The 29/1
A Football Program Matures and a Quarterback Emerges, with Pat Collins and Connor Knapp
Join us as we sit down with Head Coach Pat Collins and starting quarterback Connor Knapp in this episode of The 29/1. Learn how both player and coach have embraced change for the good of each other and the team, and how playing in the electrifying atmosphere of West Ottawa Stadium can have some unique advantages, but also present some surprising challenges.
Coach Collins emphasizes the importance of experiences that shape players both on and off the field. Connor shares his take on the evolution of leadership within the team. Hear about the camaraderie between high school football players, built by shared experiences like playing NCAA video games on couches in the locker room or fixing up an old boat.
We touch on Connor’s development as a quarterback and how the remarkable switch from receiver to quarterback came about. Explore the hopes for the upcoming season and how the program feels the community’s unwavering support as they push to improve.
This episode was recorded on July 31, 2024.
Podcasts drop weekly at 6 AM every Monday morning just in time for that morning commute or workout. Please like, follow, subscribe, or leave a review. Even share with someone who might like the listen. Thanks for taking the time to get to know our young student athletes and the many others that make West Ottawa Athletics what it is, a little bit better. Go WO!
Join us as we sit down with Head Coach Pat Collins and starting quarterback Connor Knapp in this episode of The 29/1. Learn how both player and coach have embraced change for the good of each other and the team, and how playing in the electrifying atmosphere of West Ottawa Stadium can have some unique advantages, but also present some surprising challenges.
Coach Collins emphasizes the importance of experiences that shape players both on and off the field. Connor shares his take on the evolution of leadership within the team. Hear about the camaraderie between high school football players, built by shared experiences like playing NCAA video games on couches in the locker room or fixing up an old boat.
We touch on Connor’s development as a quarterback and how the remarkable switch from receiver to quarterback came about. Explore the hopes for the upcoming season and how the program feels the community’s unwavering support as they push to improve.
This episode was recorded on July 31, 2024.
Podcasts drop weekly at 6 AM every Monday morning just in time for that morning commute or workout. Please like, follow, subscribe, or leave a review. Even share with someone who might like the listen. Thanks for taking the time to get to know our young student athletes and the many others that make West Ottawa Athletics what it is, a little bit better. Go WO!
All right. Well, hey everybody, it is episode two. We are back in the office slash studio here at West Ottawa High School and for our very first time, we have now two guests in Studio, bill. So this is pretty cool. It's a packed room, packed room. Episode one one guest. Episode two two guests. I'm not looking forward to episode 34, but that's all right. Who we got in here today? It's Coach Pat Collins and Connor Knapp. Oh, connor Knapp, the quarterback QB1. Qb1. So we have Pat Collins in. Pat, you are in your fourth season here at West Ottawa, so the years go by quick, don't they?
Speaker 2:They do, technically seventh, because you were here before I was. Right seventh because you were here before I was right. Yeah, so I had going into my eighth really, because I was here four under jim caserta and then left, came back gotcha and connor, of course.
Speaker 1:Are you a four-year varsity player? No, all right, so you played as a sophomore, though okay three year, and now this is your second year as the starting quarterback for the panthers yeah we will get into that a little bit later.
Speaker 1:It was a obviously a big transition for you. But wow, I told you last year when I saw you playing, I go, hey, man, you look the part. I don't know if you remember that, but I'm like he looks the part man. I mean for his first season under center to have the footwork and the I don't know the moxie. Maybe he had the Moxie, maybe you had the Moxie too. So that was great. One thing that always surprises me whenever I dap up with Connor Knapp or, in the old way, shake his hand, is how incredibly big your hands are. Whenever I come up on you and I shake your hand, I feel like a toddler going for a walk with their grandpa. It's like my hand just disappears into yours. How big are those, those uh claws?
Speaker 3:ten and a half inches ten and a half. Yeah, they're huge wow.
Speaker 1:So last night I had uh, I talked your mom yesterday, by the way, I don't know, she told you that, but she goes you had his hands this big and like. So I started measuring mine. I took a stuff. I'm like I'm like eight and a half. I'm like, oh, that's the the average. I'm also five, nine. So there you go. But yeah, big hands. They measured you out at Western right. You were at camp for a receiver's camp this summer.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, you went in there for like a prospect camp and there was like a coach there and he was like wow, he was like your hands are huge and I'm like, well, I mean, I just had it my entire life. I never really realized, until everyone's saying, oh, you can catch a ball, like crazy.
Speaker 1:Right, your mom actually told me this is something your grandpa said that you could dig trenches or something.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he said that I was a mole and I can dig trenches and his name for me is Condor man, because a condor like the bird has huge wings, so yeah.
Speaker 1:All right, that makes sense. Now, it does make sense, and the T-shirt's on its way. At this point, busy summer for you guys. Did you do that? Detroit Lions minicamp this morning? Was that today We've had that all week.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's all week. It goes until tomorrow, Thursday, and then it's a four-day camp 830 to noon. I don't run the camp, the.
Speaker 2:Lions do but we got them here, which is a first step. Yeah, they don't go everywhere, nope, and we did get them in. They were at my former school for many years. I got them in there and I've been working on them pretty hard and a slot opened and I took it, even though it's, in my mind, the worst slot. You've got to work your way up in the summer Because the worst slot? Because Lions are in OTAs, so at the end of the summer you're not getting any current players running by, but you'll get some retired players Any names we'd recognize.
Speaker 2:Oh, I don't remember the guys that were there this week so far. Honestly, I'm horrible with names.
Speaker 1:That's all right.
Speaker 2:There was an all-pro there Monday, a defensive end for the Lions. He's been retired for nine years oh so that's fairly recent and they pay those guys to be a part of the Lions and come to these things and guys are willing to come back and they signed autographs and things. But you won't get the current plays because they're currently working out.
Speaker 1:Well, it's a great thing for the community. I know that's an important thing to you and I really think it's important to a lot of us here at West Ottawa.
Speaker 5:Yeah, years ago I remember hearing that West Ottawa can't be a football school and that infuriates me as an athletic director.
Speaker 2:I think that having things like the Detroit Lions coming out to our facility and seeing our facility proves that we are a football school.
Speaker 2:I think that's our goal. We want to bring them home and make it a place where it takes place. The community put obviously a bunch of talent and time and money and resources into making it that stadium. Like, let's bring football here, where we put our money to create this beautiful place, let's use it and uh, I think that's the culture we're trying to create and it's, it's out, it's well on its way, so we're really excited connor that that uh, at night that place is always popping right like how great is it for you to come to practice and go into that place?
Speaker 3:I mean I wouldn't say like I'm numb to it now, but like I feel like every single time I like pull into the parking lot, I'm like I just can't believe like we have this, like it's crazy like it's nuts every single time, like I meet somebody or like see somebody at my parents's work or something, it's just like, oh my gosh, you have that stadium and I'm like, yeah, like it's sweet, like come see it sometime, exactly, and they all end up coming at some point, but it's sweet. I love playing there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's fan. It's really fantastic. We always talk about it too.
Speaker 5:Just being in the building is an absolute treat yeah, rodney and I do a lot of work together up in that press box, particularly in the spring season anything you want to know about Bill when things are rolling and we oftentimes will comment on that Like, oh my gosh, we get to do this here.
Speaker 2:You know, it's pretty awesome.
Speaker 1:So the uh you're, you're obviously building your team for this upcoming season. Can you talk briefly about what doing? A camp like the Alma camp and then your team camp with Muskegon and Nona and sorry, Mona shores, that you just completed what does that do for your team, Whether it be togetherness, whether it be getting through offense and defense? Can you talk about that?
Speaker 2:Wow, good question. So you know, I always talk about the million little moments, and that's what really makes a program, and that includes this today, by the way. I think this is a moment that's as big for us. Running this podcast, the thing you're doing helps us achieve our goals. So it's all the little pieces and those summer programming dates are all part of those pieces. Alma's about team bonding kicking off the summer called Victor's Edge. So how do we get the edge as victors, not only as football players, but as dads and employer employees? I like this guy.
Speaker 1:We're called Victor's Edge, so how do we get the edge as victors, not only as football players.
Speaker 2:but as dads and you know employer, I like this guy and you know we talk about this stuff all the time and Coach Newton are really. He's my right-hand man and he's awesome and he's facilitating a lot of these things with the varsity program and allowing me to free me up for the whole program work. But we're working on a commitment continuum. Connor was discussing that yesterday a little bit with MLive Media Day and there's a lot of depth that's going behind these trips, not just going to play some football.
Speaker 2:And so when you build those moments and you get some depth in there about not only football but things after football's over is the goal with these guys. It's that's what we do at those places. Um, and then there's football moments muskegon one night this summer. Mona shore's one night in the summer uh we want the best, so we're going to tie up with the best to try to help time ourselves up to be the best we can be.
Speaker 1:Right two really high-end teams from last season, correct.
Speaker 2:So we're always going to schedule things that are meaningful and not just waste time with just random moments. We're trying to be as meaningful about every minute that we plan, and Muskegon and Mona Shores help us do that.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, Connor. You did some 7-on-7. I think it was last week, right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it was like last week, two weeks ago or something like that.
Speaker 1:And you guys had a really good 7-on-7. Can you tell me a little bit about that?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean the 7-on-7s. They really just build our team's confidence up. It goes to show we can really do this and we can compete with teams like this and we can compete with teams like this and we saw teams like Coopersville, grosse Pointe South, that high-end teams like Grosse Pointe South went pretty deep into the playoffs this year and we competed with them in the final.
Speaker 3:But it just builds up confidence. I mean, it's a learning moment Like, hey, you can't have mistakes in our seven-on-seven games, because you won't win If you throw a pick or you drop a pass. We're just losing downs and losing yardages.
Speaker 1:You are as players when you're saying you're making those changes, are you doing it together Like hey, we've got to tighten this up to compete right now?
Speaker 3:We've had a lot of talks with just the players, like no coaches in the locker room and we, just we talk, we talk it out Like we had a huge talk saying about like don't yell at each other, Like that's not going to build build everybody up, Like talk to them, Don't yell, and just really like not being be a jerk to our teammates, like cutting like no little stuff, jerk to our teammates, like cutting, like no little stuff, like making fun of people for no reason like, oh yeah, just just building like all the little stuff just builds team culture and it's just.
Speaker 5:It's cool to see how far we've become and coach is somebody that's been around the game for a long time. The best teams are those player-led teams 100.
Speaker 2:That's been a theme for us. It's funny you mentioned that because those those players that we have now have had the torch, passed a couple years in a row of some developmental years Guys, like you had in the first show, cooper Terpstra. Cooper is a great leader and he had some great years here before he left. Obviously, so, passing it on, we haven't quite, I would say, graduated I use that word a lot into the player-led team, but I think this team's ready for it. They're the team that seems to be talking about it the most. We're going to find out real quick if they're going to talk or do, but I do think they're going to do and I'm excited for that. So for sure, the most talented teams have never been necessarily my best teams. It's always the leadership culture and player-led type of activities that go on, that move on to those type of successes. So cooper.
Speaker 1:Uh said in our last episode and uh, he said in a totally cooper terpster way, it's only he can do it. But he's like yeah, I respect collins, I'm doing it. Am I trying to do a cooper terps impersonation? I'm so sorry, uh, but uh with collins is like, started with nothing, turned it into something. I just love that so much. Can you speak to that a little bit? You were your sophomore year, yeah, oh, and nine.
Speaker 3:You were there for that I know my freshman year, oh, freshman year, oh, and nine oh that's right, okay.
Speaker 1:So freshman year oh on nine. Started with nothing, turned into something. When Cooper says that, what does that mean in your mind?
Speaker 3:Well, just like being being like around him and like learning from him. I mean, he's like one of my best friends, so it's like I get to be around him all the time. But when he says that it's just like you can like when you come together as a team you can really change stuff around, like he talks about it all the time.
Speaker 3:uh, coach connell talks about all the time where it's like we didn't really have that much structure, or his first year like it was just people doing what they wanted to do, like choosing when they come to practice, choosing when to go to the weight room, really, and now it's just like. It's like. Our standard is like you need to. You need to show up, like we're not going to be a good team if you don't show up and now, like the, our standard now is like four and five, like we're not. We cannot go below four and five, or we just didn't reach our standard and we didn't get to the point where we need to be as a team.
Speaker 1:Wow, I love the growth of this program. It's always talk about. You get these little chill moments. You gave me one right there. I was able to talk to one of your assistant coaches this past week. He'll, he will remain nameless, just because it's fun to say that he will remain nameless, but he is a St James Catholic school grad. If that means anything to you, Wow. But he is a St James Catholic school grad. If that means anything to you, Wow. And he said this very sincerely. So he was like he goes. You know, a lot of coaches blow smoke and they say it. But Collins does it and you're trying to make these kids into the best men they can be, and when I hear Connor talk there, that's all I need to hear.
Speaker 2:I appreciate that. Yeah, and I love the credit, but I'm always one and I will continue to be. It's just so many other people. If you surround yourself with the right people too, this is how this happens.
Speaker 1:To me what you're saying. You're a variable in this equation.
Speaker 2:I'm 100%. I'm just a piece and I'm blessed to be in a role of leadership. But the guys around me I got assistant coaches that are phenomenal, like they're just these guys, the stuff that they do. They'll ask me their ideas are the ones that come up. I just say that sounds pretty good, let's do it. There's just a lot of smart guys uh, leading kids and how coming up great ideas to help them become great men. So i'm'm like go do it, I love it.
Speaker 5:And that's something that I've seen from being the athletic director. I've always seen from you is that you really encourage and enable your coaches to be themselves and to have that investment within the program because in turn you're going to get back their very best right.
Speaker 2:Right, exactly, and I feel, feel strongly not only in that style leadership, but, um, just, that's just how I operate. I just think I'm just a piece and I try to serve the other guys that are also those big pieces for us.
Speaker 1:So right I missed this earlier. I'm going to come back to it. You made a little bit of a change this summer and not playing travel baseball, right? You've done that? How long you've been doing that for shoot? Uh, probably, since like fourth grade, yeah, crazy yeah, so it's a really really long time big part of your life. Why, why not this summer?
Speaker 3:you know like I wanted to focus on the sport that I was going into next. I mean, football has just been a part of my life for forever and not until, like up until, like my sophomore year, junior year, I chose football. Like I love it, I like being around. Football is just it's key to me. And I just felt like last year travel baseball was a little bit too much on me, not so much on like, like physical wise or mental wise. There was just tournaments in baseball where I just wasn't focused and making poor decisions.
Speaker 1:Also, you have learned from being in a football program. Now that's requiring that of you.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And seeing that as a deficit, when you were doing other things and you didn't like it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, I love baseball. I love all my sports that I play. But I just felt like focusing on one to make myself great and something that I could go to college and do. I just wanted to focus in on just doing that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then, of course, by not doing some of those things on the weekend, it frees up time for you to do other stuff.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean like my social life is like really high right now, Like I love going and be able to hang out with my friends whenever I want, like around football.
Speaker 1:So I mean it's pretty fun yeah, balance is a really important thing. I also talked to your mom about some other passion you've picked up this summer, something in the last two weeks, uh, something about a fix it up. Uh, an old boat is that. Is that the case?
Speaker 3:yeah, so, uh, well, one of my best your mom was great, by the way.
Speaker 1:I'm like give me some gold, and she did.
Speaker 3:No. So me and my best friend, kayla Montgomery, we wanted to do something over the summer, possibly winter, and we were thinking about what to do and it just came up with a boat. We're like, let's get a boat, it's crazy, it can have a little project boat. So we went out thinking about what to do and they just came up with a boat. We're like, let's get a boat, we can. It's crazy, you can have a little project boat. So we went out.
Speaker 3:We bought it from this super redneck guy love it out in hudsonville it was it was sweet, it was fun, uh, but we, we um ripped up all the carpet out of it, put new carpet down, we added a bench. We're getting it fixed up right now.
Speaker 5:We're getting a little tune up on the motor nice, so much fun, and you also got couches in the locker room yeah, we did get that I walked into the locker room the other day doing a little quick stadium tour and I was like whoa couches yeah, yeah, just something that we wanted to bring to reality.
Speaker 3:I mean, we talked about it.
Speaker 2:I have been talking about it and I have been talking about it.
Speaker 3:He's been talking about it since our first year.
Speaker 2:If you get this, if you guys, do this, I'll get you this, but if you do this, I'll get you that. And then they're like haven't we done it? No, not yet. And then now they're like we've done it, we're going to get it ourselves.
Speaker 3:So we wanted to get couches in the locker room. We've been wanting to do it for the past three years since the stadium opened love it. So we went on facebook marketplace nice looked up free couches and we got two huge sectionals they're nice. Yeah, yeah, those are nice, you could easily sell those for like 100, 150, really easily.
Speaker 5:It's crazy I also uh had a, a buddy of mine that I coached football with you know, years and years ago is uh lives down in Springfield, illinois, and he's parents have a lake house here in Holland and uh stopped by today for a little walkthrough and we walked in there and he goes. We didn't even have that in college.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 5:You know, uh, what I love about it is it it shows that guys want to hang out together, but also in that space, what does that do for kind of that, that team philosophy?
Speaker 3:It just shows like if you come, if you come to the stadium I mean, I brought my Xbox in there we're just we noticed we're playing NCAA all the time, but it just.
Speaker 1:I can hear. I can say, look, we got. No, we got to run something on third down. Uh, we just ran this in the locker room earlier and we got a touchdown out of it.
Speaker 2:Collins, we gotta do this yeah, that that'd be the negative, but the positive really is I talk about the this the other day with the guys play it. If you don't play it, watch it, because it's real football and if you're watching, you can learn so much. The techniques are correct, the alignments are correct for quarterbacks, the reads are correct and I was standing behind these guys the other day and I think a lot. No, it was Forbes.
Speaker 2:Forbes was on there and he was playing and I'm like he's running this crossing route and so he knows, connor knows that on a crossing route we're going to read the play side linebacker away from the cross and if the play side linebacker vacates, the ball's going to your number one read just throw it to the crosser. If he blitzes, throw it to the crosser. So that linebacker vacated on Forbes' thing and I told Forbes, drop it to your Y. Well then he pushed the Y button, dropped it to him, stay here.
Speaker 3:Like so it's real football, it's real football.
Speaker 2:You can learn a lot from it.
Speaker 3:It definitely brings in team culture, right, and we there's guys that we didn't really hang out with. And then, all of a sudden, we spent 10 hours a day for two, for two days in a row this playing NCAA in the locker room with our teammates, and we wouldn't.
Speaker 2:Yes, and I'm there on my laptop. As I told you earlier, I like to be on my laptop in various locations.
Speaker 3:Well, it's been lately in the locker room and we're just, we're just playing and like having a good time with our teammates, like people that we would never hang out with out of football, and it's just, it's cool to see we're just bringing building brotherhood into our team.
Speaker 5:That's really what it's all about. I mean, the guys that I played high school football with. When I go back to Maryland, those are the guys I hang out with. It's one of those things. Coach, I want to go back to your first game in the OK Red. This is a memory that I have that's ingrained in me, right? So we start the year. We opened with northview at home, then we went to mount pleasant. We took that long road trip. We walk into hudsonville for your first ever contest in the okay red and we're getting ready for for kickoff. I don't know if you remember this or not. I do. You walked up to me and you put your arm around me and you're like, is this what it's like in the red every week? And I said, yep, talk to me a little bit about what that transition. Obviously a ton of success at montague at a much smaller school and then walking into those red facilities that first go around.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we've been in huge games at Montague, massive, massive games, and that was totally unique, which is really unique in itself to say that. But when I came in Hudsonville I looked at I have some coaches who came with me.
Speaker 2:Their eyes were as big as mine, and we looked around, it was community day now at the time rightly so. We had about a dozen times two maybe in the stands in the on the visitor side. That's just how it was when I arrived. And your thing, and that's it, rightly so, like I said, like okay, we got to get better. So, um, on the home side and wrapping all the way around to the edge of our bleachers on each side was just complete chaos. And it was thousands of people, thousands and they're here to watch us play and obviously we're not very good, but they're all there and it's crazy. And then we just couldn't believe it. It took our breath away looking over at the number of people. And then the officials and they were on the microphones like college ball.
Speaker 2:We've never really experienced that much, except when we were in the state finals at Ford Field, and it was like holy cow, this is how it is all the time. And you were like yeah, and my first thought was, as much as I was kind of whoa, kind of shocked, was yes, because that's what I came for and I want the challenge. Whoa kind of shock was yes, yep, because that's what I came for. So, and I want the challenge and I love that. It's big time and that's how the red is and what a great league, awesome league. I love it when there's great, solid leagues. I was part of one up there up north in a small school that was a West Michigan conference. Actually, they changed right when I left and it wasn't a reason I left. But I loved the original WMC a lot and I really really love now this. Ok Red who is just holding together especially for football? Yeah, very similar to you.
Speaker 5:That's what really attracted me to take a chance. And interview here at West Ottawa was holy cow. An opportunity to run a program in the OK Red. This is the most competitive league in all of West Michigan and if you're good in the Red you're going to compete for a state championship, right, that's just iron sharpens iron and this league certainly brings out the best in everyone.
Speaker 1:When we talk about that, I think about the transition that you made coming here from Montague and having to deal with some change there. Connor Knapp, you've played wide receiver most of your young football life. Can you talk a little bit to me about what this former high school quarterback himself talked to you about to get you to play quarterback? I mean, you're very you're a very athletic guy. You have lots of ability, lots of different talent. Talk to me about how that came about.
Speaker 3:So really it started um the Jenison week, my sophomore year, and I would. I would have never thought about playing quarterback ever. I mean I played it in like sixth grade, but that's not real football, but me and my friend Ruben, or my friend and teammate Ruben.
Speaker 1:Ruben Esparza. Yep Love him, by the way.
Speaker 3:We were just throwing the ball, like we were just throwing the ball at halftime, and I just kept on going back. It went from like 30 yards, 40 yards, 50 yards and I got to the 60 and I threw it 60 yards and this dude's sitting in the tunnel and he's like whoa, you can throw that far. And.
Speaker 3:I'm like, yeah, I mean I play baseball. I've played baseball my whole life. I have a good arm, I play third shortstop. I don't feel anywhere.
Speaker 3:And then he was like, what do you think about playing quarterback? And I was like, eh, I don't know, like I've never really done it before, like I played it in sixth grade, but it's not real football. And then there's just a lot of talking too. Like we had like our end-of-the-season meetings like exit meetings and stuff, and like our end of the season meetings like exit meetings and stuff. And he pulled me out of the weight room and he was just like so if you had to pick a spot, what would it be? Would you have the X spot for receiver or starting quarterback?
Speaker 3:And at the time I was just like I don't know, like that's super hard's super hard to pick from. I'm really good at receiver, I could have some upside in quarterback. And, knowing me, I mean I love change. I love change. I mean I changed to West Ottawa coming into my freshman year so I just took it as another thing to change. But I was like, yeah, let's do it. My mom kind of talked me into it. No, no, she talked me out of it, sorry she was like you don't know what you're doing, just stick to receiver.
Speaker 3:And I'm like, no, I want to do it. So we came in in the mornings after school we would throw, and his hard coaching on me just made me who I am today really and Coach Nguyen had a lot to do with that too, for sure.
Speaker 2:A lot of work with you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you are moving into year two now. Quarterback you had a bit of a. The start last year was hit or miss a little bit, but those last four or five games down the stretch I was tight. It was really fun to watch going into your second year. Can you guys speak maybe the both of you with regards to a few things of the quarterback position and how connor has developed into this year and specifically how about, like arm strength, maybe throwing into windows a little bit better and then leading players open?
Speaker 2:Oh man, his talent is through the roof. He wouldn't be talking about that story unless it was. So what's really crazy about Connor? Though? I'm going to backtrack a little bit and say that he has the best hands I've ever seen as a coach a skill set of catching the football.
Speaker 5:So that sideline catch against Northview as a sophomore, first varsity game Correct.
Speaker 2:So I could look like a real idiot here by taking the best receiver I've ever coached and seen as hands wise and move him to quarterback. But I'm just going to say we're a team first program always and he knows that and I will really appreciate what he did because it was selfless. He just said I'll do what's best for the team. He made the switch regardless of whatever was going through his head or at home and he did it and it was what was best for the team.
Speaker 3:And he did it and it was amazing.
Speaker 2:And I think it was the right move. I know it was the right move because we're a better team, because he's the quarterback and that's the ultimate goal, because it's team first. But aside from that and individual skills, his skill set throwing the ball and being a quarterback in my mind has more upside than potentially being a receiver and he's starting to find a way to get close to that or have passed it already and without him catching the ball, and I've watched him try to catch the ball a couple of times where I didn't even see that as a sophomore, where he actually didn't catch it, and I think he's lost some of that. So I would say that quarterback skills may be past it. Some of those skills include incredible arm strength, incredible. He spins the ball really well and he was looking at that launch when he was launching it. That was awesome.
Speaker 2:But the way he launches it, the way his motion is the natural motion and a lot of time we're looking at revolutions, you know, per second, sure, and that ball spinning out of his hand, and that's important for a very a variety of reasons because, uh, you know, a lot of times it's weather and the ability to still spin a ball when it gets wet or windy and you're able to still play the position without being affected by those things.
Speaker 2:Right, he has all these little things that I could just see right away with him just playing catch with a guy, and so the talent is through the roof and his ability to read now and make the plays within our offense. By the way, our offense, starting with Coach Newton as the offensive coordinator, is about as comprehensive as you'll find in high school football, so there's a lot to do with things. The quarterback has an immense amount of responsibility, right, and so what we threw him into as not only a rookie quarterback playing in the okay red and everything else what people don't probably realize is he went into an offense that us in top of all those other things, as a rookie quarterback, he's managing a system that is very complicated for a high school player, and he did it. You saw the growth. I'm telling people to watch out, like I'm telling you, I feel real good about this, and so this guy's been awesome.
Speaker 1:We're going to really continue to grow and he knows he's got the weapons around him and, like we had practice yesterday, we looked phenomenal yeah so I'm excited for it, because his skill set fits what we want to do just by sitting here with you, you guys have a lot of trust between the two of you. Is that fair?
Speaker 5:100 yeah, a ton of trust you guys have spent a lot of time in this office together as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's like Cooper, which is weird, yeah, because they're both dating Right, sisters Right. And so then Cooper and I spent a long time in here, and he was your first guest, and now your second guest is in here, the one I spent just as much time with now and his reign under the program, and so it's like this is pretty cool. These guys are fun to be with and they're. It's funny how they're connected to.
Speaker 1:So is this like we're going to become the Webster connection now, Like what do we have to do next? Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 5:You guys have kind of segued really nice into something I want to I want to talk about. So we had Coop in last week and we talked about the first game ever at West Ottawa Stadium and the image of Cooper up on the student section wall after we beat Portage Northern. I go back to that night and there is a clip that we're going to play here for you and then we'll get Connor's response and we'll ask Connor about this. This goes all the way back to night one at West Ottawa Stadium.
Speaker 4:This is a beautiful place, beautiful. Don't get caught up in all that tonight and make sure the people who came to see tonight that they didn't get caught up in the place either. They were busy talking about how you play the game. How you play the game, this place will set the history and trajectory of this program. Don't put the pressure on you. Get out and have fun. Let's go. Bring it in. Bring it in, bring it in.
Speaker 3:I had chills. It was surreal, like sitting in my locker looking up at coach collins and I'm like like this is happening, like we've had practice in this place for the past couple of weeks. You can hear, you can hear the band going in the tunnel, you can hear the people screaming in the in the stands and, uh, you only get one shot, yeah, and we just kind of coming off the first win and in three years and wanting to get another one to show our um, our district, like what we can do. And looking around the locker room, it was just everybody was locked in, there was no messing around, zero, and from from that moment I knew like we were gonna win this game. It was one.
Speaker 1:It was one of those moments that come, that is so rare in an athlete's career coaching career, brand-new stadium, big moment. The program is now turning in the right direction and here we are. The moment has come. I mean, you don't get that very often and you guys came through.
Speaker 2:I heard Coop talk about the pass.
Speaker 3:We kind of scored, and then they just touched down and then he was.
Speaker 2:That was a moment of like check, let's check, see where we're at here. And we didn't hitch and I that's a big deal. Yeah, um, that's. That's that shows that you're turning a corner, when those things don't affect you anymore, because they used to affect us a lot when I first got there.
Speaker 5:Yeah, yeah, that's a. That's a huge night, as I, as I will eventually get to the end of my career. I've got many, many yet to go, but that's going to be one that I'll look back on and cherish forever. Because, as an athletic director, most ADs don't get to design and build an athletic facility right. Like you inherit the stadium that's been there since the 1960s and maybe it's gotten a little bit gussy and up, but you don't get to build something like that.
Speaker 1:So that is a night that, yeah, is very, very special For sure there is a couple things that also happened, and I don't know if these are big things or not, but there's things we noticed. For sure there is a couple things that also happened, and I don't know if these are big things or not, but there's things we noticed In bringing this team closer together. I believe it was last year in the middle of the year, the Rockford game. You guys hung close in that first half. I think you had some red zone turnovers as well, yep, and then the second half got away a little bit. That particular game, you guys stayed at that stadium a very, very long time. Can you go back today and I could be wrong here, but anything special happened that day, or why did you stay so long, or what happened there. I don't know, and if you don't remember, you don't remember and it wasn't.
Speaker 3:We were just talking about like a Rockford, obviously very good team. They're like number one at one point in the season last year and we're just having a huge talk and just showing like at halftime it was. Just, we can stick in with teams like this.
Speaker 3:Like put all the doubt and everything beside us. Like we can, if we lock in and we focus and do the right plays with teams like this, put all the doubt and everything beside us. If we lock in and we focus and do the right plays and just come together as a team, we can hang in with them, no matter what their name is, no matter how many people are in that stand. It was just go out there and just give it your all. We have nothing to lose. Just go out there and play. You can clearly play with with them. We're down by seven at halftime. It's like we're right there.
Speaker 2:Yeah it was yeah, we, we had great kids that speak and people stand up and we do a fifth quarter too, right? I don't know if you've heard about that. We have. Yep, so the fifth quarter is a cool thing too, and maybe that took place that day, I don't remember. Was that the first about the fifth quarter? Yeah, we have. So the fifth quarter is a cool thing too, and maybe that took place that day, I don't remember. Was that the first Rockford game?
Speaker 5:It was yeah.
Speaker 2:So it was more about what Connor said with the processing of how close we are and how far we've come, and that we can do it, and these are the things we've got to do, though, yeah, like we can't make these little mistakes and expect to beat a team like that, and we were in it for a reason. And then we were in it because we were sharp and we were doing what we were supposed to do all the time, and then we let that drift.
Speaker 1:I think a lot of times, yeah, I think a lot of times in life too, don't you get to that moment where you go enough's enough, correct we're done yeah. We're moving forward now, yep, and you guys did it.
Speaker 5:You've done it. And then that next week we're in a dogfight with Granville Yep, and then the following week we go to Hudsonville and kind of right the ship and we really get after Hudsonville. And I got a phone call from you know, the AD group is really tight and Jenison's AD calls me that night as I'm on my way home from Hudsonville and he's like what happened? What have you guys done?
Speaker 5:And I said Tim, we left Jensen disappointed with a win because we knew we were better and we got better against Rockford and Granville. And then that kind of proved itself, I think, down the stretch, when we went on a little run there at the end of the year to get into the playoffs.
Speaker 3:Yeah, after that Jison game he made a comment to one of our coaches and we won the game. But I wasn't surprised. I was more mad that we won the game than anything, because nobody was really like we took Jenison as a oh, they're bad, nothing's going to happen. Like nobody was focused and having the having the win on a uh, walk off touchdown was just kind of like are you serious, right? Are you kidding me? Yeah, I was obviously happy for forbes because he that that moment for him to win that game. It was exciting for him. But I walked off and I was just kind of like you've got to be kidding me. We need to be better than this. From the second we won that game it was we're on to the next week. If we play how we played this week, we're not going to win next week. That was a wake-up call.
Speaker 2:We were already in a stupor from the start. We lost the first two. I think the takeaway for me was their ability the kids' ability after the culture and the way that was very recently their ability to even with a bad start in these weird kind of opening first half season they were able to right the ship against really good teams and turn it right back around and then get in the playoffs. I'm like that's crazy. These guys were phenomenal the way they responded, so that's impressive. The senior class that we lost from their leadership on down was phenomenal.
Speaker 1:Right, you were back at West Ottawa State and we get five games this year instead of four, hopefully with good weather. Oh, my goodness.
Speaker 1:It was last year, I think almost every Friday night was at least cloudy, with a chance of meatballs almost every game, and we had some luck. But I'm just so happy to have five games there. I mean last year, when bill goes, yeah, I'm gonna have four games this year, I was like I know, no, me too, we need more than that. So we have five. So we're totally pumped out about that. Your first game, though let's talk about this this season coming up. You're on the road against uh, grand ledge. Uh played them last year in an absolute wild shootout at West Ottawa State in which we ended up losing. I believe it was 37-30. You're on the road Expectations going into Grand Ledge.
Speaker 3:Well, last Grand Ledge game I was freaking out a little bit I normally don't freak out a ton but first play battery gave it to Forbes, got destroyed. It was my first game. I didn't really know how to handle everything, anxiety through the roof. But now I feel confident. Grand Ledge is a team that obviously we can't take them like they're not serious, but a game that is very beatable. And if we win that first game it just sets a trajectory for the season. So taking that road trip out there going to go get a win, it's just, it's a good moment, it's a great moment for the future.
Speaker 1:It's just so interesting that you're playing the same team you played your first time and you get to circle back to that. Yeah Right, revisit. You know, when you do that as an athlete, you're revisiting that game mentally and go.
Speaker 3:I'm not that anymore, I'm better than that, let's go I've already just been envisioning what, what I, what I want to do. Like I just want to set the bar very high and go out there and show them what I can do. Like pass the ball with efficiency, get the right reads, I'm just ready to show.
Speaker 2:Sweet, it's the only game on my radar. Always has to be right. Yeah, it is it really is what's the most important game, the one you're in Correct, and I'm not. I know it's cliche, but I'm just saying like it is, though it is.
Speaker 1:It is Like we.
Speaker 2:It is, though it is, it is. We are going to be dialed in on them come August 12th.
Speaker 1:Let's talk a little bit about offense and defense. You have a bunch of explosive players on offense. Last year there was just guys that could just go the distance on the regular. Can you talk about just some of your offensive players? I know, I think your offensive line and defensive line have changed a lot. Maybe just speak to that a little bit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we lost some linemen up front, so we're rebuilding there. And then with the skill set on the outside, on offense, you've got Ruben Esparza we mentioned him earlier, two-time state champ in the track season, two-time state champ and he's obviously very explosive, very fast and has some obvious huge talent. And then Connor, of course, is back. We've been talking with him all day, but he is a very key piece of this puzzle. And then Forbes.
Speaker 1:How big are his quads now Big, can he get through doors?
Speaker 2:He's a large human. So you get these recruiting questionnaires and you respond to these all in the spring and the summer. Everybody wants to know about the team and maybe the first question is your quarterback back. Maybe the second question is your running back back. And then the third question on offense would be is your best receiver back? And I'd said yes yes, yes.
Speaker 2:So that's a pretty big deal for us. Obviously, our line needs work, but in our system, in the way we operate our offense, we feel like we can really help them grow at the pace they need to grow through the season and our guys are ready to go Like they're working hard and they're our guys and we love them and they're working good. You know, we got some big dudes up there too and a couple of guys returning to help lead some of the new guys, so that helps. On defense, we only have about three well, I'd call it three and a half returners.
Speaker 1:Really.
Speaker 2:On offense. I think we ended up with like five six, Because Alex Hernandez on offense and then Brady Grass, maness are back on the offensive line and you include those skill guys. It's five to six guys that are coming back on O and then on D you got three to four. I would call it. Ty Heskett was a safety who didn't play the whole year there, but he got some time starting. He started to learn quite a bit through the second half of the year and then you got those young guns Elijah Reynolds, you got CJ Traylor and Caleb Montgomery. So the young guns were the sophomores so athletic that trio you just mentioned.
Speaker 2:So yeah, those very athletic sophomores who played as young'uns on the varsity now are juniors. So they're really all our returners are young guys on the defense, but the defense is, you know, three, four guys returning. I know you're filling a lot of holes, but there's a lot of guys that are very athletic that just don't have the experience. So we're really working hard with those guys. We like what we see. We just have to keep it simple and continue to build a fundamental skill. So the guys come August 12 and continue to really focus in on the small things with these guys, cause they just haven't done it, and then it's going to be their job to not stare up at the Friday night lights when they get turned on, like let's just play football. Is that a thing? A hundred percent.
Speaker 2:I was in the state title in 2008 and Cody Cater was my quarterback and I talked about the lights with that team Don't get caught up in this stuff. And we were at Ford Field for the state championship game and we ran a couple of plays and we had a nice little script for offense. We went right down the field and scored. It was almost too easy. We were playing Leslie High School and Cater, one of my leaders, captains and quarterback and safety came running off same position Connor plays, and he said hey, coach. I said hey, great, great drive, man, great drive. And give him hey coach. I said hey, great drive, man, great drive. And giving him a hug, he looks at me and goes, listen, he goes, coach, they're looking up at the lights. It's over.
Speaker 2:This was two minutes into the first quarter in the state finals game. You'd think the nerves would be like we're just still trying to feel this out too. He knew because we've been talking about the lights. Our guys got to do that this year. That's going to be essential for us to get down and play football and not get caught up in all that Because we've got some young guys. They better buy in and just be like we're jumping on board with these young guns. We're jumping on board with Connor and Forbes. They're our dudes, they're our leaders. O'connor and Forbes, they're our dudes, they're our leaders and they've been here done that, and so they might as well just jump on board and do it, because otherwise it could be a problem.
Speaker 1:I'm just being honest. Wow, I'm not surprised, because the way you explain it, it does make sense. The environment is so popping.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you explained the environment earlier when you were describing it. It's time We've got to lock in, and I think our guys will. But I'm sending the message right on this podcast. I'm going to keep sending the message we better lock in, because if we do, we're going to be pretty good, we're going to be real good.
Speaker 5:You think about the venues that we travel to. We open at Grand Ledge big stadium Division I school, just outside of Lansing community-based football program, right, so the city of Grand Ledge shuts down on Friday nights because their people come out. We go to Granville this year, which is always a big, big deal. Caledonia with now turf and a video board and that community is wild about the Scots and football.
Speaker 2:Zeeland West comes to town and you better be focused.
Speaker 5:Yep.
Speaker 2:Otherwise. Next thing, you know they're going to be in the end zone. Yep, like you've got to be dialed in and our guys will be. We're going to work hard at that.
Speaker 5:That'll be the biggest crowd ever at West Ottawa Stadium.
Speaker 2:Yeah, probably.
Speaker 1:For sure, sweet, I love the intensity in this room right now. I think I this room right now like I think I'm one credit short in my high school. Yeah, I just like to be on the sideline. We'll take you. Yeah, just sit there doing something. Connor, you got a lot to prove this year. I'm totally pumped for you. I I know you love this game of football. Uh, your mom told me that you do like to sleep with the football so I was like let's go.
Speaker 3:I love that. I do have a football stuff see, I love it.
Speaker 1:You hang on to that stuff and you squeeze it tight.
Speaker 2:You keep the phone on the table. I always tell the guys they get the cell phone Is the cell phone your teddy bear? Is the cell phone your teddy bear or is it just a phone? You know how people cuddle with it. And I tell these guys don't cuddle with your phone, Get some sleep.
Speaker 1:So the football's there for a reason You're even locked in. When you're going to bed at night, bring that football in and put the phone over there. I love that. That's great, coach you also. This is another season for you. I'm sure the aspirations are push that 500, push those playoffs. We're pulling for you. We want to see if we can fill up Grand Ledge. So for everybody who's listening to this podcast right now, let's show out, let's head out to Grand Ledge. Let's fill that opposing stadium. It's an hour and 40 minute drive from here. It's an hour and 42 minutes if you take the second fastest route.
Speaker 2:I noticed. Thank you for looking that up. You're right and school starts.
Speaker 5:That's going to be a huge impact. This will be the first time in my 20 years involved in high school athletics where, I mean, our first day of school is the day of our scrimmage Right? That's crazy to me to think about all of the years coaching football and we wouldn't even have a day of school before week two. And now we're we're right in it. Week two, and now we're we're right in it. How's that scrimmage gonna go? I always felt that the worst day of practice the entire season is the first day of school.
Speaker 2:That's a good question. I've never thought of that that way, not this year. We're locked in because that does. That is a weird day it is, I don't know, but that isn't our, that isn't that isn't where it's going to be made in that right we're. We're bringing some teams in, we're going to work on a few things, but I'll just say it, we're just not. That's not really our focus in our fall ball is that day. We have a couple other days that are some focus, though I'll keep that between Connor and I.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all right. So this is a call out to all you Panther fans to lock in. Let's have a year here. Let's really get that community support. Let's see if we can. If you never travel to a game, maybe this is the year you do. We got our home opener, I believe September 6th, versus Zeeland West, correct. So I would love to see that stadium packed like it has been on some nights. Let's fill that place up. Bring that uncle, bring that cousin. Bring that uncle, bring that cousin, bring that neighbor who says I'm going to get to the stadium sometime. Make it September 6th and get them out there. This has been absolutely fantastic. It's been great sitting with coach Pat Collins and it has been great sitting with Connor Knapp. I might go grab a little stuffed animal football. This made me feel good, but it's been great talking with you guys. We are this community is behind you. All the way 're going to be there for you.
Speaker 2:Thanks for coming by we appreciate you guys and, uh, this is huge. I talked to you about million little moments. This is more than one for us, like just a promotion and helping us out, because it takes more than just our work on the field, obviously. So those fans coming out, it's huge. Every piece is is important to us, so we thank you guys in this podcast is awesome yeah, we're really excited about it. It's really cool and you're doing great work, so thanks yeah.
Speaker 1:Connor Knapp. You were fantastic. You were just sick a little while earlier. Connor Knapp came to today's podcast after having a bit of a rough afternoon and you cannot tell. Thank you for coming in. We appreciate you, guys and we will see you from the stands, from the booth.
Speaker 2:And all the best to you guys. See you then, guys. Thanks, guys.
Speaker 1:Thank you All right thanks.