The Buccaneer varsity football team finished off the year with a 1-8 record which means their season is done early. No playoffs. A far worse season than they anticipated.

A big factor contributing to the unsuccess on the field was the lack of depth.

“We didn’t have a whole lot of guys,” Head coach Joe Nelson said. “That affects us from practice to game situations.”

The stats sheet and the scores to each game suggest that this season was just miserable, and to the average sports fan it was. But if you look between the lines, in the locker room or even just at a practice you will find that this team was improving each week and had a strong connection that couldn’t be broken.

“I would say that we definitely had our challenges as a team but I would argue that it’s easier to judge from just reading the stats,” Nelson said. “The kids worked hard and did everything they were asked and we just know as a whole program, the system is going to work and does work.”

Being in the O-K Red conference, the Bucs face some tough opponents such as the Rockford Rams who finished off the regular season with a 6-3 record as well as the West Ottawa Panthers who are currently ranked No. 18 in the state with an astonishing 8-1 record. As a spectator this season, it was hard to watch the Bucs come up short, week after week, especially when they’re losing by more than 30 points in some circumstances. But after each game, the team was able to regroup and work on the little things, and improvement was evident.

“Our competition is extraordinary,” Nelson said. “It’s hard to put a number on how you improve when you lose, but if anybody saw the games you can’t deny that every week we improved at a higher level and as a team.”

What’s hard for these seniors is the way they are exiting the program. A 1-8 record to send them out. These veterans overcame a great deal of adversity in their four years in the blue and gold uniform. After all, coach Nelson is their fourth head coach, granted these guys didn’t play varsity as youngsters but this coaching carousel had an effect on everyone affiliated with the program. These guys felt betrayed. Now, they can rest assured and know that they are the building blocks for what’s to come.

 “I told the seniors which was predominantly our varsity team that they are the beginning of something special,” Nelson said. “Something that is going to be a change in Grand Haven football.”

Even after a down season, the Bucs are optimistic about the future. They will be entering next year’s season with their heads held high, as well as with great expectations. Although, they know it will be tough being that this year’s team was predominantly seniors and because of the lack of juniors who came out for the squad this year, next year will be a team comprised of mostly juniors.

“We are gonna have our bar set pretty high for next year,” Nelson said. “Realizing though that our class this year was predominantly seniors and next year we’ll be predominantly juniors and it’s still tough to be successful in our league with a junior team. “It’s gonna take a lot of work to prove but it’s gonna take a lot of dedication to continue to develop the young kids.”