Orangewood, ICS wrap up spring football

Football is approaching fast, and both Orangewood Christian School and International Community School are ready to go to work. The two teams faced one another in a spring game Thursday, May 18, and both squads are looking to return to their winning ways.

Orangewood Christian School 

The Orangewood Christian Rams hope to turn things around following a disappointing 2016 season in which the squad went 2-8 overall. The team struggled to put up points consistently throughout the season, and several injuries didn’t help, either. 

Unlike public schools, where there’s an overflow of players looking to make the varsity team, private schools such as Orangewood are working from a pool of about 30 players, with many forced to play on both sides of the ball, said Coach Bill Gierke. 

The skill is there for the Rams, so staying healthy is the key, he said. 

“This is ironman football, Gierke said. “Some of these kids don’t come off the field. You have to do everything you can as a coach to try and keep them healthy, motivated and ready to play in the game. If you lose a good player at this level, it’s like losing three, because he plays offense, defense and the kicking game.” 

That’s all the more important when players also are playing multiple sports. The summer will be about getting the team in the best shape possible, Gierke said. 

Last year’s backup quarterback, Ian Stone, will take the starting position as a senior after getting a year of experience under his belt. 

Gierke also is eager to see the veteran leadership that comes from the group of nine seniors this upcoming year. 

“If you’re going to succeed in football, you have to have some leadership,” he said. “If you don’t have that, it’s extremely tough on a coach. This is a good group of kids. We know we have to make some progress in the summer.”

International Community School 

Meanwhile, the International Community School Comets also hope to make their way back to the win column after finishing with a 4-6 record last season. The year before, the team finished with an impressive 8-2. 

Next year is coach Mike Lodes’ first as head coach after spending two years watching over the offensive line, and he’s actively taking steps to put forth the best team possible in a smaller school. 

Spring football this year was all about developing younger players. With a roster of about 20 players, the Comets are developing seventh- and eighth-graders for the varsity squad. 

“We went into the spring game with seven middle-schoolers,” Lodes said. “We’re focusing on fundamentals and understanding how to tackle properly, block properly and run routes. We want to figure out how to get these kids involved in varsity football without injury or compromising themselves. That was our goal: to see what we had.” 

One area of focus is tackling. Strength training also is on the agenda for this summer, and a new weight room at the school this year will help the players toughen up before August, Lodes said. 

“They weren’t hard hitters last year,” he said. “We have some aggressive kids this year, so I think that will turn it around. We’ll improve in that measure at the very least this year.” 

The team will rely heavily on its three team captains — quarterback Jarrett Conkling, lineman Josh Lodes and outside linebacker Zane Denslow. 

“Our focus has been on teamwork, working together and being dependent on one another,” Lodes said. “I think these kids are pretty special — they have a lot of potential.”