After one of the best seasons in recent memory, the Cardinals are appearing to be a team everyone is watching this year. Big Rapids started the season 2-2, in which they would win the next five games in a row and upset the would’ve been outright CSAA champion Tri-County in a nailbiter. The Cardinals have a lot of talent retained on the roster this fall and anticipate making noise again in 2023.

 

PERSONNEL

Key Departures: QB Wil Strickler, DB Zander Prince, LB Noah Brandt, DL David Miller

Key Returners: QB Riley Vennix, WR Kaleb Dubowski, RB Jack Bollman, LB Philip Wilbur

As mentioned, the Cardinals have a very talented roster that shows a lot of potential ahead of this season. Big Rapids has one of the deepest depth charts in all the CSAA and brings a lot of athleticism on the gridiron. The playbook can be wide open for this Cardinal squad but their execution will have to be top tier to make a deep playoff run.

“The team has been highly motivated and enthusiastic during the first week of practice,” Head coach Mike Selzer said. “Everyone is excited to get the season started.  We are getting good leadership out of many athletes.”

 

SCHEDULE

Notable Games: Week 1 @ Paw Paw, Week 4 vs Reed City, Week 7 vs. Tri-County

The Cardinals have backed down their strength of schedule this year after having the second hardest in the CSAA last year. Big Rapids starts off the season with a road trip to Paw Paw, a traditional team out of the highly contested Wolverine contest with over 33 wins over the past five playoff-bound seasons. The Cardinals then host a revitalized Newaygo team followed by another long road trip to Central Montcalm and the US-131 rivalry against Reed City. Coach Selzer’s team will finish with three straight home games, creating one of the more favorable slates in recent memory for the Cardinals.

“We will have to get the ball in space and utilize our formations and motions to manipulate defenses to get the ball in space in the hands of our athletes,” Selzer said. “Defensively, we will have to have great read discipline and pursuit to the ball.”

 

THINGS TO WATCH

• Focus on grit
  1. The Cardinals have developed a philosophy based on determination, which has been heavily implanted over summer camp. The “NOW” motto, standing for “Never Out Worked,” has motivated the group to continue last year’s success. If the team can stand tall when the chips are down, they can contend with any team in the CSAA.
• Defensive pursuit improvement
  1. Big Rapids has had tendencies to give up big “chunk” plays over the past few seasons. Consistency with defensive pursuit, according to Coach Selzer, has been a focal point for improvement over the past few weeks. A veteran group returning at the linebacker position could be a key element to the team’s improvement in tackling and assignment discipline on defense.
• Close game composure
  1. The Cardinals have given up 24.7 points per game defensively over the past five seasons. Considering the offense averaged 25.7 per game over that same stretch, it’s safe to say the close-game stress is something the coaches, players, and fans would like to see less of compared to blow out victories. Big Rapids has played in 10 one-score games since 2018, in which they have lost eight of those games. In a conference that is projected to be the tightest in recent memory, this will be a crucial part of the game the Cardinals will need to be improved in for this year.

Big Rapids kicks their season on Aug 25^th on the road against Paw Paw. Listen to every play all season long on Big Country on 100.9 FM, the WWBR app, and WWBR.com. Be sure to subscribe to the Big Rapids Daily News for full CSAA football coverage all season long.