By Frank Vajcner
Bedford will look for better results in year two under John Phillips after the first season started strong, but fizzled out.
Head Coach: John Phillips (3-4, second season)
Assistants: Jay Lake, Chris Wilhelm, James O’Brien, DJ Lutz, Geoff Skibinski, Dylan Szegedi, Dave Livingston, Logan Rimmer, Scott Szakovitz, Brian Dye, Matt Phillips
Offense: The Mules will have a lot of holes to fill in their veer offense, but the cupboard isn’t bare. Senior RBs Randy Boiselle, Connor Becker, and Tyler Conrad will each carry the mail on the ground, while Ethan Manger and Connor McCloud return to anchor the offensive line.
Defense: This side of the ball appears to be a strength for the Mules, at least on paper. Becker and Gabe Johnson both return at linebacker, while Trey Brueggemann, whom Phillips mentioned as a player to watch, moves from the defensive line to linebacker. Robbie Gossard returns to lead the defensive line, while Brendan Hammer will anchor the secondary from his safety position.
Coach’s Outlook; We have taken advantage of the summer and improved offensively, but only competition will tell how well our younger players perform. We missed a number of our conference games last season due to the pandemic. There has been a shuffle within the Red division. It’s going to be hard to predict the final standings; however, the division will be the same traditional slugfest as in the past.
FNV Outlook: The Mules will have to lean on their defense early while the offense looks to gel. The first true test won’t come until Week 3 with a road trip to Dexter. October has a tough start with back-to-back games against rivals Monroe and Saline. Only time will tell if Phillips and company can get things running smoothly should a playoff bid be earned.
I have all respect for the teams in the Red Division including Monroe as well as Chris, Gary, and Frank but everyone seems to forget about the team down south (Bedford) and you missed something big this time. Shush… it’s coming.