By Mike Stechschulte
Special to The Leader
Summer is winding down, the busses are warming up and the back-to-school sales are in full bloom.
Everyone is trying to soak up those last few rays of sunshine, relaxing away the final days of summer before the school year begins.
Everyone, that is, except for Bud Rowley’s players.
The Oxford varsity football coach has his boys already preparing for another season on the gridiron, all set to start Friday when the Wildcats travel to Holly to take on the Flint-Metro League rival Bronchos at 7 p.m.
Rowley and his players are pumped and excited to get things going, hoping that a successful four-team scrimmage last week with Lake Orion, Howell and Holt will pave the way for another winning season in Oxford.
Rowley was impressed with his team’s consistency during the tournament, complementing his players on keeping their intensity throughout. Something they have not done particularly well in the past.
‘Everybody got a lot of playing time, and like I said, the intensity of our team from the beginning to the end was good,? he said. ‘First time ever we kept it all the way through, which was good to see.?
Despite the success, the coach is aware there are some things his Wildcats need to do better in order to achieve their goal of winning the FML championship.
‘We can’t give up the big play,? said Rowley. ‘The 75-yard run, the 60-yard pass ? we’ve got to finish the game off strong, and we’ve got to be consistent. We can’t be shooting ourselves in the foot by doing silly stuff like a fumble or an interception. We’ve gotta finish the game on the right note.?
Rowley felt his team battled well last year, but came up just short in their bid for a championship, finishing tied for 2nd in the FML standings at 7-4 and falling just short of a district title, losing to the Davison Cardinals in the championship game.
The team has not won the FML since the 2000 season, which is something the team has its sights set on this year, according to Rowley.
‘We just haven’t made the next step to the next level,? said the coach. ‘That’s our one main goal, to win the Flint-Metro championship this year. That’s our only goal.?
This season, the starting quarterback spot is up for grabs after last year’s starter, Jeremy Bukoski, graduated. The three players competing for the job this year will be senior Zach Line and juniors Bo Cantara and Nick Tombrella.
Line is a captain and also plays tailback and linebacker.
Several other seniors are expected to make big contributions as well, including fullback/safety Joel Fortier, tight end/linebacker Danny Johnston, wideout/safety Zach Tilley, and linemen James McLean and Tony Schlader.
The Wildcats will also have three sophomores on their opening roster, as safety Gary Wurtz, tailback John Brooks and defensive lineman Robbie Russell all made the team as underclassmen. Rowley said he expects all three to have an impact somewhere along the line.
Following the game against Holly this week, the team will play its home opener on Thursday, Aug. 30, against the Clio Mustangs.