Portagers up to speed from Day 1


Posted by Dylan Savela, Manistee News Advocate
August 12, 2013

ONEKAMA — The Portagers practiced in waves Monday evening, as three offensive units took turns stepping up to the line of scrimmage.

While age and varsity seasoning determined the makeup of these groups, knowledge of the system wasn’t as much of a separation.

Onekama’s work at the younger levels is coming to fruition at the varsity, coach Jim Hunter said, and that was evident on the first official day of practice.

“It’s nice this year, because we’ve been running our camp, doing the Pop Warner thing for a few years, and the difference between what we covered tonight and what we’ve done in the past is light years,” he said. “For the few kids who haven’t been part of that, all they have to do tonight is watch when the first group runs it right.

“We’re not correcting 90 mistakes anymore,” he added. “Even the younger group had kids who have run this stuff now for two or three years, and that makes a huge difference. It was nice to see.”

Hitting the ground running is essential in the football season, considering games start in less than three weeks. The Portagers have always emphasized a strong start to the schedule, but were unable to gain traction until late last season. After an 0-3 start, the young Onekama squad finished 3-6.

Quarterback Tyler Johnson is part of the returning core, and said the first day of practice is about getting everyone on the same page.

“It’s basically a learning day,” he said. “You want to get your footwork back, and you really want to get all the new guys accustomed to the offense. Even us, we take it as a chance to relearn some things.”

Onekama quarterback Tyler Johnson makes a throw during the first day of practice on Monday. (Dylan Savela/News Advocate)

Johnson also noticed a quicker learning curve on Day 1.

“It’s only the first day, but the offense seemed to be moving along pretty well,” he said. “Really, we have to focus on the fundamentals, and the rest will come to us. You don’t want to rush it too much, but you also have to catch the young guys up.”

The Portagers focused on offense Monday, and closed practice with a half-hour session in the weight room. With 30 players out on the first day, Hunter and his staff kept an eye on conditioning as well.

“I’ve never been — even when I was a young coach, and crazy — a guy who kills them on the first day,” he said. “The kids who are in shape, you can pick them out right away, and the kids that aren’t, you can tell that too, but we have three weeks before our first game.

“To me, if you can’t get the kids in shape in three weeks, then you aren’t doing enough in practice, but the tempo of our practice will take care of conditioning.”

 

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