Muskie football back in action

Sing it loud and sing it proud—are you ready for some football?!
Muskie football, that is.
The ‘A’ squad, featuring players in Grades 10-12, takes to the field tomorrow (Thursday) at 4 p.m. for an exhibition showdown against the visiting Sturgeon Creek Schooners, and head coach Bob Swing isn’t making any predictions.
“I am no way going to predict that game because that’s all I want to do is give the other team some locker-room fodder,” Swing said before Sunday’s practice.
“The guys that coach on that team a). I’ve played with them, and b). two of them are my best friends, so they would post that up everywhere.
“Believe me, they’re checking the website every minute of every day to see what the Times has on that game,” he stressed.
But defensive co-ordinator Lou Gauthier, who previously coached for the Muskie ‘B’ team before moving up to defensive line coach at the ‘A’ level, wasn’t as coy.
“They’re not going to be ready. We’re showing something to them that they’ve never seen,” he pledged.
“This is my first year as a defensive co-ordinator, so I’m going after the ball. We’ll be attacking with at least six guys at all times,” Gauthier said. “We’re going after it. We’re not going to be laid back.
“We want the ball back. We found that without the ball, we can’t score touchdowns,” he remarked. “If our defence is out there, our offence can’t score touchdowns.”
And when the Muskies do get the ball, what can fans expect to see?
“We’re trying to simplify it and be masters of what we do [well] rather than have an extensive playbook and not master all of it,” said first-year offensive co-ordinator Shane Beckett.
“We’re keeping it simple. Nothing too complex and make sure we’re executing 100 percent,” he added.
In a league like the Winnipeg High School Football League, where the Muskies have been winless the past two seasons, the black-and-gold had better be executing at full capacity.
After dominating the old NorWOSSA circuit for several years during the 1990s, the Muskies have had trouble adjusting to the higher level of competition since joining the WHSFL in 2001.
“There have been years where you can make a mistake and still be successful,” said Swing. “This conference [‘AA’] isn’t like that. It’s a highly-recruited area. The coaches are highly motivated.
“You don’t get a second chance and it’s very, very good football.
“We have to find out where we fit. Do we fit with those upper teams [in the ‘AA’ conference], or do we fit with those lower teams [‘A’] because of numbers?” wondered Swing, who said he would like to have 30-34 players on the varsity squad but currently only has about 25.
But it’s the journey—not the destination—that is the focus of the team. Of course they are competitive, and tired of being on the short end of the scoreboard, but it’s the road travelled that outweighs the end result.
“As a coaching staff, we really push the idea that this isn’t just about football, but we’re also preparing them for life,” remarked Beckett. “You don’t always win in life, and it’s not only about what the end result is, but the road travelled.
“We say to our guys that we’d rather teach them how to climb the mountain than be at the top of the mountain and learn how to fall off,” Beckett added.
That’s not to say the Muskies take things lightly—far from it. In fact, the players are taking the upcoming season seriously and are dedicated to the team.
“We’re definitely not wanting to lose another game because we’re tired of losing, which is obvious,” said Muskie quarterback Ty Griffith, whose play will directly affect the season’s outcome.
“We’re not passing from the pocket. We’re doing a lot more roll-outs and instead of being fancy, we’re just going with stuff that works,” he added. “It’s just going to smash mouth football.”
Swing and his players are feeling the pressure to get over that hump sooner rather than later.
Fans in the stands were used to seeing those Muskie teams of old, which at one point had a winning streak that extended through six seasons, and want to see that type of dominance again.
“I’ve been at the top of the mountain and I’ve been to the bottom,” said Swing. “And you feel an enormous amount of pressure to know that we’ve got to get this program up and running to where it once was.
“And that’s why I think this Thursday is going to have a lot to do with what we want to do,” he added. “We need to be successful right from the start because we’re fragile and we have to learn how to win right away.
The Muskies will open the WHSFL season Friday, Sept. 10 on the road against the Churchill Bulldogs.
They will host Grant Park and Kelvin on Sept. 17 and 24 (both games at 4 p.m.), then go back on the road to meet St. Paul’s (Oct. 1) and Sisler (Oct. 8).
The black-and-gold then will close out the seven-game regular season with a pair of home games Oct. 15 versus Oak Park and then Oct. 22 against River East (both at 3:30 p.m.)