It’s been quite a start for the Breckenridge football team. Coach Kris Robinson’s team is off to a 5-0 start after a 62-12 topping of Coleman on Sept 23. The Huskies have also had big wins over Ashley (48-0) and Montabella (56-6) and tight triumphs over Houghton Lake (38-29) and Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (40-34).
This is Robinson’s fourth season as head coach.
“It started a year ago,” he said. “We’ve got a real good commitment with the kids in our weight room. The kids are bigger and they’re faster. It also helps that we have the numbers. We combine that with a couple of nice sized classes and good athletes and we’re not bad.”
The six-point win over perennial Mid-State Activities Conference power Sacred Heart was a big one for the Huskies. Breckenridge opened the year with the win over Houghton Lake, which won its next three after that loss.
Sophomore quarterback Carter Staley played for the varsity as a freshman.
“The first three games, we had over 300 yards running combined,” Robinson said. “The last game, we had 300 yards in the air and 150 running. A strength of the offense is we can do whatever they give us.”
The defense has been very effective in stopping the run.
“Outside of a scramble in the Houghton Lake game where the quarterback scrambled 60 yards on us, we haven’t given up over 100 yards rushing in a game,” Robinson said. “They had like 120 yards in week one. We are really good in stopping the run.”
Hunter Collins has been an explosive runner. “He’s a pretty quick kid,” Robinson said. Gavin Ostrander and Spencer Brown are on the outside.
“They’re big guys and block remarkably well,” Robinson continued. “They really don’t drop balls thrown to them. I haven’t had to throw to them lately.”
Breckenridge also has two excellent slot players in Lukas Ebright and Caleb Hurt.
Despite the fast start, the Huskies are still working to improve in various areas.
“We’re working on shoring up our secondary and getting people in the right positions,” Robinson said. “That’s our major emphasis right now along with getting crisp across the board on the offensive side of the ball. We need to keep getting better every week.”
It’s Breckenridge’s first season in the MSAC.
“The fact we got through Sacred Heart is big,” Robinson said. “You don’t win MSAC titles without beating them. We got that one. But they lost to Carson City-Crystal before us and we have them coming up, plus Vestaburg.”
The 4-0 start was the first in more than 40 years, but no Breckenridge team had started out 5-0.
Until now.
Robinson is also anticipating a lot of community and student support coming up in future weeks as the team continues to rack up wins.