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GAYLORD ― For the past 21 years in Gaylord, 2002 was the standard.
No football team that had come through the GHS program had matched what the 2002 squad did; going 9-0 in the regular season, winning a conference title and winning its first district title in program history.
Now, 21 years later, the 2023 has reset the standard.
This year’s Gaylord Blue Devils team matched all the accolades the 2002 team accomplished, going 9-0 in the regular season, winning an outright Big North Conference Championship and advancing to the MHSAA Division 3 regional finals after defeating Petoskey in the district finals.
The 2023 season will be remembered in the Northern Michigan town for a while, for numerous reasons. Here is what we are taking away from this special football season:
Playing their style
Football is an ever-evolving sport, with new concepts, new offenses and new styles of play seemingly being introduced on a yearly basis.
While Gaylord and head coach DJ Szymoniak may integrate newer technology on their sidelines, along with some innovative training methods, their style of play is anything but “fancy.” Just ask Szymoniak, he’ll tell you exactly what they want to do.
“Our program is built on toughness and ‘three yards and a cloud of dust’,” Szymoniak said before the season. “Our defense is going to be tough, a lot of experience coming back. We’re going to try to control the game by running the football and playing tough defense.”
All that held firm.
Gaylord’s defense allowed just 13.2 points per game while the offense ran for 2,370 total yards during the team’s undefeated regular season. The Blue Devils are proof that a commitment to a tough, physical style of play is still a viable way to play the game of football.
Unsung heroes
Gaylord’s offensive line is a big part of what allowed them to have such a succesful running…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/takeaways-memorable-gaylord-football-season-090348153.html
Author : Petoskey News Review
Publish date : 2023-11-27 09:03:48
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