IMA SPORTS

It shouldn’t take long for Maumee football fans to remember the last time an underdog brought in a new coach for a matchup against Springfield.

Two years after sparking Evan Karchner’s tenure at Maumee with a 27-20 win, the Blue Devils will be looking to do the same Friday night in Sam Arredondo’s debut as head coach.

Arredondo will have his work cut out for him, much as Karchner did in 2023. Springfield is trying to break a streak of six straight nonwinning seasons, during which the Blue Devils lost 79% of their games. Their last winning record was 7-4 in 2018, followed by a 5-5 finish in 2019.

Maumee had little trouble dispatching Springfield 41-8 in last season’s opener. The Panthers are projected to win in similar fashion this year, so Karchner has put his players on high alert to stay focused.

“We’ve talked a lot this week about respecting every opponent we play,” he said. “We know this is a big game for both teams, and they are highly motivated to beat us.

“The second you start looking past someone is the moment you get humbled. For us, it’s not about who’s across from us, it’s about holding ourselves to a standard and playing Maumee football the right way. If we stay locked in on our execution and effort, the results will take care of themselves.”

Arredondo is no stranger to Springfield. He’s an English teacher at the high school and coached with the Blue Devils for 10 years before spending last season on the Whitmer staff.

Karchner said there’s familiarity with Arredondo’s style, but the Panthers are preparing for surprises.

“We also know every coach puts their own stamp on a program,” Karchner said. “We’ve prepared for some of the things we’ve seen on film in the past, but we’re also ready to adjust. At the end of the day, it still comes down to how well we play our brand of football, which is physical, disciplined and relentless.”

Springfield will be led by a pair of All-Northern Lakes League selections from last season — junior running back Gabe Gregory and sophomore offensive lineman Ve’Shaun Winfree. Senior Logan Goodrick will start at quarterback.

Maumee will counter with a talented, if largely untested, group. Quarterback Ben Kubicz returns for his third season as a starter, while receivers Will Kubicz and Eli Dodson and linemen Ryan Patterson and Jackson Schneider are back as starters.

The Panthers wrapped up their scrimmage schedule with an uninspired showing against Clay last week at Kazmaier Stadium. Instead of dwelling on the loss, Maumee bounced back with strong practices this week.

“It’s been really encouraging. Our players responded the right way,” Karchner said. “Instead of hanging their heads after Clay, they came back hungry to get better. The energy, focus and competitiveness in practice has been exactly what you want to see going into Week 1. We want to continue to push our program and the young guys who are starting to fill some Friday night roles for us.”

Along with Dodson, Will Kubicz, Patterson and Schneider starting on defense, junior Cohen Jones returns as a linebacker. Outside of those five, though, Friday’s game will be a new experience for a large group of juniors.

And that has Karchner pumped up.

“We’re excited,” he said. “Week 1 is always special because it’s the first chance to write the story of this year’s team. We’ve got a lot of juniors stepping into big roles, and this is an opportunity for them to show their growth and set the tone for the rest of the season. It should be a great atmosphere, and we can’t wait to compete.”

Photo courtesy of Pride of the Panthers
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