DAVID COOK
Sports Scene
Consistency has been a trademark of the Swan Valley football team. For the past 13 seasons the Vikings have qualified for the state playoffs and this year’s squad is primed to add to that streak.
A strong group of veterans returnees are back from a team that went 6-4 overall last season. Swan Valley started slow a year ago, dropping its first three games, before closing out the regular season with three consecutive wins before falling to Belding in the first round of the playoffs.
“We’re excited,” said Swan Valley coach Kevin Gavenda. “We have a lot of seniors. We’ve got probably five kids that are going to be three-years starters for us and that is always a good sign.”
One spot that is shy on experience is at quarterback where Colton Klein has graduated after spending the past four seasons as Swan Valley’s starting quarterback. Sophomore Keller Bedford, who started on the junior varsity last year as a freshman, is poised to carry on the quarterback tradition for the Vikings.
“He has a full year of jv football under his belt,” Gavenda said. “We brought up to the jv to get those extra reps. We’re looking forward to seeing what he can do. He had a good summer for us. It’s just going to be a case of time, just getting those reps and connections with our receivers. We have two receivers who are among the best receivers in the area and a running back who can absolutely fly. Keller’s job is to get the ball to those guys and see what we can do.”
One of those receivers is senior Jamison Pelt (6-0, 160) who is committed to Grand Valley State. Pelt has been one of the premier receivers in mid-Michigan the past few seasons.
“I feel our offense will be pretty much as productive as last season,” Pelt said. “I also feel like we will be able to run the ball better. I feel that if they are going to start bracketing me we are going to have Kam (Reynolds) on the other side and once they figure that out we are going to be able to run the ball pretty good.”
Pelt is not the only impact player Swan Valley has at receiver as junior Kamdyn Reynolds is also a big-play threat on the perimeter.
“Things are looking good,” Reynolds said. “We have our new quarterback and we’ve been practicing all offseason. We go to the field two to three times a week and we have a really good connection.”
The Vikings also have a home-run hitter at running back in Boston Beougher who set a pair of school records as a sprinter on the track team this past spring.
“I think he broke the 200 and the 100 school record this past spring,” Gavenda said.
Beougher is ready for the Viking running game to step up and make an impact this season.
“I think we are going to be pretty good,” Beougher said. “We have a good line. Obviously we have good wide receivers so I think we have a good all-around team this year.”
The offensive line is a work in progress for the Vikings. The team is building around veteran linemen Gavin Grandy and Mikey Gerard who both started along the line last season.
“We have a couple of other guys who we are counting on to do the job,” Gavenda said. “We also hoping we have a sophomore come up and fill a spot. It’s a work in progress. We have enough guys who we are comfortable in, it’s just who takes that step to be the guy this year.”
Swan Valley also returns several key impact players on defense. Reynolds led the squad in tackles last season from his safety position and also intercepted six passes.
“We have a lot of guys back on defense,” Gavenda said. “I have all sorts of confidence in our defense to cover the pass. We have to get tougher, we have to get meaner in the trenches and stop the run because when you play in the Tri-Valley that’s what teams are going to look to do.”
The defense will also count on a pair of linebackers who are going to be three-year starters in Gavin Grandy and Jack Lagan.
“I think we are looking pretty good,” Grandy said. “We have a lot of third-year returning seniors this year. We’ve all been here we’ve all played a lot so I think we’ll be pretty good.”
Up front, the Vikings are looking to Hayden Taylor to help set the edge at defensive end. Along the interior of the defensive line, the Vikings are counting on Mikey Gerard along with junior Liam Buckley (6-2, 235) who played some as a sophomore last year.
“I think we are going to be a lot smarter and a lot more sound on defense,” said Gerard. “We are pretty much all seniors on both sides of the ball and the people who aren’t seniors they are pretty good athletes.”
Gavenda also believes that experience will be a key for the Vikings along with the overall athletic skills of the players.
“We have a lot of older guys we can count on,” Gavenda said. “It just comes down to can our physicality catch up this year to where are speed and athleticism is. We have the athletes who can make plays on both sides of the ball, we just have to be able to be more physical and set the tone up front.”
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