Optimism surrounds Warrior football team’s return to varsity play

By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register

The Central football team will travel to Edgewood-Colesburg Aug. 28, battling against the Vikings in a return to varsity competition, after playing last season as a JV squad due to a myriad of circumstances. 

Second-year coach Ben Heitland believes the past year has been well spent. It was a year of growth for the team and players and himself as a new coach, still learning the ropes. In summarizing the season, Heitland deemed it to be a “successful year,” with the Warriors getting to compete at the “appropriate level.” There is a renewed sense of optimism as the team faces varsity teams again. 

That optimism is based on a number of factors, including Heitland’s belief there will be some carryover of the 5-2 success the JV had, as well as the players gaining knowledge and experience in his system and becoming more comfortable with him as a coach and with each other on the field. Central is also more diverse in grade levels, with a better spread of upper and underclassmen, which is different from last season’s freshman-heavy lineup. Heitland believes varsity is the appropriate level this year. 

According to Central Activities Director Aaron Reinhart, who played a key role in both last year’s decision to play JV and this year’s return to varsity, the team has seen greater interest and commitment from the students, through attending offseason workouts and being engaged in the process. It left him feeling “pleasantly surprised” heading into the season. 

Reinhart also looked at the varsity schedule and the district in which the team now resides. In doing so, he recognized participation levels are not unique to Central, but is rather a district- and state-wide problem, putting every program, save a few, “in the same boat.” It gives credence to returning to varsity being the “correct decision.” 

Getting participation numbers up to that level of confidence means giving credit to Heitland, who, despite not working at the school, was continuously visible and available to students, whether at school functions, in the weight room or at community events. 

Reinhart praised the coach’s efforts to talk with students, build relationships and create a dialogue with those who might be interested in playing football. Reinhart also emphasized how those conversations weren’t just about football, but what football could do for students in terms of educational experience, life skills and preparing for other sports and life after high school. It was a proactive approach. 

Heitland spends practices talking about focus, doing the little things properly, teaching techniques and preaching the small things one can control, like proper footwork, knowing your assignment and helping one other. Above all else, “if you’re going to make a mistake, make it at 100 miles an hour,” he said.  

“We preach everyday effort. The effort so far through the first five or six practices that we’ve had has been pretty good. We had some kids come in and really do a pretty good job of hitting on the first day of full pads. Usually that’s kind of a slow process, but, this year, they jumped right in and they were excited about it, which I think kind of also speaks to the growth that we’ve already made,” Heitland said. 

It’s been a positive atmosphere, with coachable athletes who are going to practice with a good attitude as they continue to learn Heitland’s system. The system has a set number of plays run out of multiple formations on offense and has a balanced approach between the run versus the pass. On defense, it’s about trusting reads, knowing assignments and flying around the ball. 

One lesson Heitland learned from last year that has contributed to optimism is his willingness to delegate to assistant Tyler Bazyn, who will call the offense this year, taking over for Heitland, who will call the defense. It was a decision based on Bazyn’s “great football mind” and comfort with the offense, as well as Heitland’s love of close, defensively-dominated games. 

After spending his football life on the offensive side of the field, Heitland is looking to “have a lot of fun” calling the defense. 

At the top of the team’s strengths is depth. Unlike previous seasons, freshmen won’t be forced into action before they’re ready, as every position is filled with an experienced player to some degree. 

Heitland also commented on the team’s physicality and potential to dominate on the line of scrimmage. The Warriors are also deep at running back with Owen Hammersland and Logan Sharpe and wide receiver with Maddux Eglseder and Kale Doeppke. Linebackers will be led by Braxton Bormann and Noah Diersen, and at defensive back will be Kyle Reinhart and Jack Scherf. 

Heitland noted how coachable the team has been, how responsive and positive the players are at practice and the leadership being shown by seniors like Ryan Schroeder and Sam Fettkether. One thing all coaches know and understand is that, to change a culture, you must have leadership. 

With all that said, there are areas the team needs to improve, including mitigating injuries, especially in light of what occurred last season after Isaac Loan went down on the very first play. Focusing on this area has necessitated implementation of stretching at the end of practices and “being careful about how much live hitting” is taking place in practice. The team is also doing a lot of conditioning—“more than what they would like to do,” Heitland joked. 

The Warriors also need to limit turnovers, namely fumbles at the quarterback position, which has led to a renewed emphasis on ball carrying techniques and keeping it “high and tight.” Then there were the “focus penalties” last season, such as false starts and off-sides, prompting gentle reminders in practice about maintaining composure and focus. 

Heitland said the team is a “little thin at quarterback,” with Loan being the only clear choice at the moment, but he spent last season watching and observing from the sidelines with an injury. Central has spent a lot of practice time limiting his hits, going over the proper reads, getting him the physical reps he missed last season to keep him calm in the pocket and getting him to “trust himself.”

“He throws a good ball. He’s just got to read it and trust the read,” Heitland said. 

One potential speed bump for the Warriors, in terms of maintaining positivity throughout the season, is a front-heavy schedule with four playoff teams from last season that includes a home game versus Don Bosco in week two. The game prompted some murmurs, but Heitland quickly responded that the season is long—a “marathon not a sprint.” It’s also about the big picture. Somebody has to win the district, and should Central lose to Don Bosco, it’s only one game and a loss doesn’t tank the entire season. 

“If we can compete every week like I think we can, if we can play the way I think we can, we’re going to be in a lot of ball games,” Heitland said. 

That is the expectation this year: to be competitive and make the blowout losses a thing of the past. Heitland expects Central to compete in every game, especially in district games, and even vie for a playoff spot. 

While the Warriors were picked to finish sixth in the district, Heitland believes they are a top-three team and aims to prove it. 

“We have to believe in ourselves…and I think a lot of it is infectious. If we, as coaches, tell them we can compete with them, we can meet them. And we say it over and over and over. At some point, they’re going to believe it,” Heitland said.