DAVID COOK
Sports Scene
The Central Montcalm football team turned in one of its best seasons in school history last fall and the Hornets have been putting in the work for a repeat performance.
Central Montcalm turned in an 8-1 record during the regular season last year and were 4-0 in the conference. The Hornets then won their first playoff game since 2007 before falling 35-34 to Newaygo in round two. While a number of key players have graduated, the Hornets have a solid core of veterans returning.
“We have a lot of potential,” said Central Montcalm coach Scott Cripe. “I think as much if not more potential than we’ve ever had. We’ve got returning players from last year which was the most successful season we’ve had in the past 25 years or so. We just have to make sure the guys coming up will fill the gaps we need to fill.”
Overall, a total of 14 seniors graduated from last year’s squad.
On offense, the Hornets feature senior running back McCoy Wernholm (5-10, 200) who rushed for over 800 yards last season.
“Hopefully I can rush for over 1,000 yards,” Wernholm said. “I definitely put in a lot more conditioning than last year and I did a lot of weight training. It will be a learning experience for a lot of our offensive linemen but I think they will do pretty good this year.
At quarterback, senior Zayne Cooper (6-0, 180) and junior Haiden MacLaren are in the mix. A pair of excellent all-around athletes, the pair will be on the field at both times as whoever is not taking snaps at quarterback will be seeing playing time at wide receiver. Both quarterbacks are strong dual-threat athletes with their passing and running skills.
“I think things are looking pretty good,” Cooper said. “Our offensive line is going to have to step up and we have most of our receivers back. I’m at quarterback and I’m going to have to step up too. I think I can lead the team and get everybody the ball and get them involved in the game. I think we are going to be good this year.”
The receiving corps also brings back senior Brayden Peak (5-11, 145) along with senior Jamison Johns (6-0, 170).
The offensive line is anchored by imposing senior Colton Kahler (6-4, 300) who brings plenty of power to the line. Look for seniors Chris Campbell-Boire (6-4, 275) and Reed DeLamater (6-0, 250) to also fill key roles along the front line.
“It will definitely be different,” Kahler said. “We are a lot younger than we have been in the past. We’ve always had a lot of upper classmen and this year we only have one upperclassman starter returning. It will be interesting to see where we all get put and how we all impact the team. I think my role will definitely be to be the leader between the offensive and defensive lines.”
On the defensive side of the ledger, McCoy is back to head up the linebacking crew.
The secondary will be a strong point with the return of Peak and Cooper who are a pair of all-regional defensive backs. Johns is a returning all-conference player at safety.
“We just have to work hard for sure,” Peak said. “We have to make sure we play some good defense. We will have to provide some good leadership on defense. We’re looking pretty good. I think offense will be a strong point and I think we can do even more on offense this year.”
Up front, look for Kahler to anchor the defensive line along with help from DeLamater.
Central Montcalm suffered the bulk of its graduation losses on the defensive side of the ball.
“We are going to have to have guys step up,” Cripe said. “Pretty much every other position is going to be open on defense. We’re going to have to have people step it up another level, another notch. We are going to have to have our senior returners lead the way with their experience last year. We need to have that success from last year carry over. Senior leadership is going to be big.”
Cripe looks for his Hornets to be among the teams contending for the league title in what should be a close conference title chase.
“I think it is going to be wide open,” Cripe said. “Kent City has a lot of guys coming back. Lakeview is going to be a lot better. Beyond that it’s going to be pretty wide open.”
Central Montcalm faces a challenging schedule this season as it opens up with four consecutive road games before coming home for five straight homes games. The Hornets open the regular season at Houghton Lake on August 28 and then travels to Newaygo for a rematch of their playoff defeat on September 5.
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