UPside of Life: Meet the Wolverines

It's the third week of August and I'm a bit nervous. Why? Well, staring at me on the calendar this week is the first football game of the 2012 high school season.

It's not that I'm strapping on the pads and going out and doing all the trench work that I used to do as an offensive and defensive linemen back in the day (yeah, THAT long ago). In fact, I'm doing something a lot more difficult: I'm watching from the sidelines and hoping the boys on the field sporting the orange and white jerseys remember all of the things I taught them.

You see, I'm an assistant varsity football coach for the Mid Peninsula Wolverines eight-man football team. I patrol the sidelines on Friday night with head coach Jeremy Herman and fellow assistant coach Ron Koski and I bark words of encouragement and reminders.

Honestly, at times, it ranks up there as some of the tensest moments I've ever experienced.

Back when I played, Mid Pen still played 11-man ball. That was the case up until five years ago when the Wolverines couldn't field a team anymore and, thus, consolidated with former rival Rapid River. Four years went by until the Wolverines entered the eight-man arena and began playing again. That was 2011--my first year coaching. We went 2-7 in the regular season and backed into the newly-developed playoffs, where we lost to a very talented Superior Central squad.

This year? We're much improved. We have 15 kids on the roster and I look at each and every one of them with pride. Our offensive starters run the option with Brett Branstrom at quarterback, Evan Winkelbauer at halfback and Ryan Lehtikangas at full back. On the line are center A.J. LaCosse, guards Cody Allgeyer and Wade Tryan and ends Chad Branstrom and Sam Lehtikangas. On the defensive side of the ball are many of the same faces with Zach LaFave starting at nose guard and Trey Branstrom at safety--that's just the reality of sports at this level with lots of two-way athletes.

That means there are five other players on our team who don't start, but they definitely contribute. Trevor Koski, Larry Ruble, Brandon Stone, Damian Richardson and Mitch Nummilien will likely see playing time every game and are key in keeping the starters on their toes.

I never knew the difficulties my coaches faced when I played high school football, and I respect them all the more for what they went through to teach me the ins and the outs of the sport, the attitude and for forcing me to get over the desire to just give up when I didn't think I could hack it anymore. They taught me a lot--more than I knew, actually, until I started pacing the sidelines and the practice field myself.

The Mid Pen Wolverines are a great bunch of kids and I'm proud to be a member of their coaching staff. We're headed down to Bellaire in the northwest lower peninsula Friday to play a conference game (about five hours one way) and if these boys bring half the heart I know they have they'll walk away with a win.

We may not be the biggest boys on the field or have the most reserves waiting on the sidelines, but we've got the intangibles that will make us keep fighting no matter the odds.

If you get a chance, stop by and see us play. You can see our full schedule at this link.

I'll update you weekly on the progress of the Wolverines, the trials and tribulations of eight-man football and the joys and heartaches that come with coaching.

Now let's go get them, Wolverines!

Sam Eggleston is the managing editor for U.P. Second Wave. He was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula and graduated from Mid Pen in 1998. He played football, track and basketball for the Wolverines and he's proud to wear orange and white. He can be reached via email.