After winning just one game in the last four years, the seniors on the Hulbert Rider football team are getting some vindication in their final season, having already won three games as mid-season approaches.
It takes a special mentality to stick with a program that is 1-39 in their time there, but Ethan Ellis, Easton Graalfs and Cody Botts reflected on the turnaround. “We struggled with new coaches every year it seemed like and could never find the right plays at the right times,” said Ellis, the Riders quarterback. “This year we started practicing better and going harder and we’ve seen a lot of growth already this season. We have a group of seniors that are pretty happy right now, but we’re by no means resting knowing we have to keep getting better each week. As seniors, we’re making sure the younger guys stay on track, making sure the running backs know where to go and the linemen are doing their job. I feel like we can be at least 6-4 this season and maybe even make the playoffs.”
For lineman Graalfs, stability has been a key to success. “Having a good group of serious seniors showing the younger kids how to do the right thing has helped. We want this to be a great year for us but also to carry over to the future and create a mentality of leadership that says, ‘I’m not going to chew you out for making a mistake, but you need to fix it for the next play.’
Having a stable coaching staff for more than a year in coach (Chad) Botts has also been a big plus.” Botts has been around the Hulbert school system for many years, so he knows these kids and what makes them tick. “I was an administrator for six years, left and came back as an assistant football coach and then became principal for five years,” said the head coach.
“We went through several football coaches during that time which created a lot of instability in the program. I was the fourth coach in four years when I took over. One of the things I noticed right away is that our football players didn’t look like football players, so we had to get bigger, faster and stronger and we put an emphasis on the weight room and instituted a powerlifting program. We also have a coaching staff that is very dedicated to our process. It’s been heart warming this year to see the things you’ve been preaching come to fruition. This group of seniors paid the price and it’s nice to see them getting some success.” One of those seniors, as previously mentioned, is the coach’s son Cody, the Rider running back. “The last couple of years has been a challenge for sure, but I think we’ve gotten to know each other better and this year we’re starting to get things put together. This senior group just really wanted a change in the culture of the program.”
The Riders are a pretty senior-heavy team this year so it will be important, no matter how the rest of the season pans out, for these seniors to instill, like Graalfs said, the winning attitude and culture in those that will follow these dedicated seniors.
