What little information you can collect from one day of practice looked good to Emporia High football coach Bill Lowe.
A sluggish early morning start to the first day of two-a-days gave way to an afternoon practice Lowe was satisfied with, and his new leaders — replacing a departed senior class that drove the program in both quantity and stature — showed him they’re capable of taking the reins of Spartan football.
“They’re trying to figure it out — it always takes a little while for each senior class to figure out, ‘Hey, we’re the guys now,’” Lowe said. “But I really like (their leadership). All summer, I’ve liked the seniors that we’ve had, the senior attitude that they’ve had and just being committed to the team.”
The first day wasn’t anything too complicated, naturally; following the morning conditioning, basic drills on both sides of the ball were the focus of the afternoon session.
“It’s always hard the first morning,” Lowe said. “You got guys still trying to figure out where they go, and how to put stuff on right and things. And we had the freshmen with us this year in the mornings, which we haven’t done in the past, so you always look a little sloppier when you got those new freshmen in there. But I was really proud of their leadership. I think our older kids (have) really gotten a hold, and they did a good job this evening.”
Seniors such as Mark Kolmer, Lorenzo Serna, Jacob Loucks and Quincy Mitchell will be counted on to produce on the field and fill the leadership void left by departed players like Taylor Euler, Corey Bacon, Cord Stanley and Josh Maguire. Kolmer, who ran for a team-leading 817 yards from his fullback position last year and, as a safety, also led the Spartans in tackles with 56, will have even more expected of him as he provides one of the few pieces of stability to a team in flux.
“Everybody responded to how Coach got after us in the morning,” Kolmer said. “Everybody (was) coming out a little slow, but everybody responded and came out, had a good second practice and things are going uphill.”
Leadership will have to come not only from Kolmer and other seniors, but from other upperclassmen — in particular, junior Brandon Gentz. Gentz will replace Euler at quarterback, becoming the new point man in Lowe’s option offense.
“I think the way we worked this morning, the way we’ve been working all summer, I think the work ethic is up higher,” Gentz said. “And I think everyone’s more out for the team. Not everyone’s out for themselves. It’s all about the team.”
Last week, in light of Emporia’s difficult schedule — the Spartans play the same tough round of teams they faced last year, only with the home and road games switched — Lowe stressed taking things one game at a time. That may be a well-worn cliche, but his team is stretching it beyond that. By shouting “Beat T-High” when they break for drills, the Spartans are trying to make sure that the Sept. 4 opener at Topeka High is the only game on their minds. Even if two even tougher games — the home opener against Hayden and a road game at Junction City — loom in Weeks Two and Three.
“We’ve really, just all summer, been focused on the first game,” Lowe said. “That’s all we can do, just work on Topeka High. The biggest thing is just that attitude of getting better every day and trying to make ourselves better.”