Tradition, work ethic fuels MFL MarMac football to 'Do it again'

By Audrey Posten, Times-Register

Don’t count out the Bulldogs.

Despite losing a large group of talented seniors who led the MFL MarMac football team to a district title and the Class 1A state championship game a season ago, the program is retooling with a group of players who are hungry to prove themselves.

“There are a lot of guys who weren’t starters last year who got a considerable amount of playing time. They contributed to our success, and now they’re ready to show what they can do too,” said head coach Dan Anderson.

In fact, the 2024 team motto is “Do it again.”

“Not just going to the Dome,” explained Anderson, “but in practice, if something’s not perfect, we say ‘Do it again.’ You can go with many meanings.”

With new starting roles to fill, Anderson admitted practices have included more live hitting and intense competition. He intended to use last week’s scrimmage, as well as the team’s three non-district games, to test players in real situations and solidify the lineup as district play rolls around.

“It’s a work in progress—it always is,” Anderson said. “I’m very optimistic about our team and they guys we have at different positions. We’ve moved some guys around and we’re always trying to put the best 11 on the field that we can on offense, defense and special teams.”

MFL MarMac has strength, speed and size up front, particularly on an offensive line that returns four starters from a season ago. Senior Aiden Schoulte, a rare four-year starter, is back on the right side, and next to him will be fellow senior Averey Thornton.

“Those two guys side by side is a lot of strength and beef,” Anderson said.

Junior Will Howes returns as center, where he’s been sharing reps with junior Ty Echard to assure players can fill more than one position in case of injury. For example, with Echard at center, Howes moves to one of the guard spots and Thornton to the other, said Anderson. Athletic senior Brayden Gordon is back at left guard, and senior Keith Anderson, too, has been getting reps at quick guard, the pulling guard spot. Echard and senior Kade Humble will see time at left tackle, while a pair of big, physical juniors, Hunter Christofferson and Carsten Pester, have been earning reps at the tight end position.

“We’re really strong up front, and not only that but we’ve got some depth there too,” Anderson said.

This group will pave the way for returning 1,000-yard rusher, senior fullback Quinn McGeough. With the graduation of other skill players, McGeough will be the bell cow of the offense. Junior Auston Lind has also received reps at fullback, and juniors Eli Hanson, Braxton Halvorson and Koda Warrington are seeing time in the backfield. Seniors Parker Kuehl and Brock Hackett will be at wing. All come with their own skill sets, said Anderson.

“We have a lot of guys who are very capable of running for touchdowns,” he shared. “You’ll be hearing different names than you’ve heard in the past, but you’re still going to hear names being called because we’ll still be scoring touchdowns.”

At receiver, people could see Hanson and Kuehl, as well as Streicher and juniors Anthony Bunting and Kyler Nuehring.

Who’s leading the offense was one of the biggest question marks heading into the season, admitted Anderson. Hanson, Hackett and senior Carter Stoddard are all getting reps. Similar to the runners, each has his own skill set.

“They are all good leaders. That’s probably the most important thing,” Anderson said. “Everybody always says, ‘Which one throws the best ball?’ Does it really matter when you throw the ball 60 times a game and only throw three or four times? Throwing a ball as the quarterback is probably not the number one thing now. It’s going to be their leadership skills and how they can take command of the offense.”

“Our identity, since I’ve been here, has been to be a physical run team, and we’ll continue to do that,” the coach added. “We’ll throw the ball when we need to.”

Another question mark comes defensively, where the Bulldogs graduated nine starters. McGeough returns at strong safety and Gordon at outside linebacker. Anderson said Stoddard will likely join Gordon at outside linebacker and Hackett and Keith Anderson will start inside, with time for Halvorson and sophomore Blake Schutte as well.

“Our inside linebackers are going to be a little smaller, but they’re fast and aggressive. When you’re behind a big defensive line who can eat up some of those blockers, I’m OK with that,” he said. 

Kuehl, Nuehring, Warrington and Bunting are competing for the two starting cornerback positions. Hanson will likely start at free safety, but Anderson said sophomore Kashton Decker is looking good too. Streicher may see time at strong safety if McGeough is not on the field.

Nine guys can rotate in and out of the defensive line. Lind is projected at nose guard, with Anderson and Thornton rotating in as well. Christofferson and Kade Humble will split time at defensive end, and even kicker and punter Ben Krambeer, special teams MVP for the district last year, could see time there.

Dubbed by some last season as the “District of Doom,” Class 1A - District 3 looks to be competitive again in 2024. Anderson sees Dike-New Hartford as the frontrunner, and Sumner-Fredericksburg will be tough too. One also can’t count out Denver and Aplington-Parkersburg. 

He expects the Bulldogs to be right in the thick of the race. 

“These guys feel the pressure, a little bit, to maintain what we’ve done. So do I,” Anderson acknowledged. “This community expects good football, and these guys don’t want to let the community down, let their friends and family down. They are playing for more than just themselves. They are playing for the community and all the guys who’ve come before them.”

“We’ve got tradition, a good system. We still have the same work ethic. The kids believe in what we do,” he continued. “We are still going to be very competitive, and these kids have the goal to get back to the UNI-Dome.”

The Bulldogs start their season this Friday, Aug. 30, at Crestwood.