Last year’s dream season ended in the state finals at Ford Field for the Lake Orion football team.
While they lost to Rockford, the squad is still a force to be reckoned with in 2009.
The team plays their first game on Friday against Hudsonville at Eastern Michigan’s Rynearson Stadium.
Many of the players who helped get the team to the finals have graduated, but Coach Chris Bell is still optimistic about the season ahead.
The pressure may be more palpable than in years past, but the coach is determined to take it one game at a time.
‘We have a chance to be very good,? Bell said. ‘How good we will be depends on how fast our young guys grow up. Our goal is to be playing great football.?
Bell said he’s lost five starters on offense, three on the line at center and the two guards, a wide receiver and a slot.
‘I’ve got good kids stepping in there,? he said.
Bell said the team’s biggest weak spot is on defense, where they lost seven starters, though John Hill, who started as a sophomore and missed most of last season due to an injury, will return.
‘That’s going to be key,? Bell said. ‘But we’re very young in the secondary.?
According to Bell, the team’s greatest strength is a very solid offense line, behind which sophmore starting quarterback Sean Charette will return.
Bell said returning running backs Kim Bruce and Marcus Stevenson will also be looked on for gaining yards and scoring touchdowns.
Bell added that he’s also looking to Mike Nelson and Phil Serzo to lead the team, along with captains Vinnie Booker, Ben Walker, Pat Fehlberg and Kane Hayes.
‘It’s a matter of playing the right way,? Bell said. ‘We really do focus one game at a time. Right now we’re thinking about Hudsonville. Our first goal is to win six.?
Bell brushes off comparisons to last year’s team, and said he and his staff just try to keep the players focused.
‘We were a great team last year because we played great defense. Everybody forgets what we went through last year. It’s a building process,? he said. ‘We’re going to score points, but both sides have to play very well. This team has to earn everything just like last year’s team did. Every game’s a big one.?
In the Big Day Prep Showdown, Lake Orion plays Hudsonville at Eastern Michigan University at 8 p.m.