COOPERSVILLE, Mich. — "That was a good feeling last year, you know, but we lost in the first round and that's not what you want to do in the playoffs. We're focused on going in and hopefully going a few rounds," said senior running back Dylan Merlo.
Coopersville football is putting themselves back on the map. A playoff appearance in 2021 was great, but they fell to Cedar Springs in the opening round and have higher expectations for 2022 after losing a big senior class.
"Those guys last year, those were real good players for us and stuff but we have a lot of returning starters back and that should obviously boost confidence for us on the field. And help us every day in practice and push people to get better every single day.
The Broncos return eight of their 11 starters on offense. They averaged 25 points a game and want to make that number even higher.
"A lot of those guys are skill player so it's fun in the summer with seven-on-seven and those things. We have a lot of experience and a lot of kids that are able to coach other kids and help them out. And maybe some younger kids that are able to take some more reps and learn more because most of those other kids know the offense already," said Head Coach Ed Kaman.
Coopersville will compete with some of the best again this year in the OK Blue. They started 2021 with a 5-0 record until they lost to West Catholic 28-24 after leading the majority of that game. The Broncos know they'll face the same level of competition again this year.
"There are a lot of rivalries. West Catholic is a big rivalry, Unity Christian, Allendale. It's a lot of fun just playing those teams. It's a big battle in the OK Blue," said Merlo.
"Overall our league just has really good football. There's a lot of changes as far as coaching changes in the league and it will be interesting to see how those things play out but there is good football players and good talent in our league so every week is a challenge. I think that this group across the board every week is a tough game and if you look past some body or think about the game three games from now somebody will beat you," said Kaman.
Last season was their best record since 2017 and the buzz around Coopersville football isn't stopping any time soon.
"Last year for sure definitely put us back on the map. I mean it kind of set the tone for what future generations should be and future teams should be. So hopefully we can carry that momentum into this coming season."
