Charlevoix football trying to take another program jump after playoff three-peat

CHARLEVOIX — Over recent years, the Charlevoix football program has been ahead of perhaps everyone in bringing along the next generation of players.

Some of it was with a forced hand when numbers were so low that a junior varsity team just wasn’t possible, forcing a number of underclassmen into key spots. Then there’s also been times where freshmen and sophomores seeing action on varsity would just benefit both parties.

Regardless of why, the 2022 Rayders can now reap the rewards, as a number of players that saw time as freshmen and sophomores are now bigger and faster, and of course more experienced, juniors and seniors.

“The seniors we have were all freshman that year we didn’t have a JV,” Charlevoix coach Don Jess said. “We had nine of these kids playing varsity as sophomores and they’re juniors this year. So they’ve all got experience, even some of the freshmen got experience on varsity last year.

“The seniors, along with the classes ahead of them have done a real good job building the program. When we started out there were 27 kids in the program and now we have 46. Considering our school has gotten smaller in that time, that’s a credit to a lot of assistant coaches and the leadership we’ve had on this team from the players.”

Like everyone else around the state, Charlevoix hit the field for official 2022 action this week and Jess was happy with the first day out.

“It went well. It was a good first day,” he said. “Based on a lot of the stuff we did this summer, the kids got a pretty good grasp of the offense and what we’re doing.”

A good grasp of both the offense and defense shouldn’t be a surprise, as the Rayders return a heck of a lot from an 8-2 team that just barely lost in the district championships last season.

Then there’s the return of perhaps the area’s most dynamic player in senior Patrick Sterrett. If all else fails, get it in Sterrett’s hands and sit back.

The all-purpose back totaled 50 catches for 960 yards and 14 touchdowns last season, added 450 yards rushing and six scores on a 12.9 average and then picked off five passes as a defensive back.

Sterrett garnered first team Associated Press All-State honors a season ago.

“We’re always telling the young kids, ‘Watch how he practices,’” said Jess on Sterrett. “He catches a five yard pass and he’s running it 40 yards down the field as fast as he can go after every catch. He plays the way he practices and he’s got a great attitude. He’s worked really hard in the offseason. He put on a lot of muscle and we’re just really blessed to have him in the program.”

One area where they will have to rebuild is in the quarterback positon, with the loss of Caleb Stuck, who Jess knows the program will really miss in more phases than just the plays he made.

“We’ll certainly miss Caleb, not just his play on the field, but his leadership,” he said.

The search to replace Stuck wasn’t a long one, as sophomore Brady Jess was waiting in the wings a season ago and is now ready to take the reins.

“He’s had a good offseason,” said Jess on his new QB and son. “He’s doing what he needs to do to prepare his body. Coach (Jim) Alger has done a great job working with him. We’re really fortunate to have someone like (Jim) to work with our kids.”

Along with Jess and Sterrett back, there’s also Jack and Henry Herzog, Landon Swanson, Max Dixon, Bryce Johnson, Nate Claflin, Hudson Vollmer and other key pieces, particularly up front.

The Rayders open the season at East Jordan on Friday, Aug. 26, a rival who always plays them to the final whistle, though they’ll get in a scrimmage at Cheboygan against the Chiefs and St. Ignace next week first, which Jess is excited about.

“That’s a good scrimmage for us because Cheboygan plays that smash mouth style of football and that’ll be a good gauge for us because we’ve got some position battles,” he said.

Over the first couple weeks and leading up to that trip to East Jordan, Jess really wants his guys keeping with the attitude and focus they’ve had throughout the offseason, the same kind of energy that’s helped lead to the first playoff three-peat in program history.

But, there’s another level he knows and the players know they can get to.

“We’re at the point in the program where our mindset needs to change a little to get to the next level,” he said. “That’s really been the main focus. We’ve tried to set the tone with that and the kids have put in the work in the offseason to try to change that.”

Contact Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny