FIELD TWP- The upcoming North Woods football season will have faces both familiar and new in the lineup and on the sidelines, and Head Coach Joel Anderson is both.
He’s familiar to players and fans as an assistant to former Head Coach John Jirik, who stepped down from the position when he took an administrative position at Tower-Soudan Elementary, and now as the newly-appointed head man he feels comfortable in the role.
“The transition has been going very well,” Anderson said. “I’ve been in the system with Coach Jirik for the last five years. I’ve been coaching football for as many years as I’ve been in education, so it’s something that I’m excited about.”
As the Grizzlies enter their second season playing 11-man football, Anderson said his approach to the game really hasn’t changed much from the nine-man game.
“You plan and prepare with the team that you have in front of you to use them to the best of their abilities, and you put your players in the best position to succeed as possible,” he said.
One reason for excitement for coaches, players, and fans is the return of bone-crushing running back T.J. Chiabotti, who won’t go unnoticed by the Grizzlies’ opponents.
“I don’t think there’s anybody that doesn’t know T.J. is in our backfield,” Anderson said. “He’s been the guy that has received many handoffs from the time he was a freshman on. A lot of eyes have been on him in the past, and I don’t see that changing any this year.”
As is the case each year, graduation in the spring means football adjustments in the fall, and the Grizzlies will be no exception.
“We’ve got guys that have not necessarily been in the positions that they’re going to be in this year, but they’ve been in other skill positions. They’ve continued to grow and mature and, and they’re going to have different roles this year. But we do bring back a lot of athleticism, we bring back a lot of experience and talent.”
Anderson hopes to be able to mix it up on offense, utilizing the passing game to keep opponents from keying on the ground game. Quarterbacks Zac Cheney and Ty Fabish will likely both see action, Anderson said.
They should benefit from having an experienced line that communicates well and understands their roles.
“We’ve got a number of seniors that have been playing there for the past number of years,” Anderson said. “Kids like Chris Chaulklin and Cole Thiel have been kind of anchors at the guard spots in the last year. We’ve got Jeremiah Voges who’s played many snaps for us at the tackle spot, and we have Ethan Byran who’s been kind of the anchor of the line itself.”
On the defensive side, Anderson said he anticipates changing up defensive sets and personnel during the season based on what he thinks will work best against a given opponent. Whatever the set, Anderson said linebacker Jake Panichi will be counted on for strong contributions.
The team has adapted well to all of the COVID-19 procedures to keep them safe and healthy, Anderson said. Like most educators these days, Anderson rattled off a long list of agencies and organizations that have guidelines for sports, and they’re following them all.
“I think the kids understand that if there was potentially an outbreak on our team, that’s going to set us back not just one week, but two weeks, where we may not be able to play a game,” he said.
The Grizzlies have their first test of the season on Friday when they make the long trip to take on Braham at 7 p.m. The home opener for North Woods will be on Thursday, Oct. 15 when they welcome Deer River for an early 2 p.m. tilt.