Caledonia Football Preview

Over the past few years Caledonia hasn't lived up to the standard it believes in and they know that. Heading into the 2021 season the Fighting Scots will be starting fresh with the hopes that they can turn a new leaf in the program's history. However, they have quite the uphill battle and challenge ahead of them. The Fighting Scots are turning the keys over to Derek Pennington. After spending the past 13 years over at Zeeland East, who we recently covered, Pennington has his hands full with his new challenge. He's looking forward to the challenge and thinks he's the right guy to make them competitive again. In a recent interview, he talked about his vision for the program and what he plans to do on top of the foundation former Head Coach Tom Burrill built. He's excited and because of his vision, there is a ton of excitement in the Fighting Scots building. Coach Pennington will have a ton of playmakers on the defensive side and I want to highlight just a few of those guys. Langston Engelberg is the starting WLB for the Fighting Scots and he's absolutely worth a discussion. He isn't the biggest player only standing at 5'10" and 170 lbs but he packs a punch. He's a hard hitter and plays his butt off. He flies all over the field making plays and they rely on him probably more than you'd think they want to. The MLB for the Fighting Scots is Luke Mandsager and he's the fellow star next to Engelberg. Mandsager also has a similar build to his partner in crime. He stands at 5'10" and 185 lbs. He is the field general and signal-caller for the defense. He gets everything set presnap and relies on his intelligence. He's a smart player who takes advantage of his brain. He isn't the greatest athlete but he always makes up with it and it never costs him. He's a very good football player with not many holes in his game. Sealing the backend of the defense is their star FS Owen Graham. Graham is 5'10 and 170 lbs. He's a powerful player and loves to hit the weights. He can squat over 400 lbs and deadlift over 400 lbs. He's a decent athlete and is a sure tackler. He's the reliable backend to a great LB duo and the defense won't be a concern in 2021. With another year of development, Graham could land himself a handful of college offers and make an impact at the collegiate level. The Fighting Scots went 4-5 last year and they are looking to build on top of that. Caledonia starts their season on the road against Holt on the 26th at 7 PM. They then return home for a few weeks before they hit the road again. They finish their season on the road at Hudsonville on October 22nd. By then we will be able to look at the Fighting Scots and see what Coach Pennington did in year 1. There's good reason to be excited if you're a Fighting Scots fan.