De Pere possesses unique experience
DE PERE – Chad Michalkiewicz has a boatload of experience returning to his football team this season.
The De Pere head coach also knows his team will have to navigate some unknown waters.
“We’re a unique story,” said Michalkiewicz, who enters his eighth year. “We’re a hard team to pick.”
Picking a quarterback won’t be an easy decision for Michalkiewicz.
The Redbirds return junior Christian Bocik, who completed 79-of-166 passes for 964 yards and 10 touchdowns with 10 interceptions last year.
They also return senior Landon Kirby.
Kirby was tabbed as the team’s starter heading into last season, but was lost for the year when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on the fifth play of the team’s scrimmage against Stevens Point.
“It’s an open competition,” Michalkiewicz said. “I’m really hoping that one of them will be head and shoulders better and earn the job. We did the two-quarterback thing a few seasons ago and there were some positives, but overall it was more negative. You need one guy to command the huddle.
“They’re both capable and both well respected on our team. I have them both on our leadership committee. They have literally gone 50/50 on reps in practice up to this point. Quite honestly, when it’s all said and done they’re both going to have an impact on our season.”
De Pere has combined to go 7-11 the last two years after winning the Fox River Classic Conference title in 2015.
A smaller senior class of 12 players and a rash of injuries led to eight sophomores getting starts for the Redbirds during a 3-6 campaign last season.
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“We need to learn how to win,” Michalkiewicz said. “That’s just facts. We’ve won fewer games the last two years than we won the year before that. It’s tough. It’s difficult.
“There are ebbs and flows that go into high school football. Adversity hits every team. It’s really about how you handle it and move on from it. We think we’re better prepared to take on the challenges we’ll face.”
Michalkiewicz put a greater emphasis on focusing on leadership and culture during the offseason. He hopes that added emphasis coupled with the returning experience will lead to more consistent play.
“We’re really excited because we have a lot of our guys back,” senior safety Conner VandenHeuvel said. “Last year we had flashes of (success), but other games we wouldn’t play that well.”
The Redbirds return seven starters on both sides of the ball.
Despite playing on a unit that allowed 34.3 points and 332 yards per game, VandenHeuvel received honorable mention all-FRCC honors as a junior. Bay Port head coach Gary Westerman thought enough of the defensive back’s play that he voted him first team.
Michalkiewicz described his other senior safety, Lincoln Schaut, as “a bull in a China shop” for his aggressive play.
“Everybody kind of knows what they’re doing right now,” senior captain Jake Proulx said. “We worked together, so we know how to talk and communicate well.”
Proulx is a three-year starter at linebacker. He’s flanked by returning starters in juniors Sam Hafner and Daniel Youngquist.
Hafner was second on the team in tackles (65) as a sophomore, while Youngquist also started as a sophomore until sustaining an elbow injury in the third game of the season. Seniors Elijah Wright and Charlie Reinhart are returning starters on the defensive line.
Offensively, Jack Coisman returns at left tackle after being named second team all-FRCC last year. Fellow seniors Seth Mitchell and Brad Nies also are back as starters on the offensive line at center and right tackle, respectively.
Seniors Josh Heisdorf and Max Minor will be charged with making up for the production of Gavin Knott, who led the team with 25 receptions for 457 yards and five touchdowns last year as a senior.
Junior Ethan Hohol has starting experience at tight end, while Caelan Markusen will be asked to help fill the void left by Nate Baranek, who rushed for a team-high 889 yards and eight touchdowns last year.
Markusen is transitioning to running back after starting at linebacker as a junior.
Minor is projected to handle the kicking and punting duties.
“We’re a really, really difficult team to pick,” Michalkiewicz said. “We’re going to worry about what we can control, which is our own personal growth and leadership and collective culture as a team. We’ll get better every day and we’re comfortable that the results we’ll get, we’ll earn.”
Photos from De Pere football practice on Aug. 3, 2018. To help support Preps Agenda, please consider making a donation here https://www.gofundme.com/preps-agenda-2018-football-coverage
Posted by Preps Agenda on Thursday, August 9, 2018
De Pere at a glance
Coach: Chad Michalkiewicz, 8th season, 37-30 record
Last year: 3-6
All-conference players to replace:
Gavin Knott, receiver, 2nd team
Nate Baranek, running back/punter, HM/2nd team
All conference players returning:
Jack Coisman, sr., offensive lineman, 2nd team
Conner Vandenheuvel, sr., defensive back, HM
2018 Schedule
Aug. 16 Manitowoc
Aug. 23 G.B. Southwest
Aug. 30 at Ashwaubenon
Sept. 7 G.B. Preble
Sept. 14 Sheboygan North
Sept. 21 at Pulaski
Sept. 28 at Sheboygan South
Oct. 5 Bay Port
Oct. 12 at G.B. Notre Dame
Alums playing in college:
Nate Baranek, Bemidji State University
Ryan Berg, UW-Whitewater
Ethan Gerbig, Minnesota State-Moorhead
Jared Gossen, Minnesota State University
Seth Hau, UW-River Falls
Evan Heim, Minnesota State University
Gavin Knott, University of Minnesota-Duluth
Luke Nystrom, St. Thomas University
Aaron Vopal, University of Wisconsin