PORTAGE, Mich. — Portage Northern is replacing just three starters from last season's 7-4 team that reached the division two district championship game.
"Having everyone back, we have another year that we can all be together, all train together and that is what we did the entire off season," Huskie senior fullback and linebacker Jackson Laskarides said. "We were in the weight room, we were out here, we have a football class, we were able to utilize all those things. People I've been together since seventh grade and we all work together, get another year, getting bigger, stronger, better."
Northern expects to be good this season, but they are getting after it in an effort to reach some big goals.
"We are only as good as our last practice," senior right tackle and defensive end Jackson Altwies said. "We have earned nothing yet, we have a lot of good guys, but that doesn't mean jack squat unless you put it out on the field so everyday we are striving, we are actually just starving for that next opportunity, that next play, that's our mindset."
While the Huskies are not replacing much, they do have to fill the shores of quarterback Cane Mack and star running back XaVior Tyus who both are now playing at Wayne State.
"I feel like we have guys to fill in at every position no matter what happens," PN senior Braylen Amos, who will be moving from slot receiver back to his natural position of quarterback. "We've got an injury going on right now, that was one of our slots, but we have another slot filling in right now and there is no missteps on there, he is just picking up right where I left it and I'm picking up right where Cane left it."
"We have expectations for us to go farther than we did last year," Huskie senior Jadyn Walker said. "So we just have to work harder, push each other everyday and just work harder than we did last year. It hurt bad, especially for us juniors coming back, we know what it feels like to be disappointed so we just want to outwork everybody this year."
Portage Northern has t-shirts made up that have the words 'satisfied' and 'hungry' crossed out, with 'starving' not crossed out.
"We haven't earned anything yet," third year PN head coach Kurt Twichell said. "We didn't hit on the goals that we had from a year ago, we were playing well at the end of the year, but ultimately fell short in a few things. Our kids have taken that mentality of we need to earn everything and the only thing that we are entitled to is the opportunity to get better."
Northern is schedule to open the season next Thursday at Vicksburg.
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