GRAND BLANC, MI – It was hot, humid and the sky opened up shortly after midnight.
But nothing could put a damper on the opening day of the 2022 football season for Grand Blanc, which is coming off the best campaign in school history.
At least 400 students were in the stands for the annual Midnight Madness practice that signals the beginning of the new season.
New coach Kaleb Forr put his team through a short workout before the real work begins later this week.
“This is a great group of young men we have here and I know it’s special for them,” said Forr, who previously coached at Kearsley before spending a year down south.
“This group of seniors, they’ve been looking forward to this for a while. We’re here to be great. You should want that pressure. Pressure creates what? It creates diamonds. It creates great things.
“I love the high expectations. That’s the standard we set for our kids and we should hold it to ourselves as coaches, too. We had some weather that may have forced us to hold it back but I’m glad we pushed through it.”
Indeed, it rained before the Bobcats hit the field right around midnight and then it rained again shortly after the workout began.
The temperature was also close to 80 and the humidity made it feel even warmer.
But the Grand Blanc student section, which calls itself the best in the state, remained loud and boisterous throughout the workout.
“We had a great turnout today,” said senior Owen Szczembara, who will be Grand Blanc’s quarterback this season. “Even in the rain, it’s awesome to see everybody show up.
“It’s been fun. Really excited to get out here. There’s a lot of anticipation for the season. We’ve got some guys this year. We’re looking forward to it.”
The Bobcats are coming off a 12-1 season that saw them set a school record for victories before losing in the Division 1 semifinals.
Along the way, they beat nemesis Davison, perennial Saginaw Valley League power Lapeer and powerful Rockford before finally losing to Rochester Adams in the semifinals.
How long have the Bobcats been thinking about Midnight Madness?
“All summer, since the last game of our season from last year,” said senior wide receiver Tae Boyd. “We really didn’t get the season we wanted. We had a good season but we wanted to go further.
“Us coming back this year has just given us more motivation.”
The Bobcats open the season Aug. 25 against Grandville in the Vehicle City Gridiron Classic at Atwood Stadium.
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