This is the fifth installment in a series previewing the 2019 high school football teams in the Jackson area. For more preview stories, check the end of the story.
JACKSON – The Vandercook Lake football program is going back to its roots.
After going 2-25 in the past three seasons, the Jayhawks have a familiar face leading the program again.
Steve Wolvin, who coached the Jayhawks for six years from 2011-16, is back as the school's head football coach. He compiled a 23-32 record during his last tenure at Vandercook Lake, including an 8-2 season in 2015, which was the winningest season for the program dating back to an 8-1 campaign in 1971.
With only three winning seasons in the past 20 years at Vandercook Lake, Wolvin knows he has a lot of work to do in order to build a successful program.
"We're really building from the ground up this year, and we want to build this thing up right so we can have continued success in the future," he said. "We have some dependable seniors in the program that want to turn this thing around. They are the ones that are helping me teach the younger kids in the program and the junior class is a hard-working group, too.
"There's still a really good nucleus there to work with on this year's roster. I think we can have a successful season with the upperclassmen we have, plus a few sophomores and maybe even a freshman or two on the varsity roster."
Finding sustained success at Vandercook Lake has been difficult due to a lack of interest from within the program from the younger athletes at the school.
"The problem has been that we have kids lose interest in football by the time they are juniors and seniors," said Wolvin. "This year's junior class probably had 20 or so kids on the eighth-grade team, but now, they are down to about 10 players on varsity.
"The best way to garner interest in our program is by putting together a winning product on the field. We're going to get better and better with every game we play in this year and hopefully, we can win a few games in the process."
This year's varsity team learned a lot from the previous team's unsuccessful ventures.
"We weren't working hard enough last year," said senior C.J. Adams. "Our summer workouts have been more intense this summer and we have more energy. Everyone is buying in and working hard because we all want to turn this program around and prove with our actions on the field that we are a better team."
"I think there was a lot of negativity in past years," said senior Brady Pickens. "This year, we've been trying to build people up more. Instead of harping on people for not showing up for lifting or workouts, we try and convince those people to show up more because it'll make us all better at the end of the day."
Adams and junior running back Kaden DuBois will fuel the Jayhawks offense this fall, while Pickens, juniors Connor Riddle, and David Porras and senior Brent Suydam will help provide some push in the trenches.
"Kaden and C.J. have the athleticism to take any play to the house," said Wolvin. "We've got the playmakers to score some points this season, but we need to see some growth along the offensive line in order to make that happen."
Another key to success for Vandercook Lake will be the play of junior Gaven Cooper, who is switching to the quarterback position after spending most of his time at outside linebacker last year.
"I have to work on my arm slots and keeping my head up all the time," the junior signal-caller said. "I've put a lot of time into cleaning up my footwork and being a leader on the field."
Riddle, Suydam, Porras, and Williams will anchor the defensive line, while Pickens and sophomore Kordell Heard will lead the unit from their linebacking positions. DuBois and Adams will man the deep third of the field in secondary.
"We will have some growing to do," said Wolvin. "We have skill across the board, but we have some inexperience at spots that we need to shore up in order to be the best team we are capable of becoming.
"I believe our biggest strength is our collective attitude. The team is really close and there's great chemistry and positive energy in the program. That will help us when things get tough or if we are in tight situations during a game."
The Jayhawks open their season against four straight playoff opponents with Springport (Week 1), Grass Lake (Week 2), Michigan Center (Week 3) and Napoleon (Week 4). The journey back to the playoffs won't be an easy road for the
"We want to make sure the future of the program is in a better place by the time we walk off the field for the last time," said Pickens. "We want to make Vandercook Lake a competitive team every season and we want to be the ones who start that tradition."
VANDERCOOK LAKE JAYHAWKS
2019 SCHEDULE
8/29: @ Springport, 7 p.m.
9/6: vs. Grass Lake, 7 p.m.
9/13: @ Michigan Center, 7 p.m.
9/20: vs. Napoleon, 7 p.m.
9/27: @ Manchester, 7 p.m.
10/4: vs. Addison, 7 p.m.
10/11: vs. East Jackson, 7 p.m.
10/18: @ Hanover-Horton, 7 p.m.
10/25: Big 8/Cascades Crossover Game, 7 p.m.
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