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For 16 seniors on the Orion varsity football team, summer is the first step to their last season in a Charger uniform.
In preparation for the 2011 season, head coach Chip Filler is taking full advantage of 7-on-7 games and tournaments.
“Summer league gives us a jump start to the season because we throw the ball so much,” Filler said. “Other teams might not get as much out of it as we do.”
Filler refers to last season’s 4-5 finish as a pothole in the road, and players use the 2010 record like a splash of gasoline fueling their internal fires. A sense of urgency lingers among the senior crew, knowing every summer snap is one step closer to the beginning of their final season.
Orion hosts rival Macomb on Friday, Aug. 26, for its season opener.
“Our attitude this summer isn’t focused on rolling people,” said senior running back Zach Kahley. “We’re focused on what we’re going to do in the future.”
The squad’s determination is marked by its weekly schedule and weight room attendance. Monday through Thursday mornings Charger football players lift weights and battle the heat in agility and speed workouts.
After conditioning, players often stick around to talk with Filler, cherishing each and every grain of sand in the Charger hourglass.
“It’s a lot different being a senior now, because as an underclassmen you lift in the spring, work hard and then it’s summer and you’re tired of lifting,” said senior linebacker Royce Woodley. “But now this year none of the seniors get sick of it because it’s the last time we’ll do it.”
Even while adjusting to a new defensive coaching staff, the Chargers have found success. Bob Mitton has stepped into the role as defensive coordinator for Orion, using a cut-and-dry philosophy that keeps players on their toes.
“Seeing how the kids adapt to the new system in those [7-on-7] games has been invaluable to us,” Filler said. “We thought it would be a working process, but they have been outstanding.”
On Saturday June 25, Orion’s new defensive style led to an undefeated day and a Morrison 7-on-7 tournament title. Orion faced Harlem (Black), Morrison, Forreston, St. Edwards and Harlem (Black) again in the final game on E.M. Bud Cole Field.
Games were played on a 40-yard field for 40 minutes, with a four-second time limit for quarterbacks to throw. Points were given for touchdowns (6), interceptions (3) and conversions (2 from 10 yards, one from 5 yards).
For 16 seniors on the Orion varsity football team, summer is the first step to their last season in a Charger uniform.
In preparation for the 2011 season, head coach Chip Filler is taking full advantage of 7-on-7 games and tournaments.
“Summer league gives us a jump start to the season because we throw the ball so much,” Filler said. “Other teams might not get as much out of it as we do.”
Filler refers to last season’s 4-5 finish as a pothole in the road, and players use the 2010 record like a splash of gasoline fueling their internal fires. A sense of urgency lingers among the senior crew, knowing every summer snap is one step closer to the beginning of their final season.
Orion hosts rival Macomb on Friday, Aug. 26, for its season opener.
“Our attitude this summer isn’t focused on rolling people,” said senior running back Zach Kahley. “We’re focused on what we’re going to do in the future.”
The squad’s determination is marked by its weekly schedule and weight room attendance. Monday through Thursday mornings Charger football players lift weights and battle the heat in agility and speed workouts.
After conditioning, players often stick around to talk with Filler, cherishing each and every grain of sand in the Charger hourglass.
“It’s a lot different being a senior now, because as an underclassmen you lift in the spring, work hard and then it’s summer and you’re tired of lifting,” said senior linebacker Royce Woodley. “But now this year none of the seniors get sick of it because it’s the last time we’ll do it.”
Even while adjusting to a new defensive coaching staff, the Chargers have found success. Bob Mitton has stepped into the role as defensive coordinator for Orion, using a cut-and-dry philosophy that keeps players on their toes.
“Seeing how the kids adapt to the new system in those [7-on-7] games has been invaluable to us,” Filler said. “We thought it would be a working process, but they have been outstanding.”
On Saturday June 25, Orion’s new defensive style led to an undefeated day and a Morrison 7-on-7 tournament title. Orion faced Harlem (Black), Morrison, Forreston, St. Edwards and Harlem (Black) again in the final game on E.M. Bud Cole Field.
Games were played on a 40-yard field for 40 minutes, with a four-second time limit for quarterbacks to throw. Points were given for touchdowns (6), interceptions (3) and conversions (2 from 10 yards, one from 5 yards).
Members of the Orion line were also at the tournament, competing in a linemen challenge. The Chargers placed in the top five in the competition that included an obstacle course, medicine ball toss, 40-yard sledge push, and other measures of strength.
The physical 7A Harlem team didn’t rattle the Chargers, as they won 27-24 in their first meeting with the Huskies, with an interception by sophomore Blake Matson separating the scores.
Orion waltzed by both Morrison and Forreston back-to-back after its first victory of the day.
“I think the Morrison tournament helped us because we played bigger schools and handled them pretty well,” said senior quarterback Colton Schulenberg. “It gives us confidence, but we’ve still got that chip on our shoulder from last year that makes us push even harder.”
After a picnic lunch put on by Charger parents, Orion came out with energy and scored on the first play against St. Edwards. Schulenberg made a quick pass to senior Trent DeDecker, who ran untouched 20 yards to the end zone.
In the first play of the second drive, Schulenberg launched a 40-yard pass to Woodley, chopping the St. Edwards’ Green Wave.
A late defensive effort from Orion halted Harlem in the championship game. The Chargers came back after being down early and guarded a one-point lead for the final 10 minutes of the game.
“It’s one thing if you work your tails off and not do well, or play 500 ball. You might start to question what you’re doing,” Filler said. “But when you come out and have success like this, you know what you’re doing is right. All the extra stuff is paying off, and they can see the dividends.”
The “extra stuff” has become a way of life for Charger seniors. Without lifting in the morning, summer camps, or 7-on-7 games, they would be like fish out of water. For the four senior captains (DeDecker, Kahley, Schulenberg and Woodley), and many of their teammates, football is what they breathe.
“Football is a family,” Kahley said. “You don’t bond in any other way. All the work you put into it makes you want to love everyone around you.”
The captains won’t go a day without talking about what could be, and waking up knowing they’re one day closer to the start of their final season. The 17-year-olds got chills describing a night on the field, a night in their world.
“You go through warm-ups and you’re dead tired because you just lost all your emotions and your energies,” Schulenberg said. “It’s tough to get it all back before the game starts, but after that first snap, the butterflies and everything are gone.”
Kenny Chesney hit the nail on the head with his “Boys of Fall” song, likely the tune swirling in their heads before kickoff. But the Orion football players see themselves as the boys of summer, too. If summer success is a glimpse into the fall season, the Chargers could turn that pothole into a pinnacle of achievement.
“If you’re a football player, that’s all high school is,” DeDecker said. “It’s what you think about every day, even in the offseason. This year is make or break. Either it’s going to be four years of putting everything into it and getting nothing, or it’s going to be a success.”
