Photo by Michael Caywood at caywood.zenfolio.com
The Sturgis football team’s 34-14 loss at Coldwater Friday narrowed the margin for error this season if the 3-2 Trojans want to reach the playoffs. As a senior captain and the highest-profile player in the area, quarterback Chance Stewart has no problem shouldering the blame for the offense’s shaky performance.
Stewart, who is committed to play for Western Michigan University next year, completed just 8 of 28 passing attempts for 179 yards and two touchdowns with one interception against the Cardinals. But the Trojans were missing leading receiver Kalvyn Bowdish (ankle) and had issues across the board, including being pushed around by Coldwater’s defensive line and dropping several passes. Add several inexperienced players to the mix and Sturgis’ offensive inconsistency is more easily explained.
JoeInsider.com caught up with Stewart over the weekend for a brief Q&A about the offense:
What are your thoughts on Friday’s game?
“There were some throws that I made that weren’t that good. On the flip side, I thought there was some throws that maybe we should have brought in. It goes both ways. I know my receivers are busting their butts and are working hard. They’re trying their best; it’s not like they’re intentionally dropping these things to make me mad. It’s just one of those things we need to work on if we want to be successful down the road.
“I think we just kind of came in lackadaisical thinking we were just going to show up and win that game. As a captain, I kind of take blame for that for the troops not being quite ready to go in there and have the right mindset.
“Coldwater played great defense. They had the perfect idea how to stop us, especially without Kalvyn. We could just never get clicking on offense. We’re going to go back out there [today] and get after it. Next week is a big one — Harper Creek and Homecoming. That’s one we’ll be prepared for.
What will you work on this week?
“Practices need to be better. There are some basic things that we need to go over. Some of these guys are young. Liam Adams is a sophomore and I’ve never played football with the kid before. He’s not used to the way I play and I’m not used to the way he runs routes yet. That’s going to take time.
“One thing [Friday] night that popped out to me was these guys [don’t know what to do] when I roll out or when I’m under pressure just trying to scramble. The receivers have to know just to come back to the ball. That’s just something we have to work on this week. When I’m trying to avoid people, we need receivers to stop their routes, find an opening and sit down.”