Football players set to tackle workload

Looking to improve on last year’s winless record, returning head coach Vince Gouin has been busy organizing the Muskie football camp for the upcoming season.
Fitness testing and the handing out of equipment will take place this Sunday (Aug. 17) from 6-8 p.m. at Muskie Field.
Training camp officially will open with practice on Monday (Aug. 18) from 5-8:30 p.m., and is open to anyone entering Grade 9-12 at Fort High this fall.
“We’re trying to get things rolling earlier and be a lot busier than we have been in the past leading into the year,” Gouin remarked.
“During spring camp, we had 50-some odd players who were dressed so I’m expecting a pretty good turnout, but everyone is welcome to come out,” he added.
The team then will head over to International Falls next Saturday (Aug. 23) for a day of scrimmages against the host Broncos, Eveleth High School, and Warroad High School teams beginning at 10 a.m.
“We’ll take the field and split it into two, so when we are on offence, we’ll start at the 45-yard-line and work our way in,” Gouin explained.
“We’ll get so many plays on offence and so many plays on defence, and then we’ll switch and play another team doing the same thing.
“It will give us a good chance to see what’s going on,” he added.
The black-and-gold will head back to the Falls on Aug. 29 for a full-length exhibition game starting at 7 p.m., which should be a good test to gear the team for its WHSFL season-opener Sept. 6 against Garden City Collegiate in Winnipeg.
The Muskies will play their home-opener on the following Friday (Sept. 12) at 2 p.m. against the visiting Kenora Broncos.
“It’s an afternoon start to get some of the kids in school revved up about football,” Gouin noted.
Gouin said his co-coaches, Lou Gauthier (defensive co-ordinator) and Andrew George (quarterbacks), are back for another season but also stressed he could use more helping hands, especially with the ninth-graders.
“We’re trying to get a specific program for the Grade 9s, which would maybe play an exhibition schedule against International Falls or Warroad, teams like that,” Gouin said.
“It would get some time under their belts so they know how it feels to play some games,” he added. “This year we have a lot of seniors coming back, 12 or 13, so I don’t know if the Grade 9s will have a chance to play as much.”