Hurons open at Hillman in football kick off

by Richard Lamb– Advance Editor

A familiar foe will be on tap for the Hurons with hopefully as familiar an outcome. For the past three seasons the Rogers City football team has opened the campaign with a game, and a win, over the Hillman Tigers. Friday?s 7 p.m. game at Hillman will give the Hurons the chance to make it four in a row. Beginning in 2005, coach Mike Kosiara?s first season as head coach, the Hurons have run off 23-6, 46-0, and 42-0 wins over the Tigers in the only football games ever played between the two schools. While Hillman went 1-8 in 2004 and 0-9 in 2005, the Tigers made the playoffs last season for the first time since 1997, finishing with a 6-4 record.

THE 2007 HURONS feature a senior-laden unit intent on making a return trip to the MHSAA playoffs this year. Eleven seniors will be counted on to lead the way for the squad including Alex Matthews, Chase McLennan, Bret Karsten, Dustin Hein, Chris Cornett, Joe Finch, Jerome Gapczynski, Henry Dietlin, Ryan Darga, Derek Schleben, and T.J. Sobeck. Rogers City will likely suit up 18 players for the opening game.

?The kids are feeling pretty confident, and that is real nice,? Kosiara said. ?We?ve been running the same offense and the same defense for a few years now, so the kids know it. The players are real football-smart, especially the seniors, and they can make adjustments on their own. They can see what works and what doesn?t. That is a luxury to have kids who are able to do that.? Kosiara said the seniors are good at working with the younger players, sharing lessons learned to make the younger ones better. ?Hopefully what we are breeding here is success, as it comes all the way down to JV from varsity. They care about each other,? Kosiara said.

COACH KOSIARA IS 11-16 entering his fourth season as the head coach of the Hurons since taking over for longtime head coach Bob Brietzke. His team?s record has improved each season since he took over. He won his first game as a coach over Hillman in 2004, and then the Hurons lost the next eight. The next season, the Hurons started the season with a 46-0 win over Hillman and then beat Posen

and Onaway in a 3-5 season. Last season, Rogers City started with a win against Hillman and moved to 6-0 after wins over Posen, Alcona, St. Ignace, Inland Lakes, and Rudyard.

A heartbreaking loss to Onaway ended the streak before the Hurons beat Newberry then lost to Kingsley in the final regular season game. Ishpeming took a 44-14 win in the U.P. in Kosiara?s first game as a playoff head coach. Rogers City plays at Posen in week two then hosts Alcona, St. Ignace, Inland Lakes and Rudyard in four consecutive home games.

The Hurons finish the season on the road for games at Onaway, Newberry and Oscoda.

All games will be broadcast by Karl Grambau and Karl Momrik on 99.9 FM.