Spring football
Airedales set for spring practice
By Kevin Taylor
Alma Sports
The cold breeze might have been a slap in the face early Wednesday morning, the first official spring practice for Alma football coach Rush Bush and Co.
But it won't last long.
The Airedales hit the field this week in preparation for the 2024 season opener with Van Buren.
Bush has some viable quarterbacks in his stable, and a couple of dark horses that may need to be added to the radar.
Sophomore Sam Schlegel, an all-state receiver last season, is among those vying for the starting nod. Juniors Michael Taylor, John Crump, and sophomore Chase Parker are also in the mix.
"We're working four right now," Bush said. "Michael Taylor came in as quarterback from Roland (Okla.), and played tremendous for us on defense at corner, and we're counting on him to help us on defense against this year, too. Sam Schlegel, who was an all-state wide receiver, can do some phenomenal things. Sam's different from Michael."
One of the wildcards may be Crump.
"Last year was his first action as a football player," Bush said. "He's extremely athletic. He's working out at quarterback. If it doesn't work out at quarterback, he'll play some corner and wide receiver for us. He's one of those guys that nobody knows about, and he'll open some eyes. Chase Parker has done a tremendous job in quarterback school. He's a little green, but Chase will be an excellent quarterback. It could be early, depending on what happens to some older guys. One thing that has is toughness. we ran him a lot as a ninth grader and the kid took a beating, and he would always get up. He's got a great, tough demeanor."
The Airedales have plenty to build on following last year’s 7-4 finish, which featured a blowout win over Farmington and a stunning loss to Harrison.
“Walking into it, you’ve got a lot of guys back from a pretty successful season,” Bush said. “It’s not about that one play (against Harrison), but that’s the one everybody remembers. There were probably four or five plays in that game that hurt us in that game, but these kids put themselves in a position to play for a conference championship.
The Airedales return all 11 defensive starters, including edge rusher Israel Towns-Robinson and defensive back Cash Farris.
“From my seat, you have a little bit of a different approach,” Bush said. “You don’t have to start from ground zero; we have many kids coming back. We can just build on what we’ve done.”
Bush expects several freshmen, who will be sophomores next season, to have an impact. The same is true of a handful of upperclassmen who may not have played much football last season.
“We have some guys that you didn’t play much last year that may be able to help us,” Bush said. “One thing that I try to pride myself on is playing JV games. If we have enough kids, we’re going to try and play. That’s what they’re here for. We use those games to develop kids. Sometimes, too, they’re playing behind a really good player.”