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Gladiators have similar expectations


TC St. Francis claimed its fifth state title in 2008
BY MIKE ECKERT
meckert@record-eagle.com
TRAVERSE CITY - There are rings on the fingers of the Traverse City St. Francis football team and another banner hanging from the rafters in the high school gymnasium.


And as a new season begins, expectations are once again high for another successful campaign.

This is Traverse City St. Francis football.

A year ago, the Gladiators entered the year motivated by a loss in the previous season's state championship game. That loss was avenged with a 41-13 win over Ubly in the Division 7 state title game.

But don't expect the school's fifth football championship to change much at St. Francis.

"It doesn't make it much different, because we have the same expectations every year," senior linebacker Max Bullough said. "It kind of helps when we have the experience of being in the state championship the year before, but we have the same expectations every year and we hope to bring home that trophy."

Before that, though, there are other goals to accomplish.

"We want to win our conference, first and foremost," St. Francis coach Greg Vaughan said. "We know winning the conference gets us in the playoffs. But we've talked about it. We also want to win a state championship. That's the ultimate goal.

"We don't want to end until after Thanksgiving. What's driving these boys right now is they want to do something no St. Francis team has ever done, which is win back-toback championships."

Previous Gladiators teams have struggled in the quest to repeat. Three of the championships were followed up with first-round exits the next year, while the 2006 team made it to the regional final after winning the state crown the year before.

"That's something that's important to them," Vaughan said. "They praised the guys that won it last year, because without them, we couldn't do back-to-back this year. They want to finish off what they told the seniors last year they were going to do. It goes hand-in-hand between the two years."

After two straight trips to the state championship game, there was a potential for things to get a little stale in practice. That forced Vaughan and his staff to make some changes to the daily routine to keep things interesting.

"The nice thing is the guys we have this year aren't rah-rah guys," Vaughan said. "They're hungry, they're driven and they don't need all of the hoopla. They're your lunch pail, blue collar guys that want to go after it and go about their business. That's how they have fun."

There are also a lot of fresh faces as the Gladiators will look to replace seven starters on each side of the football.

"A bunch of the guys last year rotated in but didn't start," senior defensive back Matt Zakrzewski said. "They ended up playing in the state championship game, so that will help them a lot. The other guys just have got to get a feel for the game, and then go."

"Personnel wise, every class is going to be a little different," Vaughan said. "This year's senior class, I think, has the potential to have more skill. But that's what it is. Potential. We have to see it on the field.

"Last year's class had some gritty players. They were that type of players. This year's team has some guys that maybe can run a little faster, lift a little more or fit the bill as more skilled, but that has to translate on the field."

Bullough and Zakrzewski headline the 2010 senior class at St. Francis as both have already committed to play Division 1 college football. Bullough will attend Michigan State while Zakrzewski is Indiana bound. The two will anchor a defense that also returns starting defensive end Ian Sheldon and nose tackle Jon Buday.

On offense, the Gladiators bring back linemen Jon Buday, Kyle Lints and Peter Rigan, as well as running backs Joey Kerridge and Ben Swan. The backfield could get even more experience as Bullough and Zakrzewski - who both played tight end in 2008 - have taken reps at halfback.

As for quarterback, St. Francis has the task of replacing last year's leader in Corey Williams. Sophomore Riley Bullough and junior Dylan Seybert have competed for the job in training camp.
The Gladiators will open with a home game against Benzie Central before taking to the road to meet annual Division 6 powerhouse Saginaw Nouvel.

"It helps us really realize our talents and the stuff we need to work on," Buday said of the annual meeting with Nouvel. "They're a great opponent and they give us a run for our money. It's a good challenge."

From there, St. Francis will get into competition in the Lake Michigan Conference, where they haven't lost since 2001.

"We're pretty familiar with the teams," Bullough said. "We really just try to take each team week by week. We definitely don't overlook any team, because we know in order to win our conference, you probably have to go undefeated."