Veteran coach Clint Galvas has his New Lothrop football team, ready to make plenty of noise this season
New Lothrop had another banner season last year but didn’t take it as far in the playoffs as the Hornets had hoped. They were 10-0 before losing to eventual champion Pewamo-Westphalia.
Galvas is going onto his 10th season at New Lothrop. The Hornets were 7-4 his first year but have won 10 or more games each of the next eight years and have lost two games one season. They have only suffered one loss each of the previous two seasons.
New Lothrop competes in the Mid-Michigan Activities and was 6-0 for the league title last season 35-14 in the second-round of the playoffs.
“I think every year going in, I think our ultimate goal is to try to make it to the state final game and to give us an opportunity for a state championship,” he said. “Obviously we didn’t reach that goal last year. At the same time, I don’t think I was a disappointment. We had a heckuva season until we met Pewamo-Westphalia. They obviously won it. We were right there along with them, tied going into the third quarter. A few bounces and plays here and there makes the difference.
“I still consider last year a success. The kids have a lot to hold their heads high about.”
Galvas made sure his players had a busy, but productive summer.
“With all the camps and 7-on-7s and conditioning, each and eve year, the standard gets set higher and higher for the amount of work load necessary to be successful,” he said. “In the end, New Lothrop and a few other schools might have been the only team putting in all that work. But now, every team does it. You’re try to do a little bit more ever year. We’re definitely excited to get rolling.”
Galvas is excited with this team’s prospects for 2018.
“We have a great nucleus back,” he said. “We have four of our five offensive linemen returning with our (junior) quarterback (Avery Moore) returning. It’s a great nucleus. We’ll have some sophomores in the backfield. We have a kid coming into our district who is talented. It will be a process getting everyone the same page.
“Defensively is where we lost the most. That’s what have to work upon.”