Muskies using different pre-season gameplan

It’s been an unpleasant pattern of late for the Muskie varsity football team.
The past few seasons have seen the black and gold get off to an inauspicious debut in their pre-season game against the International Falls Broncos, one of Minnesota’s consistently solid teams in the 7A school bracket.
Playing by American rules and going up against a team well into its two-a-day practice routine, the annual affair has not been kind to the Muskies, who were beaten 40-0 in last year’s game on their way to their first winless campaign since 1987.
But rather than get worked up about what could be another decisive defeat, head coach Bob Swing has come to see the wisdom in future planning.
“We emphasized preparing for the Falls a lot in recent years,” said Swing. “We haven’t done that this year. In a perfect world, sure, we’d like to beat them. But you have to warm up to the fact that’s probably not going to happen.
“We’re in week two of training camp. (The Broncos) are in their third week of full practice already. They’ll be tough, they always are. We want to learn and build from this game. (The Broncos) are a good model for us to try and match. We’re not going to make excuses.”
The Muskies return 32 players from last year’s squad on their current 45-man roster, with the potential to keep as many as 50.
“There’s still room for anyone wanting to come out in the first week of school,” noted Swing. “If they want to play, we’ll get them suited up. But I’ve got no problem going with only 45, either.”
Offensively, the keys will be returning starting quarterback Andrew George, backup pivot Tyrell Griffith, and the offensive line protecting both men.
The not-so-big men up front struggled to overcome their size disadvantage last year, and conversely, keep the heat off of their gunslingers in the pocket to find targets like the team’s Most Valuable Player, receiver Kevin Gemmell.
“In the spring, we changed to a new philosophy,” explained Swing about the new-look offence that will put more focus on protecting the men lining up behind centre. “It will still be wide open. But nine out of 10 times, we’re going to be physically overmatched just because of the size of our school, and the fewer people we have to choose from.”
The defensive side of the ball took two significant hits this past off-season, with the graduations of linebacker Richard Allan and defensive lineman Kris Esselink.
But Swing is encouraged by what he sees out of his defensive corps and, in general, his entire team in terms of spirit and attitude this pre-season.
“The guys have made a good effort in practice,” said Swing. “To be honest, it’s been a little too intense. (Team trainer) Dr. (Neil) Cooper had been a little busy.
“You can tell the guys who played here last year have put in an awful lot of time in the weight room. Now we’ve got to wait and see who our leaders are going to be, on the field, off the field, and in the locker room.
“We’re bigger, stronger, and faster than we were last year. There’s no doubt in my mind that this team is going to be better.”
The Muskies will get well-acquainted with life on the road for the first half of this WHSFL season, as they won’t butt heads with any opponent on their own turf until October.
The team plays away from home for its first four games of the year, beginning Sept. 5 against the Grant Park Pirates and continuing on against the River East Kodiaks (Sept. 12), the Kelvin Clippers (Sept. 19) and the defending WHSFL champion Oak Park Raiders (Sept. 26), who knocked Fort Frances out of the post-season last year with a 35-8 win in the quarterfinals.
The squad will finally take the field in front of their local supporters in their Homecoming Game against the Churchill Bulldogs.
“The kids don’t care,” said Swing with conviction about the unpalatable schedule. “Maybe there are people who will care, like parents and employers. But I don’t care, either.
“That’s life. You take the hand that you’re dealt, and you play it. If you worry about the things you can’t control, you’re in trouble.”