New coach hopes to lead Onaway turnaround

ONAWAY -- First-year Onaway High School football head coach Josh Bigby has quite the interesting matchup in the season opener on Friday at Inland Lakes.

The Bulldogs are the defending Ski Valley Conference champions and should prove quite the test for the Cardinals, who went 1-8 last year.

To top it all off, Bigby is also a former physical education teacher at Inland Lakes.

"I love those kids, but it is time to beat them," he said.

Bigby, who will now teach physical education in Onaway on top of his coaching duties, brings with him many years of coaching experience in Michigan, including as an assistant at Petoskey, Bay City Western, and Pinconning. He also served as head coach in Kalkaska.

"Inland Lakes is going to bring in experience," he said. "They have many seniors and a good junior class, too. They are coming out with some big linemen and have shown success in the past. They are also our rival and it just adds a little bit more to it. (Inland Lakes head coach) Travis Meyer knows what he is doing there and we can't overlook them. We have to cut out our mistakes and do the little things right."

While Onaway has yet to play their first game, Bigby likes what he has seen from his team during the opening weeks of practice.

"I see a lot of positives," he said. "It is a cultural thing we are trying to instill in the young men. We are showing them to do the little things well, because, when the little things are accomplished right, the big things seem to work out a lot better."

On this year's team are seniors Justin Kramer (wide receiver, linebacker), Jack Chaskey (wide receiver, defensive back), Brendon Brewbaker (wide receiver, defensive back), Zander McDonald (wide receiver, linebacker), and Gavin Green (wide receiver, linebacker), juniors Darin Wolgast (offensive line, defensive line), Billy Gasch (offensive line, defensive line), and Levi Rigot (offensive line, defensive line), sophomores Toby Pike (wide receiver, defensive back), Brady Gapczynski (quarterback, defensive back), Trenton Soik (wide receiver, defensive back), Lelin Splan (wide receiver, linebacker), Greg Kuchinski (wide receiver, defensive back), Jonas Benson (offensive line, defensive line), and Zach Artrip (wide receiver, linebacker), and freshmen Kayson Jarvis (wide receiver, defensive back), Eli LaLonde (wide receiver, linebacker), Alex Gonzales (wide receiver, linebacker), Phineas Benson (offensive line, defensive line), Zach Schmoldt (offensive line, linebacker), Morris Domke (offensive line, defensive line), and Caleb Booms (offensive line, defensive line).

"This senior group I've gotten pretty bonded with and they are a good group of kids," Bigby said. "They work hard and they told me they want a coach that cares about them. They work their tails off, they understand what our objective is, and they are buying into what the program is going to do."

After week one, the Cardinals will turn their attention to another league foe with Bellaire. Their other Ski Valley matchups will be against Gaylord St. Mary in week five, Central Lake in week seven, and Pellston in week eight.

"We are going to go out and fight and leave everything on the field," Bigby said. "I just have to take it week by week, and we just have to take it week by week and keep battling and doing the little things right."