. Anchoring the Pirate defensive line is senior nose guard Jake Nureberg (6’0″, 225 pounds), while senior Ty Simon (6’6″, 220 pounds) is back at defensive end. Senior Clayton Platte (6’1″, 190 pounds) returns to head up the secondary at strong safety.
Re-tooling the offense will be a key.
Added to the list of returnees are a number of newcomers up from a junior varsity team that went 5-2-2 last year.
While the team has some talent to work with, it is going against a gauntlet of a schedule. With the rugged CMAC schedule in the middle, the Pirates face a massive sandwich that includes a season-opening game at Lansing Catholic and then a game against Division 8 state champion Mendon the final week of the season.
The Pirates are not the only CMAC team that enjoyed a big year last fall and have lofty goals this season. Fowler reached the Division 8 state title game, where it fell to Mendon.
Thanks to the return of senior all-state running back Tyler Koenigsknecht, the Eagles will have one of the top ground games in mid-Michigan. Junior fullback Austin Feldpausch is also back, along with senior quarterback Dustin Wirth.
Koenigsknecht and Feldpausch also lead the way on the defensive side of the ball for the Eagles.
Like Pewamo-Westphalia, Fowler faces a rugged schedule. Fowler opens the season against Mendon in a rematch of last year’s state title game. After going through the CMAC schedule, Fowler closes out the season against a Manchester team that is among the favorites in the Cascades Conference.