Warriors set sights on playoffs
Melea Burke
The Arlee offense gets set during the Warriors’ home game against the Superior Bobcats last Friday. The young Warrior team lost the contest 70-14.
Melea Burke
Sophomore quarterback Riley Rogers looks for a receiver during Friday night’s game.
Melea Burke
Followed by senior linebacker Lane Wilson, senior running back Christian Haynes weaves his way down the field against Superior.
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
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ARLEE — The sun was just beginning to set on the Warrior’s home field Sept. 26 as Arlee’s football players donned their equipment and stretched before practice. Head coach Mike Rogers squinted against the waning sunlight and smiled.
“The biggest thing is to go out there, compete, and have fun,” he said. “I’m a firm believer that if you can’t have fun in this sport, you might as well find something else to do.”
As if on cue, a loud and genuine laugh broke out among the athletes after a wayward practice punt sailed into the back of an underclassman’s helmet.
Senior center and defensive end Justin Adams reset after his first punt, focused in on a target downfield, and let loose a boomer that flew over the sideline, bounced and struck Logan Potts in the shoulder pad. Once again, the whole team laughed.
“It’s a fun sport,” Adams said while throwing passes to teammates. “Every home game gets a lot of people out, and it feels good that we’re being watched. We have a lot of support as a team.”
Senior running back and corner Austin Reubel said his favorite memory while playing for Arlee was when he batted away a last-second touchdown pass during last year’s game with Victor. The cleanly defended play resulted in an Arlee win.
“I don’t even know how to explain (the feeling),” he said.
At his side, senior running back and linebacker Christian Haynes nodded in seemingly unconscious agreement. Haynes’ favorite football memory was when he ran back a kickoff for a touchdown in a game earlier this season.
“I’ve been trying to do that since I started here,” he smiled. “It was a goal I accomplished. My main goal this year is to make it to playoffs.”
The Warriors won their first game against Seeley Lake by racking up more than 50 points. Their current record stands at three wins and two losses, placing them in fifth place in the Western C eight-man football conference.
Even so, Rogers said his team has never shied away from adversity.
“These kids never have a deer-in-the-headlight-look. No matter the score, they just go out and play,” Rogers said. “It’s so satisfying as a coach to be able to work with that. It’s amazing.”
The Warriors are a young team. With four seniors, one junior, three sophomores and six freshman, 64 percent of the team is underclassmen. What’s more, two freshman start on both offense and defense, with a third getting quite a bit of playing time.
“My seniors understand that I’m subbing in freshman, and they’ve brought these young kids along a lot,” Rogers said.
The head coach said his freshmen and sophomores have gone above and beyond his expectations. He said they’re tough, hard-nosed, competitive and they come out to perform.
When a 14-year-old freshman starts in a varsity game and competes toe-to-toe with 18-year-old seniors who are bigger, faster, stronger and more experienced, Rogers said it can be rather intimidating.
That isn’t the case with his young squad.
“When we were losing in the Drummond game, I had a freshman turn around say, ‘Coach, I want to play.’ I put him in instantly. We lost, but I still had kids who wanted to play and that’s not the norm ... they’re an amazing group to have,” Rogers said.
Rogers gave a good deal of credit for how well the freshmen have performed and grown through the course of this season to the seniors and their willingness to bring the underclassmen along.
“(The team is) starting to gel pretty well,” Rogers said. “I played football in Arlee. I want them to experience the success that we had, and I want them to feel the same way.”
Arlee lost to Superior 70-14 in last weekend’s game.
“Superior is a pretty good team,” Rogers said. “We made a few mistakes early, and before we knew it, the game was out of hand.”
Arlee will play Noxon at home Friday.
