Superior Central football full of optimism ahead of season opener

EBEN JUNCTION, Mich. (WLUC) - The Superior Central football team has wrapped up two weeks of practice, and like other Upper Peninsula teams, the Cougars have some optimism as the season opener approaches.

The Cougars managed only one win last year in a 1-7 campaign. The win came against Brimley that ended in an 18-12 final. The last two weeks of practice for the Cougars, however, have them turning the page and opening a new chapter this season.

“We have been hustling every day, our conditioning drills are going well, and routes and coverages are good,” said senior quarterback, CJ Adams.

It is a young group this year, as there are 11 freshmen and sophomores that outnumber the seven others who are juniors and seniors.

“I’m hopeful I can teach the young guys something and be a good leader,” said senior lineman, Elijah Penney. “It’s my responsibility to bring them up when they are down, keep them in line, and hopefully teach good skills and not bad behavior.”

The Cougars have also made some changes to their game plan for this season. The Cougars were a triple-option offense last year but are adding a new mix of plays and formations for this season.

“We have added just some basic run plays because the line looks good this year and we have worked on passing because we think it will be very effective for us this year,” said Jason Kanerva.

Head coach Josh Trader said they are hoping and working to be more competitive this year even with a young team.

“The biggest thing we need to work on is our confidence. If something happens forget about it. There are about 120 plays in a football game, so if we make a bad play, we have to be able to move on,” said Trader.

The Superior Central Cougars open the regular season on Friday, August 25th against Cedarville.

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